California · Rock climbing · Lake Elsinore

Upper San Juan Boulders

Upper San Juan Boulders is a bouldering area in California with 10 routes.

10 routes
V0 – V8
Bouldering

Is Upper San Juan Boulders open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Cleveland National Forest. It doesn't name Upper San Juan Boulders, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Cleveland National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Upper San Juan Boulders

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

    66° / 42°

    6 wet

  2. Feb

    67° / 43°

    5 wet

  3. Mar

    72° / 46°

    5 wet

  4. Apr

    76° / 49°

    3 wet

  5. May

    82° / 54°

    1 wet

  6. Jun

    90° / 58°

    0 wet

  7. Jul

    97° / 64°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    98° / 65°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    93° / 61°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    83° / 54°

    2 wet

  11. Nov

    73° / 46°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    65° / 40°

    5 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Elsinore, CA, 7.4 mi away at 1,268 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Upper San Juan Boulders is a bouldering area in the Trabuco Ranger District of Cleveland National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing and hiking spots, with San Juan Canyon about 0.7 miles away and Toprope Wall about 1.3 miles off. The boulders here offer a range of grades, from V0 to V8, with 10 routes in total. The easiest is Problem A at V0, and the hardest is Kittens with Mittens at V8. Beer Camp is a V2 boulder with a first ascent by Dean Goolsby, and Dream of the Cat is a V4 with a first ascent by Dakota Wentz. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Elsinore show April highs around 76°F and October highs around 83°F, while July and August average in the upper 90s. The station sits about 500 feet lower than the boulders, so temperatures on the rock run a little cooler. Hikers can reach Chiquito and the San Juan Loop within half a mile. For an overnight stay, Falcon Group campground is about 3.7 miles away.

Routes (10)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

San Juan CanyonPhoto: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

San Juan Canyon

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Ortega FallsPhoto: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Mi BoulderPhoto: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Tenaja FallsPhoto: Seauton, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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