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Elevation: 3,980 ft
GPS: 37.73967, -119.57294
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Description Suggest change

Yosemite National Park is it: The iconic birthplace of American rock climbing and the most famous climbing area in the world.

The park, located in central California, is home to both Yosemite Valley (THE Valley), Tuolumne Meadows, and several other less-visited climbing venues such as Wawona and Hetch Hetchy. Climbers from all over the world have been visiting the Valley for decades (often staying in the little-changed walk-in campground of Camp 4) to test themselves against the great big wall climbs on El Capitan and Half Dome. In addition to scores of historic aid routes, Yosemite Valley also has everything from long free climbs to world-class bouldering. Don't expect a wilderness experience - the park is often overrun by tourists and climbers alike during the busy seasons.

In the summer, when the heat and humidity become stifling, Tuolumne offers a sub-alpine playground of beautiful domes known for run out slab and face climbs on famous Tuolumne knobs.

There are several campgrounds in the Park, the most famous of which is Camp 4. Don't expect privacy or quiet, but do expect tons of climbers and being located right in the center of the action. Camp 4 is a walk-in campground and lines will form each morning before the sun rises for openings. Most of the other sites (such as the Pines and the Tuolumne campground) are reservation campgrounds which fill up months in advance. Stays are limited from one month down to one week depending on the season.

Hipcamp has a great directory of the campgrounds, and for some of them you can even check availability and book them online.

Yosemite Climbing Info (updated by Yosemite Climbing Rangers) Suggest change

Getting There

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Driving

From points west (San Francisco Bay area): Highway 120 and 140 lead into the park and Yosemite Valley. 120 continues east to Tuolumne Meadows and then drops down to the East Side of the Sierra via Tioga Pass.

From the south (Fresno): Highway 41 leads into the park past Wawona and into the Valley.

From the east (Bishop, Mammoth, Reno): During the summer months highway 120 can be followed west up over Tioga Pass and into Tuolumne Meadows and then down to the Valley.

Tioga Pass is frequently closed from mid-October to late-May.

Mass Transit - Yosemite roads are crowded!

Consider YARTS, the only public transit to Yosemite National Park. Its buses run seasonally from Merced, Mammoth Lakes, Sonora, and Fresno to Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows The fare is included in your park entrance fee.

To reach YARTS connecting cities, you can ride an Amtrak train (amtrak.com).

Amtrak connections can be made from the San Francisco Bay Area airports using BART (local train, bart.gov) to Richmond Station (or several others that connect to Amtrak trains).

2,711 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Yosemite National Park

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b
 1,831
Southeast Buttress
Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
 1,306
Snake Dike
Trad 8 pitches
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
 713
Matthes Crest Traverse - South t…
Trad, Alpine
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 1,499
The Nutcracker Suite (aka Nutcra…
Trad 5 pitches
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 1,211
Bishops Terrace
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 901
Regular Route
Trad 12 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 798
West Crack
Trad 5 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 1,051
Central Pillar of Frenzy
Trad 5 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a C1
 441
Regular Northwest Face of Half D…
Trad, Aid 23 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a C2
 574
The Nose
Trad, Aid 31 pitches
5.10a/b 6a+ 19 VI+ 19 E2 5b A0
 1,220
Royal Arches (5.10- or 5.7 A0)
Trad, Aid 15 pitches
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 515
Outer Limits
Trad 3 pitches
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b A0
 862
East Buttress
Trad, Aid 11 pitches
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
 458
Oz
Trad 5 pitches
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 355
The North Face
Trad 8 pitches
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Southeast Buttress Tuolumne Meadows > … > Cathedral Peak > Southeast Slopes
 1,831
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
Snake Dike Yosemite Valley > … > D. Half Dome > 3. Southwest Face
 1,306
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R Trad 8 pitches
Matthes Crest Traverse - So… Tuolumne Meadows > Cathedral Range > Matthes Crest
 713
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b Trad, Alpine
The Nutcracker Suite (aka N… Yosemite Valley > … > C. El Cap Picni… > 5. Manure Pile Buttre…
 1,499
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad 5 pitches
Bishops Terrace Yosemite Valley > Valley N Side > G. Church Bowl
 1,211
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad
Regular Route Tuolumne Meadows > Fairview Dome > N Face
 901
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad 12 pitches
West Crack Tuolumne Meadows > … > DAFF Dome > W Face
 798
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad 5 pitches
Central Pillar of Frenzy Yosemite Valley > … > P. Cathedral Area > 6. Middle Cathedral Rock
 1,051
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad 5 pitches
Regular Northwest Face of H… Yosemite Valley > … > D. Half Dome > 1. Northwest Face
 441
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a C1 Trad, Aid 23 pitches
The Nose Yosemite Valley > … > B. El Capitan > 2. Southwest Face
 574
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a C2 Trad, Aid 31 pitches
Royal Arches (5.10- or 5.7 A0) Yosemite Valley > … > Royal Arches > Central Royal Arches
 1,220
5.10a/b 6a+ 19 VI+ 19 E2 5b A0 Trad, Aid 15 pitches
Outer Limits Yosemite Valley > … > Aj. Cookie Area > Cookie Cliff
 515
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Trad 3 pitches
East Buttress Yosemite Valley > … > P. Cathedral Area > 6. Middle Cathedral Rock
 862
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b A0 Trad, Aid 11 pitches
Oz Tuolumne Meadows > Drug Dome
 458
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b Trad 5 pitches
The North Face Yosemite Valley > Lower Merced Ri… > Ba. The Rostrum
 355
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a Trad 8 pitches
More Classic Climbs in Yosemite National Park »

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