Southeast Base
Southeast Base in California has 9 climbing routes across 7 difficulty grades.
Photo: Ron Cogswell, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 9 routes
- 5.4 – 5.13b
- Trad · Sport · Mixed
Is Southeast Base open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Yosemite National Park.
As of · Source: NPS · Yosemite National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Southeast Base
Best months: March–June and September–November. 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.
Jan
48° / 29°
9 wet
Feb
51° / 30°
9 wet
Mar
57° / 33°
10 wet
Apr
63° / 38°
8 wet
May
70° / 45°
6 wet
Jun
80° / 51°
3 wet
Jul
89° / 57°
1 wet
Aug
89° / 57°
1 wet
Sep
83° / 51°
2 wet
Oct
71° / 41°
3 wet
Nov
56° / 32°
6 wet
Dec
46° / 28°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yosemite Park Hq, CA, 3 mi away at 4,018 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Southeast Base is a climbing area in Yosemite National Park, California, managed by the National Park Service. The name points to its location on the southeast side of the park, where it sits right next to other climbing spots, including Moby Dick and Pterodactyl Terrace and Little John and La Cosita, both about a tenth of a mile away. The area offers a range of routes, from trad climbs on the easier side to sport routes that reach 5.13b. There are nine routes in all, with five done on traditional gear and three on sport. The hardest is TRON, a sport route at 5.13b, and the easiest is The Footstool, Right at 5.4. The mix of styles and grades makes it a draw for climbers with different preferences. The most comfortable climbing months tend to be late spring and early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 70°F with lows near 45°F and October highs around 71°F, while July and August average highs near 89°F. A fee is charged for climbing at this area, so plan for that before you go.
Routes (9)
Facts about this crag
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Ron Cogswell, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Moby Dick and Pterodactyl Terrace
~0 min drive
16-route climbing area in California with mixed, sport, and trad options.
Little John and La Cosita
~0 min drive
Little John and La Cosita in California has 7 climbing routes with mixed and traditional styles.
Southeast Face
~0 min drive
Southeast Face in California has 17 mixed and trad routes across 8 grades.
Photo: lewinb, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)The Slack to West Buttress
~0 min drive
14 traditional climbing routes in California spanning 8 difficulty grades.
Photo: Ron Cogswell, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Southwest Face
~0 min drive
Southwest Face in California offers 24 climbing routes across 12 grades with bouldering pads, mixed, and trad.
* Yosemite Valley Bouldering
~0 min drive
Yosemite Valley Bouldering in California has 29 routes.
Little Wing Area
~1 min drive
Little Wing Area in California has 9 traditional climbing routes across 6 grades.
MSG Boulder
~1 min drive
MSG Boulder in California offers 5 bouldering routes across 4 grades.
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)El Capitan
~1 min drive
El Capitan is a California climbing crag with 1 route and trad climbing.
Schultz's Ridge
~1 min drive
Schultz's Ridge in California has 17 climbing routes ranging across 11 difficulty grades.

