Nevada · Rock climbing · Carson City

Washoe Boulders

Washoe Boulders in Nevada has 14 routes across 9 grades with bouldering pads and alpine no fixed protection.

Washoe BouldersPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Best time to visit Washoe Boulders

Best months: April–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.

  1. Jan

    41° / 27°

    5 wet · 4 snow

  2. Feb

    43° / 29°

    5 wet · 4 snow

  3. Mar

    49° / 33°

    4 wet · 3 snow

  4. Apr

    55° / 36°

    3 wet · 1 snow

  5. May

    64° / 44°

    3 wet

  6. Jun

    74° / 53°

    2 wet

  7. Jul

    84° / 62°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    82° / 60°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    74° / 53°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    61° / 43°

    2 wet

  11. Nov

    49° / 33°

    4 wet · 2 snow

  12. Dec

    40° / 26°

    5 wet · 4 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Virginia City, NV, 6.9 mi away at 6,340 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Washoe Boulders is a bouldering area in Nevada, about 3.4 miles from Carson Hot Springs. The site holds 14 climbing routes, with 12 of them rated on the V scale from V0- to V5 and two on the YDS scale at 5.7+ and 5.9. Among the named routes are Plug That Nose at V1, Storm Cycle at V5, and Slotted at V0. The Right Twin and Tsunami Boulder climbing areas sit just 0.1 mile away, and Boulder B/Bat Cave is the same. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Virginia City weather station show May highs around 64°F and October highs around 61°F, while July peaks near 84°F. That station sits about 370 feet lower than the boulders, so temperatures on the rock run a little cooler. Washoe Lake State Park Campground is about 2.3 miles away, and Goni Road offers a hike roughly 1.1 miles off. Mt. Rose Campground lies about 9.7 miles away.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Key Hole BouldersPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Key Hole Boulders

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Key Hole Boulders in Nevada has 5 bouldering routes across 5 grades.

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Prison Hill

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Wing Boulder

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Celebrity Wall

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Celebrity Wall in Nevada has 5 sport climbing routes ranging from 5.10 to 5.12.

West FacePhoto: Seth Tisue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

West Face

~16 min drive

West Face in Nevada has 7 sport climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades.

East WallPhoto: Seth Tisue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

East Wall

~16 min drive

East Wall in Nevada has 12 sport climbing routes across 9 difficulty grades.

Owl RockPhoto: Seth Tisue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Owl Rock

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Owl Rock in Nevada has 37 climbing routes with bouldering and sport options.

Pellet 2Photo: Seth Tisue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Pellet 2

~16 min drive

Pellet 2 in Nevada has 5 bouldering routes across 5 difficulty grades.

Dinosaur RockPhoto: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Dinosaur Rock

~16 min drive

Dinosaur Rock in Nevada has 18 climbing routes across 10 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Tsunami Boulder

~0 min drive

Tsunami Boulder in Nevada has 16 bouldering routes across 12 grades.