California · Rock climbing · Pearblossom

South Area

South Area in California has 9 climbing routes across 8 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad styles.

South AreaPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
9 routes
5.2 – 5.11c/d
Sport · Trad

Is South Area open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 7 alerts for Angeles National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Angeles National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit South Area

Best months: October–May. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    60° / 38°

    4 wet

  2. Feb

    63° / 39°

    4 wet

  3. Mar

    69° / 42°

    3 wet

  4. Apr

    75° / 45°

    2 wet

  5. May

    84° / 53°

    1 wet

  6. Jun

    93° / 61°

    0 wet

  7. Jul

    99° / 67°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    98° / 67°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    91° / 62°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    80° / 53°

    1 wet

  11. Nov

    67° / 43°

    2 wet

  12. Dec

    58° / 36°

    4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Pearblossom, CA, 6.7 mi away at 3,101 ft. The station sits about 1,600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

South Area is a climbing area in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Ranger District of Angeles National Forest, within the Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area. It sits on county land, and the surrounding district and natural area make it a compact base for both climbing and hiking. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from the Pearblossom weather station, about 6.7 miles away, show April highs near 75°F and October highs near 80°F, while July and August average around 98 to 99°F. The VD (Very Direct) Wall is just 0.1 mile away, and the Devil's Chair Trail and Devils Punchbowl Interpretive trail are each about 0.2 mile off. For an overnight stay, Southfork Campground is about 2.4 miles away.

Routes (9)

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