Climbing

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Getting Started

Greetings J-tree Climbers! If you’re heading to Joshua Tree for a weekend of climbing, I’m legitimately jealous, if I’m not there already myself. J-tree is one of my all-time favorite climbing destinations, and for a great reason.

With a legendary history and an endless selection of 5-star granite climbs, Joshua Tree has earned its reputation as one of the world’s premier climbing meccas for a great reason.

Joshua Tree Is Not Beginner Friendly - With such high popularity, however, Joshua Tree’s sacred routes are protected closely by its proud local climbers looking to preserve its traditions.

As a result, you’ll find challenging routes, sandbagged ratings, long run-outs, and a slew of other challenges. it can be VERY frustrating, as a new climber, to know where to start.

Have No fear! This summary is geared primarily toward beginning & intermediate climbers--especially for people who are newly discovering the Joshua Tree area specifically.

For now, I’ll primarily be covering bouldering and sport climbing. I won't focus too much on trad--otherwise this brief article would quickly turn into a book.

General J-Tree Climbing Resources

First things first, a few key online resources I still use on every trip:

Mountain Project - Climbing in Joshua Tree
Weather.com - Joshua Tree National Park
National Park Service Website - Climbing Joshua Tree (check for park updates, closures, etc.)

Renting & Buying Gear

Yes, you can rent SOME climbing gear in the nearby town of Joshua Tree. For liability reasons, neither store will rent out climbing hardware, harnesses or rope, but you can rent crash pads for bouldering and climbing shoes.

Here are the two noteworthy climbing stores in town:

Joshua Tree Outfitters (760)366-1848
- Crash Pads: $15 per day (medium) ; $25 per day (large)
- Bouldering Guide Book: $5 per day, $1 each additional day
- Shoes: Under $10 per day
Nomad Ventures - Joshua Tree (760)366-4684
- A bigger store and a better place to buy gear if you're going that route
- Shoe rentals only (do not rent gear): $10 per day

Hiring Climbing Guides

If you're looking for a legitimate rope climbing experience and don't own your own gear, these two companies offer the cheapest rates I've found for climbing guides in the Joshua Tree area while still maintaining 4.5-star Yelp ratings:

Here's general window of rates to expect when hiring a J-tree climbing guide:

One person: Half Day ($225-240) / Full Day ($350-360) per person
Two people: Half Day ($140-150) / Full Day ($195-200) per person
Three people: Half Day ($125-130) / Full Day ($165-170) per person

New to J-Tree?

Here’s a few general tips for any climbers new to the park:

Plan Your Campsite Ahead of Time - Open campsites in the park have become notoriously harder to find each year, especially for the spontaneous trips. That doesn’t mean you can’t head out there on a moment’s notice—even on a busy weekend. You just have to know where to go!
We have a TON of great advice in our Joshua Tree Camping and Trip Prep sections that outline our go-to campsites & secrets, so you always have a reliable place to stay!
Boulderers: Check Out the HIdden Valley Area - If you’re stuck and don’t know where to start, rent a crash pad and try bouldering in Hidden Valley. It's the central climbing hub of Joshua Tree. If you get stuck and need some advice, you'll find plenty of other climbers there to confide in.
See our Bouldering section below for suggestions on fun problems to try out.
Sport Climbers: Scope the Route Before You Climb - If you're planning on sport climbing, do your research on the condition of any bolted routes you're looking at. Many of them are notoriously run out in certain areas, requiring climbers to either bring extra trad gear or take dangerous risks. See our Sport Climbing section below for suggestions on where to start.
Bring tape! This rough monzogranite will tear your hands up.

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Bouldering

Resources

Classic beginner bouldering routes to get you started:

Manx - Veasy
Pothole Rock - Veasy & V0
Turtle Rock - V1 & V2
Gunsmoke Traverse - V3 (rated high most likely for its length; beginners can do it)
Pigpen - V4

Here are a few more helpful links to get you climbing:

Mountain Project - Bouldering in Joshua Tree
Reddit - Good bouldering spots for a beginner?

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Sport Climbing & Toproping

Popular Climbing Areas

Photo: Headstone Rock - SW Corner (see feature below)

It's no secret among climbers—Joshua Tree was never intended to be a haven for bolted sport climbing (it’s loyal community is focused primarily on trad and bouldering). Many of the bolted routes are extremely run out, and some even require additional trad gear to cover chopped or worn-out anchors. Even still, you can find great sport climbing if you know where to look.

From my own experience, here are the climbing areas with the highest concentration of bolted routes:

MountainProject - Indian Cove - 123 bolted sport routes, 42 toprope
MountainProject - Echo Rock Area - 68 bolted sport routes, 41 toprope
MountainProject - Sheep Pass Area - 51 bolted sport routes, 53 toprope

Check the Climb Route Finder on Mountain Project:

Under MP's Joshua Tree National Park page, you can search specifically for sport and toproping routes.

MountainProject - Sport & TR routes in Joshua Tree

Resources

Reddit - Any must-climb sport routes in Joshua Tree?
Hikethepla.net - The 9 Best Easy Climbs in Joshua Tree

Featured Crag: Headstone Rock

Climbing Area - Sheep Pass > Headstone Rock
Recommended Routes - Cryptic (5.8), SW Corner (5.6)

Featured Crag: Indan Palisades Corridor

Climbing Area - Indian Cove > Indian Palisades Corridor Crag
Recommended Routes - Wheat Chex (5.7)

Note: this Wheat Chex route was so heavily underrated on Mountain Project. It’s an easy route, but super fun and unique—couldn’t recommend it higher for new lead climbers and first-time topropers.