Mountain Project: Climbing Tahoe Vicinity

Beautiful, Spacious, and often Daunting, The Sierras in the Tahoe Area contain some of the best summer climbing in California. The area is almost covered in climbable rock, and route setters will delight at the bounty of untouched rock.

Consisting mostly of Granite, with a few Baslitic Exceptions, you will find climbs off all type, like the long tradional or sport routes at Lover's Leap, to the pumpy tall bouldering found EVERYWHERE, but most notably Donner and Pack Saddle Passes.

Climbing is year round in some places, though most areas are covered in snow from the first snow (usually in October or November) until March - June depending on altitude and direction of the rock.

Places to stay are plentyful, from blm camping, organized campgrounds, cheap hotels, to even four star hotels in Reno or South Lake.

Getting There

From the Bay Area, head up Highway 80 to Sacramento, where you will either head up into the hills either on 80, 50, or 89, depending on where you're going.

From Reno, head up Highway 80 to go to North Lake destinations, or down highway 395 , and then West on highway 89 into South Lake Tahoe.

The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Tahoe Vicinity:

Surrealistic Pillar 5.7 Trad, 3 pitches, 270 feet Lover's Leap : Lower Buttress

Corrugation Corner 5.7 Trad, 3 pitches, 300 feet Lover's Leap : Main Wall

Bear's Reach 5.7 Trad, 3 pitches, 400 feet Lover's Leap : East Wall

Haystack 5.8 Trad, 4 pitches, 400 feet Lover's Leap : East Wall

Jellyroll Arch 5.8 Trad, 2 pitches, 200 feet Donner Pass : Grouse Slab

One Hand Clapping 5.9 Trad, 4 pitches, 500 feet Donner Pass : Black Wall

Traveler Buttress 5.9 Trad, 4 pitches, 500 feet Lover's Leap : Main Wall

The Line 5.9 Trad, 3 pitches, 400 feet Lover's Leap : East Wall

Black September 5.9 Trad, 1 pitch, 110 feet Donner Pass : Black Wall

Fantasia 5.9 R Trad, 3 pitches, 300 feet Lover's Leap : East Wall

Hospital Corner 5.10a Trad, 2 pitches, 240 feet Lover's Leap : West Wall

Surrealistic Pillar Direct 5.10b Trad, 1 pitch, 70 feet Lover's Leap : Lower Buttress

Candyland 5.10c Trad Phantom Spires : Middle Spire

Tombstone Terror 5.10c Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet Lover's Leap : Main Wall

Peter Principle 5.10d Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet Donner Pass : Snowshed Wall

The Fracture 5.10d Trad Sugarloaf : East Face

Disciples Of the New Wave 5.11b Trad, Sport, 1 pitch, 70 feet Donner Pass : Snowshed Wall

Boot Hill 5.11 Sport, 1 pitch, 100 feet Lover's Leap : Main Wall

Monkey Paws 5.12a Trad, TR, 70 feet Donner Pass : Snowshed Wall

Metallarete 5.12d Sport Echo Pass : Goldfinger Area

Photos of Tahoe Vicinity

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Lake Tahoe from East Shore. Photo by Blitzo.	Lake Tahoe from "The Cave", 1987. Cave Rock is now...	Geese. Photo by Blitzo.
Fanette Island, Emerald Bay. Photo by Blitzo.	Tahoe Beer conetop can, 1940s.	Tahoe Beer.
Tahoe Beer.	An Osprey perched high above Fallen leaf lake	Beginning the hike to Mt. Tallac with fallen leaf ...
Tahoe keys from the summit of Mt. Tallac	The Desolation wilderness from Mt. Tallac	Brett making friends with the locals on Mt. Tallac...
Busy day on the summit of Mt. Tallac	Tahoe Glass	Eldorado Beach-Spring. Photo by Blitzo.
Desolation Wilderness. Photo by Blitzo.	Tahoe Keys, Crystal Range and Mt. Tallac. Photo by...	Donner Lake on a balmy December day.

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Tahoe Vicinity

Lake Tahoe and Vacinity

Getting There

The Classics