California · Rock climbing · Paicines

Upper Flumes Formation

Upper Flumes Formation is a California climbing area with 7 routes.

7 routes
5.6 – 5.7
Sport · Trad

Is Upper Flumes Formation open right now?

Alert in the area

The National Park Service lists an alert for Pinnacles National Park.

  • Fire Danger HIGH

    Park alert covering Pinnacles National Park · NPS · Pinnacles National Park

As of · Source: NPS · Pinnacles National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Upper Flumes Formation

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

    63° / 34°

    12 wet

  2. Feb

    64° / 36°

    11 wet

  3. Mar

    68° / 38°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    72° / 39°

    6 wet

  5. May

    80° / 43°

    3 wet

  6. Jun

    89° / 47°

    1 wet

  7. Jul

    96° / 50°

    0 wet

  8. Aug

    96° / 50°

    0 wet

  9. Sep

    92° / 48°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    82° / 43°

    3 wet

  11. Nov

    70° / 37°

    7 wet

  12. Dec

    62° / 33°

    11 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Pinnacles Nm, CA, 1.7 mi away at 1,307 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Upper Flumes Formation is a climbing area in Pinnacles National Park, California, within the Hain Wilderness. The National Park Service manages the land, and the area sits about 0.1 mile from the Lower Flumes Formation and the Balconies Cliffs Trail. The climbing here is sport-oriented, with six sport routes and one trad route. Grades run from 5.6 to 5.7, and the routes include Self Selecting Substrate (5.6) and Where the Sun Don't Shine (5.6), both sport climbs, and You Can't Fool MoM (5.6), a trad route. The Balconies and Main Face climbing areas are also within about 0.1 mile. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 80°F and October highs around 82°F, while July and August average about 96°F. A fee is charged for park use.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Lower Flumes FormationPhoto: Vadim Manuylov, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lower Flumes Formation

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Lower Flumes Formation in California has 10 sport climbing routes across 4 grades.

Bad Man Mezzanine/Lower and Upper TerracesPhoto: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Bad Man Mezzanine/Lower and Upper Terraces

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Main FacePhoto: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Main Face

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The BalconiesPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Balconies

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Machete RidgePhoto: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Machete Ridge

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The Bouldering RockPhoto: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Bouldering Rock

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West SidePhoto: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

West Side

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The Stronghold - Lower TierPhoto: Vadim Manuylov, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

The Stronghold - Lower Tier

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The Stronghold - Upper TierPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Stronghold - Upper Tier

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High Peaks NorthPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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