How is bouldering in Castle Rock State Park CA?

I mean it's great if you're in the bay area. Lots of routes but not worth it for a trip when Yosemite or Tahoe would be much better. Or bishop. 

Connor Dobson wrote: I mean it's great if you're in the bay area. Lots of routes but not worth it for a trip when Yosemite or Tahoe would be much better. Or bishop. 

we have already been to Yosemite, Tahoe and Bishop ;-) 

and Castle Rock is on our way south, so we need beta for it ...

Castle rock is great for locals, but I personally wouldn’t go too far out of my way to climb there. There is a relatively cheap camping fee to use the sites if they are available, although I may have gotten away with stealth camping well off the trails several times a few years ago. Crowds on weekends have gotten a bit out of control lately, so if your going to be there on a Weekend get there very early or in the late afternoon if you want parking. For sport climbing, I’ve had no issue just going by mountain project, although I can’t comment on what it’s like for the boulders. Weather can sometimes be decently colder compared to San Jose, but it’s usually very similar.

Basically what Trevor said. There is a small 8$ per day lot and a very tiny ammount of free parking on the road.

If you're "headed South" from SFO and coming from Switzerland ("CH"..correct?) then I think you'd be better served going a bit further to Pinnacles.  A zillion more (climbing) routes, WAY better quality. MP has fair coverage, but the guidebook is "A climber's Guide to Pinnacles National Monument by Brad Young" (since published Pinnicles has become a national park.) This guide is about 400 "full sized" pgs, whereas the guide to Castle Rock (which includes several bouldering areas outside the actual State Park) is like 40 "small sized" pages....including photos.

Of course, if you're ONLY bouldering....maybe that's a different story.  I don't know about bouldering in Pinnacles, but can't believe it isn't at least as good as the Castle Rock area. Also, I think the weather can be better, although summer is HOT at Pinnacles.    

 

I’ve only sampled a small portion of stuff but castle rock was fun, especially if you’re passing through. Probably less smokey/hot than the rest of CA too. If you just had a day to spend I’d actually consider just hanging out at Panther Beach and bouldering around on the coastal sandstone. 

Good enough for a local boulder garden for Sharma and crew bitd....but not a destination.

Was in the mid 90's I think last weekend.  The bay area rock guidebook covers the area reasonably well for beta if you want a guidebook.  I go because it's reasonably close, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

meh, I lived 40 min away from it for years and went maybe 3 times. Now I live an hour from it and I'd really only go if I was driving past for another reason, and even then I dont usually stop

Parking lot Rock is one of the better boulders (Tree Route v4, yahoo roof v5, Coz daddy v6). Magoo area is more beginner friendly with a few classics (Bates Arete v4).

Sanborn Park (other side of the road) is the real winner. Lost Keys v6, Nature Nazi Traverse v6, The Classic v4.

Biddles is an awesome area too.

Was High 80's earlier this week, with some HOT rock

Danny Herrera, is there still a lot of poison oak up there?  If so someone should post a picture of it so our Swiss friends don't touch any of it.

No one has really described for them the nature of the rock and the type of bouldering.  My recollection is that the sandstone there is very soft and sandy.  On the easier rock faces there can be some heucos but don't think that is true of the bouldering?  The little I've bouldered there was mostly undercut starts with rounded sometimes almost imperceptible ripples for fingers.  I also recall doing a lot of mantles.  People who have bouldered there a lot, and more recently than me (since my memories are from a long time ago), could describe these aspects to the OP, maybe that will help them decide if they are interested.

phylp wrote: Danny Herrera, is there still a lot of poison oak up there?  If so someone should post a picture of it so our Swiss friends don't touch any of it.

No one has really described for them the nature of the rock and the type of bouldering.  My recollection is that the sandstone there is very soft and sandy.  On the easier rock faces there can be some heucos but don't think that is true of the bouldering?  The little I've bouldered there was mostly undercut starts with rounded sometimes almost imperceptible ripples for fingers.  I also recall doing a lot of mantles.  People who have bouldered there a lot, and more recently than me (since my memories are from a long time ago), could describe these aspects to the OP, maybe that will help them decide if they are interested.

There are some Sharma test pieces there now that are totally legit. There was quite a bit of development of the boulders in the 90's by him and Jesse and Sterling, Andy Puhvel etc.

phylp wrote: Danny Herrera, is there still a lot of poison oak up there?  If so someone should post a picture of it so our Swiss friends don't touch any of it.

No one has really described for them the nature of the rock and the type of bouldering.  My recollection is that the sandstone there is very soft and sandy.  

Some rock is harder than others, but dont be surprised if a key hold has broken making something harder.

Poison oak is extremely varied in appearance, 1 picture would be worse than none at all. Anything with 3 leaflets and an oak-ish look should be avoided. It can be a shrub, a vine (commonly thick or thin), or even tiny tree. Leafs from 1/2 inch to 1 foot across on the highest vines that reach the canopy. Leaf shape varies from rounded edges almost not even oak shaped to rounded valley white oak-like to sharp pointed tips reminiscent of coast live oak. And yes, lots of it around

I am biased because I learned to climb at CR but I think it is well worth a visit. It is shady and beautiful and much cooler than most places in CA this time of year. I’ve heard it describe as a “mini-Font” (but I’ve never been to Fontainebleau). Lots of bouldering options particularly around the main Castle Rock area. Very slopey sandstone with cool features. Depending on how adventurous you are you can try highballing some of the shorter sport climbs, of which there are tons. Most of the sport claims are just over-sized boulders. 

Castle Rock is definitely worth it if you're just rolling through the area. The approaches are short, easy, stuff is super easy to find, and during the week it is fairly dead. It's a bit hot there right now and can get kind of muggy. If it is foggy sometimes the fog condenses on the rock/trees and you have to wait it out. Only way to know is to go.  Personally I hate climbing there much over the mid 60's and on the weekend it can be packed with gumby tech noobs, but it's not hard to just move to another boulder.  Lots of holds have broken recently because said dipshits climb there when it's wet/rainy.

If you simply stick to the stuff near the parking areas I think the following are well worth it and I'd love to hear the haters in this thread argue otherwise:

Tree Problem (stand is V4, sit is V5, most agree it is very sandbagged for the grade)
Nature Nazi Arete (V7, probably easier than Tree Problem)
Yabo Roof (V5, same rock as Tree)
Coz Daddy (V6, same rock as Tree)
Bates Arete (V4, I feel the crux sucks more the taller you are)
The Swim (V3, I found it super easy others find it hard)
Hueco Wall (V5)
Lost Keys Traverse (V6, I normally don't like lowball traverses but this one has interesting moves)
Dark Side of The Moon (V7, I feel more technique based)
Right/Left Hand Indian Man (V7)
Groundation (V7)
Deforestation (V9)
Eco Terrorist (V10)

That should round out your day nicely and there are countless worth doing lower grade problems. I haven't done every problem on this list

Karsten Walker wrote: Castle Rock is definitely worth it if you're just rolling through the area. The approaches are short, easy, stuff is super easy to find, and during the week it is fairly dead. It's a bit hot there right now and can get kind of muggy. If it is foggy sometimes the fog condenses on the rock/trees and you have to wait it out. Only way to know is to go.  Personally I hate climbing there much over the mid 60's and on the weekend it can be packed with gumby tech noobs, but it's not hard to just move to another boulder.  Lots of holds have broken recently because said dipshits climb there when it's wet/rainy.

If you simply stick to the stuff near the parking areas I think the following are well worth it and I'd love to hear the haters in this thread argue otherwise:

Tree Problem (stand is V4, sit is V5, most agree it is very sandbagged for the grade)
Nature Nazi Arete (V7, probably easier than Tree Problem)
Yabo Roof (V5, same rock as Tree)
Coz Daddy (V6, same rock as Tree)
Bates Arete (V4, I feel the crux sucks more the taller you are)
The Swim (V3, I found it super easy others find it hard)
Hueco Wall (V5)
Lost Keys Traverse (V6, I normally don't like lowball traverses but this one has interesting moves)
Dark Side of The Moon (V7, I feel more technique based)
Right/Left Hand Indian Man (V7)
Groundation (V7)
Deforestation (V9)
Eco Terrorist (V10)

That should round out your day nicely and there are countless worth doing lower grade problems. I haven't done every problem on this list

thank you guys so much for responsing. we love Castle Rock, not exactly Fontainebleau, but close, nice forest, not too hot ...

Mark O'Keefe wrote: I am biased because I learned to climb at CR but I think it is well worth a visit. It is shady and beautiful and much cooler than most places in CA this time of year. I’ve heard it describe as a “mini-Font” (but I’ve never been to Fontainebleau). Lots of bouldering options particularly around the main Castle Rock area. Very slopey sandstone with cool features. Depending on how adventurous you are you can try highballing some of the shorter sport climbs, of which there are tons. Most of the sport claims are just over-sized boulders. 

thank you guys so much for responsing. we love Castle Rock, not exactly Fontainebleau, but close, nice forest, not too hot ...
glade we stopped there :-)

Connor Dobson wrote: Basically what Trevor said. There is a small 8$ per day lot and a very tiny ammount of free parking on the road.

thank you guys so much for responsing. we love Castle Rock, not exactly Fontainebleau, but close, nice forest, not too hot ...
glade we stopped there :-)

Robert Hall wrote: If you're "headed South" from SFO and coming from Switzerland ("CH"..correct?) then I think you'd be better served going a bit further to Pinnacles.  A zillion more (climbing) routes, WAY better quality. MP has fair coverage, but the guidebook is "A climber's Guide to Pinnacles National Monument by Brad Young" (since published Pinnicles has become a national park.) This guide is about 400 "full sized" pgs, whereas the guide to Castle Rock (which includes several bouldering areas outside the actual State Park) is like 40 "small sized" pages....including photos.

Of course, if you're ONLY bouldering....maybe that's a different story.  I don't know about bouldering in Pinnacles, but can't believe it isn't at least as good as the Castle Rock area. Also, I think the weather can be better, although summer is HOT at Pinnacles.    

 

thank you guys so much for responsing. we love Castle Rock, not exactly Fontainebleau, but close, nice forest, not too hot ...
glade we stopped there :-)

Ado Mars wrote:

thank you guys so much for responsing. we love Castle Rock, not exactly Fontainebleau, but close, nice forest, not too hot ...
glade we stopped there

Glad you had a fun time. Let me know if you're ever back in the area and we can climb together.