PRINT: Rock Climbing in Cathedral Peak, Yosemite National Park

Cathedral Peak

California > Yosemite NP > Tuolumne Meadows > Cathedral Range

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Yosemite National Park has yearly closures for Peregrine Falcon Protection March 1- July 15. Always check the NPS website at nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/… for the most current details and park alerts, and to learn more about the peregrine falcon, and how closures help it survive. This page also shares closures and warnings due to current fires, smoke, etc.

Description

One of the most stunning peaks in Yosemite, Cathedral is blessed with some great moderate climbing. The approach takes about an hour and is long enough from the road and hiking trails to give you a little peace (often to be shared with many climbers - start early).

The summit is a small block big enough for a couple people to squeeze on. There might be bolts on the top, but usually not. Downclimbing off the summit block can be scary, but John Muir did it in 1869, so you can too.

It's a great big lightning rod - get off ASAP if thunder comes your way. Other than descending, escaping up and right is usually possible until you get to talus.

Getting There

From the Cathedral Lakes trailhead, take the main trail for 10 minutes. Soon after a set of stone steps, look for a major climbers trail branching left (see photo). Do not get suckered into an earlier, smaller path that follows the stream. Keep on the trail until it fades away near the base Cathedral Peak. Pick the easiest path to the lowest point of the southeast buttress.

As of Sept 16, 2025 there is a single well maintained path to the start of the regular route. Trail no longer “fades away”!!

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Cathedral Peak! enough said.

The graceful slab of Cathedral's SE buttress.

Turn left off the main Cathedral Lakes trail here - 10 minutes after your car.

Fun Fact: Huskies have been known to climb 5.8 in Yosemite, just like bears

Megan on the Cathedral Peak summit, looking down at Eichorn Pinnacle and one of the Cathedral Lakes

Descent: From summit make your way to the saddle (pictured). Then the trail crosses the slabs as shown.

Descent / 4th class west side of Cathedral. Traverse all the way to the Eichorn notch, then back.

cathedral peak

View from the descent including smoldering fire, mid Sept 2015.

Someone on the summit

A soloist climbing by headlamp and moonlight on the SE Buttress of Cathedral Peak with the big dipper in the background while the full moon is rising. Aug 21, 2024

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Billy Shin
Inglewood, ca

The climbers route Beta in the Tulumnoe free climbs guide book ( supertopo.com/packs/tuolfre… ) is pretty off. We were hiking in pre-sunrise and using that book as beta for the approach and got pretty lost. The actual climbers trail has been uploaded by me to wikiloc.com.

wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do…

Also some descent beta since I couldn't find visuals anywhere.
wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do… Oct 17, 2014

Andy Moss
Portland, OR

We spent ~30 minutes thinking we'd either missed our turn off the Cathedral Lakes Trail or hadn't gone far enough. General consensus at the base of the cliff was that the approach description was misleading. In case you don't have service to click on the links below, our opinion is that a better description of the approach would be:

From the Cathedral Lakes trailhead, take the main trail for 10 minutes. Soon after a set of stone steps look, look for a major climbers trail branching left. Follow this trail, continuing up the valley and out onto slabs, watching for cairns to mark the way. After ~1.5 miles, you will see the trail split. Do not get suckered into the smaller path that follows the stream. Keep on the trail until it fades away near the base Cathedral Peak. Pick the easiest path to the lowest point of the southeast buttress. Sep 1, 2015

David Knowles
Princeton, NJ

Currently the turn off from JMT is marked by a cairn on either side of the trail. Also the NPS have done amazing work making a legit descent trail. Use it! Jul 2, 2018

Ken L
Oakland, CA

There is now a signpost which marks the turnoff for the Cathedral Peak trail. From the Cathedral Lakes trailhead, walk about 1/2 mile towards Cathedral Lakes. You will see a prominent wood post with a caribiner on it which marks the left turn to follow Budd Creek. Sep 29, 2020