The following areas are closed to all visitor use to protect peregrine falcon aeries from March 1 until August 1 of each year or until the young falcons of the current year have fledged: Fifi Buttress Immediately west of Leaning Tower. Closure includes all routes on Fifi Buttress.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
Early morning start on the Northwest Face of Highe...
Description
Depending where you are on the Spire it may be shady and cold or sunny and warm. From the top of the spire you'll get some of the best views of El Cap in the Valley and a secluded summit from tourists.
Getting There
Park about 1/4 mile past the parking area for middle cathedral rock on the right. Cross the road to get on the main trail and head towards the Main Cathedral area while looking for a climbers trail on the left which heads up to Higher Cathedral Spire. Approach is ~30-60 minutes depending on route and how much you pack.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Higher Cathedral Spire:
Northwest Face 5.8 A3+ PG13 Trad, Aid, 11 pitches, 1200 feet, Grade VI
Aid Crux is on pitch 7 and can be somewhat intimidating. This route goes directly up the Northwest face and gets very little sun so bring a jacket, it can get a little chilly on this one. The middle pitches of the climb are the hardest and are composed of moderate to hard aid sections (beaks are your friend on this one). Watch out for loose rock as this route does not get done that often. It has had only 2 ascents in the last three years and one of them was me and Erik Sloan, we cleaned the ...[more]Browse More Classics in CA
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