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Mount Savage Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Mount Savage

Lower Tier 2 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 4

Summit Rocks 2 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

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Elevation:	5,689 ft
GPS:	37.50951, -119.64942 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	3,926 total · 110/month
Shared By:	Christopher Czaplicki on May 9, 2021
Admins:	Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Latest updates on closures, permits, and regulations. Details

Please visit climbingyosemite.com/ and nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/… for the latest information on visiting Yosemite, including permits, regulations, and closure information.

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

Mount Savage is a rocky summit above the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park and west of Wawona, named for the leader of the Mariposa Battalion and credited as the first non-indigenous discoverer of Yosemite Valley. The area is currently under development and has a number of single pitch trad, sport and top rope lines on a series of cliffs and small domes that make up the southern face of the summit. The majority of the routes are top rope friendly, with most of the bolted anchors easily accessible without leading.

Getting There

Park in the Mariposa Grove Parking area. Walk back up the road as if heading to the valley and cross through the round about. About 50' on the other side is a service road on the left, typically gated shut. Turn here and follow the road past park service equipment and a shooting range for the rangers. Continue for about another 10 minutes until reaching a very shallow saddle with Mount Savage to the northwest, and the forested slopes below Wawona coming into view for the first time. A fairly well defined use trail leaves the saddle here. Look for colored flagged tape in the trees to let you know you're on track. Unfortunately, the Mono Wind Storm of January 2021 left about a dozen large trees across the use trail, normally well traveled by peak baggers. The fire crew in Fish Camp seem to have this peak as a usual outing, so hopefully they'll lug some chain saws up with them soon. It should not be hard to pick up the trail on the other side of the fallen trees if you're paying attention. Allow 30 minutes from leaving the road to reach the summit, about 45-60 minutes from the Mariposa Grove parking lot.

This access road can also be accessed from the Wawona area and Chowchilla Mountain Road, which can be closed in the winter. Parking at Wawona adds about an hour to the approach, less depending on how far you can get your car before hitting a locked gate or downed tree on the road.