Owens Ridge North Face Rock Climbing

The massive North Face of Owens Ridge can be seen from Highway 395, teasing northbound climbers on their way to Eastern Sierra destinations. Access to this beautiful rocky face is a lot more work than it appears, as you must scale the south face of the ridge from behind, then descend loose, steep gullies to get to the start of the numerous, long routes on the various rocks of the North Face.

The granite, while beautiful from a distance, is pretty horrific up close and in person. From grainy, crumbly rock that rolls away under your feet, to flakes and horns that come off in your hand, to saucer-sized peeling layers of seemingly sunburnt slab that disintegrate into gravel when touched, all difficulty ratings should be taken with a grain of salt, and climbers should limit themselves to routes a few number grades below what they would normally lead.

Established routes have indications that they were once "clean" and the occasional clean smear can be had, but most of the rock has little sign of climbing activity.