Three Hour Buttress
Three Hour Buttress in California has 5 mixed, sport, and trad routes across 5 difficulty grades.
- 5 routes
- 5.6 – 5.10d
- Trad · Sport · Mixed
Is Three Hour Buttress open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Inyo National Forest.
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Effect
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-26-23 · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Help Halt Golden Mussel Invasion
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness Campfire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-25-04 · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Golden Trout and Hoover Wilderness Campfire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-25-05 · USFS · Inyo National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Three Hour Buttress
Best months: May–September. 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
41° / 17°
Feb
41° / 18°
Mar
45° / 22°
Apr
51° / 27°
May
60° / 35°
Jun
70° / 42°
Jul
78° / 49°
Aug
77° / 47°
Sep
71° / 40°
Oct
61° / 30°
Nov
49° / 23°
Dec
41° / 17°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mammoth Lakes Rs, CA, 24.3 mi away at 7,804 ft. The station sits about 500 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Three Hour Buttress is a climbing area in the White Mountain Ranger District of Inyo National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Lamb Canyon Wall and Fashion Slab each about 0.1 mile away. The area has five routes, ranging from 5.6 to 5.10d on the YDS scale. Two are sport routes, two are trad, and one is mixed. The hardest is Hall Pass at 5.10d, and the Three Hour Arete is a trad route at 5.10b. StrikeSlip, a mixed route, is rated 5.9. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mammoth Lakes show July highs around 78°F with lows near 49°F, while winter highs stay around 41°F. For more time on the mountain, Morgan Mine Road and Mount Julius Caesar are both about a mile away. Paddlers can head to Pine Creek, about 2 miles off, and Horton Creek Campground is roughly 6 miles away.
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