California · Rock climbing · Yosemite National Park

Southeast Base

Southeast Base in California has 9 climbing routes across 7 difficulty grades.

Southeast BasePhoto: 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.

  1. Jan

    48° / 29°

    9 wet

  2. Feb

    51° / 30°

    9 wet

  3. Mar

    57° / 33°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    63° / 38°

    8 wet

  5. May

    70° / 45°

    6 wet

  6. Jun

    80° / 51°

    3 wet

  7. Jul

    89° / 57°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    89° / 57°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    83° / 51°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    71° / 41°

    3 wet

  11. Nov

    56° / 32°

    6 wet

  12. 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.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Moby Dick and Pterodactyl TerracePhoto: Ron Cogswell, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Moby Dick and Pterodactyl Terrace

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16-route climbing area in California with mixed, sport, and trad options.

Little John and La CositaPhoto: Koshy Koshy from Faridabad, Haryana, India, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Little John and La Cosita

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Little John and La Cosita in California has 7 climbing routes with mixed and traditional styles.

Southeast FacePhoto: Koshy Koshy from Faridabad, Haryana, India, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Southeast Face

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Southeast Face in California has 17 mixed and trad routes across 8 grades.

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The Slack to West Buttress

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14 traditional climbing routes in California spanning 8 difficulty grades.

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Southwest Face

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* Yosemite Valley Bouldering

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Little Wing Area

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Schultz's RidgePhoto: ogwen, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Schultz's Ridge

~1 min drive

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