California · Rock climbing · Yosemite Valley

Sunnyside Bench

Sunnyside Bench in California has 19 climbing routes across 10 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Sunnyside BenchPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
19 routes
5.5 – 5.11
Trad · Mixed · Sport

Is Sunnyside Bench 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 Sunnyside Bench

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, 0.3 mi away at 4,018 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Sunnyside Bench is a climbing area in Yosemite National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits within the park's own boundaries, about 0.2 miles from the Lower Falls Amphitheater and the Yosemite Falls Area, and is a short walk from Camp 4 West and the Yosemite Falls Trail. The area has 19 routes, with 15 of them trad and three mixed. The YDS grades run from 5.5 up to 5.11, with the median at 5.10a. Among the named routes are the Sunnyside Bench Regular Route at 5.5, Jamcrack at 5.9, and Mothballed at 5.11. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 70°F and October highs around 71°F, while July and August average highs near 89°F. A fee is charged for climbing here.

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