California · Rock climbing · Placerville

Ten-Minute Cliff

Ten-Minute Cliff in California has 6 routes with bouldering and mixed climbing.

Ten-Minute CliffPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
6 routes
5.8 – 5.12a
Mixed · Bouldering

Best time to visit Ten-Minute Cliff

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

    57° / 34°

  2. Feb

    60° / 37°

  3. Mar

    63° / 40°

  4. Apr

    67° / 42°

  5. May

    76° / 48°

  6. Jun

    86° / 55°

  7. Jul

    94° / 61°

  8. Aug

    93° / 59°

  9. Sep

    88° / 56°

  10. Oct

    77° / 48°

  11. Nov

    64° / 40°

  12. Dec

    56° / 34°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Placerville, CA, 7.1 mi away at 1,850 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Ten-Minute Cliff is a climbing area on Bureau of Land Management land in California's Mother Lode Field Office, about 7 miles from Placerville. It sits among several other climbing spots, with Struggler Cliff, Dinkum Gulley and Cosumnes River Gorge all about 0.1 mile away. The area has six routes, five of which are mixed and one is bouldering. The grades run from 5.8 to 5.12+, with Ten Minute Crack at 5.12a and Eunuch in a Whorehouse at 5.12+ among the harder options. Scorpio is the easiest at 5.8. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Placerville show May highs around 76°F and October highs around 77°F, while July and August average in the low 90s. Paddlers can head to the North Fork Cosumnes River, about 7 miles away, and campers can stay at Sly Guard Cabin, roughly 7 miles off.

Routes (6)

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