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Owens River Gorge Rock Climbing
| Elevation: | 4,526 ft |
| GPS: | 37.446, -118.572 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
| Page Views: | 662,605 total · 4,358/month |
| Shared By: | Tom Helvie on Jul 20, 2006 |
| Admins: | Aron Quiter, Euan Cameron, AWinters, M. Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer suchoski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes |
Access Issue: Bridges Out! IMPORTANT LADWP NEGOTIATIONS!!
Details
Due to liability concerns, bridges are being removed in the Owens River Gorge at the request of LADWP. The Bishop Area Climbers Coalition and the Access Fund are currently in negotiations with LADWP to get this issue resolved. In the meantime, please continue to be good land stewards by respecting these bridge closures and finding alternate crossing points until this issue is resolved.
1) Never park or camp overnight at the access points.
2) Always park off the pavement, taking great care to avoid blocking the gates.
3) Clean up after your dogs. (Local climbers are finding abandoned doggie poop bags.)
4) Pack out all trash and TP, including picking up after others.
5) Use the outhouses if at all possible.
1) Never park or camp overnight at the access points.
2) Always park off the pavement, taking great care to avoid blocking the gates.
3) Clean up after your dogs. (Local climbers are finding abandoned doggie poop bags.)
4) Pack out all trash and TP, including picking up after others.
5) Use the outhouses if at all possible.
Description
The Owens River Gorge is California's most concentrated sport-climbing area. It is really a year-round crag, although summers can be a bit hot. There are many moderate sport climbs in the sub 5.10 range, but the best gorge climbs seem to be in the 5.10-5.11 range. The climbing is on volcanic tuff and features edges, pockets and cracks. Most of the climbing is close to vertical but there are some steep lines as well, namely at the Eldorado Roof and the Dilithium Crystal. Most climbs, whether face, crack, corner, even off-width and chimney, are fully sport bolted. There are some good trad lines, but sport climbing is why you're here. The gorge is often crowded but if you hike a little further you can usually find some solitude. The Warm Up Wall, the Pub, the Social Platform, the China Wall and the Dilithium Crystal are the most popular areas. Please buy Marty Lewis' "Owens River Gorge Climbs" if you are going to climb here. It's a great guide to the hundreds of climbs and you'll feel good supporting the guy who put up a huge percentage of the climbs and did a large amount of work (trails, research, bridges, talking with the LADWP that owns the gorge). It's a small price to pay for a great climbing area. You can find the 11th edition of the guidebook here.
Getting There
From Bishop go North on 395 to the Paradise Swall Meadows exit and turn right. Go approximately 1/2 mile and at the T intersection turn left (Gorge Rd). There are 3 parking areas to choose depending on where in the Gorge you wish to climb. The first parking area is 3.3 miles from the intersection of Gorge road and 395. Adjacent to the parking area you will go through a gate and follow the paved central gorge power station road for 1 mile down to the Central gorge power station. The second parking area also accesses the central gorge and ends just uphill from the central gorge power station. You will find a trail adjacent to the parking area that goes down a steep 2nd/3rd class loose gully. Be careful not to dislodge anything because there are climbs below the gully. This parking area is 4.8 miles up the Gorge road from the intersection of Gorge Road and 395. The last parking area is for the upper gorge. This parking area is 6.4 miles up Gorge Road from the intersection of Gorge Road and 395. You will park off the pavement and walk through a gate down the paved upper power plant road approximately 1/2 mile then drop into a 3rd class gully. There is a trail along the entire length of the bottom of the gorge so you can use any of the access points to access all climbs at Owens. There is an alternate way to get to the Gorge Road from the North. Approximately 1 mile south of Tom's Place there is a dirt road that goes East. This road starts at a sign on 395 that says Sherwin Pass 7000 feet (Beware you have to cut across a double yellow line to make the turn). Follow the road to the right heading east and follow the power lines. This road isn't well maintained, there are many rocks poking out of the road and decent size ruts in the road (not a great road for cars).
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One of the coolest things I have ever climbed!
Classic Climbing Routes at Owens River Gorge
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
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26 Comments
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Guidebooks (6)
One note of caution is that walking by the river exposes one to some extremely potent stingy nettles, the buzz from which can last many hours; learn to identify and avoid these or wear long pants and socks.
The locals have put a lot of time, money and effort into really setting this place up with trails, bridges, belay platforms and drop in anchors. Please repay their generosity by taking care of what they've created. In particular, DON'T TOPROPE DIRECTLY THROUGH THE ANCHORS. Despite the fact that heavy-duty steel anchors are used, many are worn almost all the way through (some all the way). This dangerous state of affairs is primarily caused by toproping directly through the anchors which is completely avoidable -- whoever sets up the rope should clip a quickdraw through each anchor and run the rope through the draws; the last person up then puts the rope directly through the anchors, cleans the draws and lowers, or even better, rappels. Jul 29, 2006
city, state
I consider myself a climbing geek, and fairly well-travelled. This guide was probably one of the better organised guides I have ever used, and well worth the money.
Nice job sir. Mar 14, 2007
• Owens River Conservation & Recreation Directory. (1=whitewater, 2=rafting, 3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=climbing-camping-hiking, 6=local-info) Dec 6, 2008
Chosstown, USA
Mammoth Lakes
Riverside, Ca
Sierra East Side
Bishop, CA
Temps in the 50's will be fine in the sun. Warm Up wall and Banana Belt in the morning, China wall, Dilithium or Warning Signs in the afternoon. Days are really short down there right now and it'll probably be real messy after all the rain/snow we had this week. Dec 21, 2010
San Francisco
Mar 22, 2012
Anyone have info. about the new route just right of Funky Cole Patina at Penstock?
jhowland@urbanschool.org Mar 21, 2012
Derik (derikolson@gmail.com) Mar 30, 2012
Oakhurst
Las Vegas and Sierra Eastside
Oakhurst
Nowhere, OK
37.445812, -118.571733
Obvious, but my navigator missed it ;)
If you don't feel like scrambling down for Central Gorge access, park for Lower, drop into valley, hike up. Longer approach, but easier. Jan 27, 2015
Colorado Springs, CO
Corvallis, Or
Bad behavior that I noticed:
I saw at least ten groups camping near the pipeline and other DWP infrastructure.
There is no camping allowed on DWP land even if you have a sprinter van and a guitar. How hard is that to understand?
Cars parked on the asphalt at the North Parking Area.
Do not park on the road, make sure all four tires are off the road. The DWP has giant vehicles that need to pass through.
Plastic bags full of poop all over the place.
If you put poop into a bag you must pack it out to your car and then drive it to a trash receptacle. The DWP does not employ any janitors to pickup your poop. The ancient technique of burying poop works real well. It's completely biodegradable and eliminates the plastic bags and fossil fuels required to transport the bag to the dump.
Climbers trusting their life to one bolt at belays.
Bolts fail. Clip into both bolts at anchors. We need to keep climber deaths to a minimum so that the DWP doesn't close the Gorge.
Happy climbing and thanks for helping! Nov 28, 2017
Thanks
/Erik Feb 4, 2018
The dog returned to a large group of climbers on Banana Belt and I went back and talked to one of them but they didn't admit to owning the dog. Please please please do not let your dogs run loose on the access road! If the OWG is still open next year I'm taking credit personally. May 4, 2018
Bishop, CA
Access: There is an area where the tape ends above the old Penstock. You can skirt the end of the barrier and cross rocks and logs downstream of the old crossing without entering the section they have restricted. Please respect all their signage. Thanks. Dec 31, 2018
Small Town, USA
No slight or disrespect intended regarding your post, but there's way too much of this behavior occurring in the Gorge and other climbing areas. There are way too many witnesses not speaking up and holding the violators accountable. Just Saturday I noticed a couple TRing directly through a pair of brand new Mussy Hooks and explained the appropriate local etiquette is to TR through personal gear, not the anchor and got an "Oh, I'm getting it for a friend" (???). Maybe not the reaction we'd like, but now they know there's a more appropriate behavior and peers are watching. The next day I saw a group walk off trail though a vegetated area to create a short cut. I spoke to them and explained the proper etiquette and they apologized and shared that they'd use the established trail in the future. You say something to them, then they know. Posting it on the Internet is preaching to the choir.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING." Again, no disrespect intended. Peace. Jan 1, 2019