Thunderbird Wall
Thunderbird Wall in California has 13 climbing routes across 8 difficulty grades.
- 13 routes
- 5.7 – 5.10c
- Sport · Trad
Is Thunderbird Wall open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name Thunderbird Wall, so check the source for the area it covers.
Radford Fire Closure Area
Agency closure covering Mountaintop Ranger District · Order 05-12-52-24-06 · USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District
Safety Alert - Falling Rocks at Bonita Falls
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · Order 05-12-00-26-05 · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Thunderbird Wall
Best months: May–October. 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
46° / 24°
6 wet
Feb
46° / 24°
6 wet
Mar
51° / 27°
6 wet
Apr
57° / 31°
4 wet
May
66° / 37°
2 wet
Jun
75° / 43°
1 wet
Jul
80° / 50°
2 wet
Aug
79° / 49°
3 wet
Sep
73° / 44°
2 wet
Oct
63° / 35°
2 wet
Nov
53° / 28°
3 wet
Dec
46° / 24°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Big Bear Lake, CA, 5 mi away at 6,753 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Thunderbird Wall is a climbing area in the Mountaintop Ranger District of San Bernardino National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing spots, with Pistol Whipped Wall and Gunsmoke Wall each about 0.1 mile away. The wall holds 13 routes, ranging from sport and trad styles. Most fall between 5.7 and 5.10c, with Thunderstruck at 5.10c marking the hardest. Thunderbird and Nervous Twitch are both sport routes at 5.9, and the trad route Last Call for Alcohol starts at 5.7. The climbing season is long, with typical highs from about 66°F in May to around 73°F in September, based on averages from a nearby weather station at Big Bear Lake. That station sits lower than the wall, so temperatures on the wall run cooler. For more to do, Tanglewood Group Camp is about 1.3 miles away, and Van Dusen Canyon Spur is a hike about 1.5 miles off. Big Bear Lake Recreation Area, about 3.4 miles away, offers lake fishing.
Routes (13)
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