Climbing Near Lafayette, California

Easiest area on Mt. Norah, and it has stable rocks. Vertical Canyon is located to looker's right from the bottom of Mt. Norah, and appears to go diagonally upwards and over the mountain. Follow the bushwacked trail to get to the bottom and choose a line to ascend.

This area comprises all outdoor climbing in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The main areas here are Mt Diablo State Park (for roped climbs) and Berkeley (for bouldering).  See individual parks for directions.

A shady boulder on the west ridge trail. The TR face is a small area with easy to access anchors. It is nothing special for the regular climber, but could be a good place to show beginners the basics. Mock lead practice on one rope is also easy, since the rock formation is short but still has bolts. For fans of Geocaching, there is an active cache here from 2001, which is fairly rare. If you know the premise of the hobby and look up the "Jasmer" challenge, you'll appreciate this humble spot even more. Start at the Skyline Gate staging area parking lot on Skyline Blvd. 3/4 mile south along the west ridge trail. Keep looking up to your right, there is a 25-foot semi-hidden nose of sandstone jutting out from the hill about 50 feet above the trail. It has 1 bolt and 1 piton on the face. There is one newer-looking bolt on top. There is an overgrown (poison oak) trail (about 150-feet long) up to the boulder. The ground around the boulder is overgrown (poison oak).