Holcomb Pinnacles Report

Polique Canyon Rd/2N09 is in good condition for access to Holcomb. Made it without any trouble in a beat-up scion.

Planning a trip in the next 2 weeks - is anyone able to confirm if van dusen cyn rd (3N09) is open at the moment? 

Just went today. Van Dusen was still closed, per the sign it's suppose to open May 2nd (take that with a grain of salt). On a nicer note they grated Polique Canyon rd, so I would recommend it, it's the same distance as taking Van Dusen.

Went this past weekend (May 3); the Van Dusen gate is still closed, Polique Canyon approach is your best bet- doesn't require high clearance (saw a Honda Accord and Prius make it through) but there are several baseball-sized sharp rocks that require maneuvering.

Update - went this past weekend (May 9-11) and 3N09 (van dusen canyon) was open. It was still quite wet in certain areas and requires some more focused driving, but doable in my FWD Hyundai SUV. Thanks to the above commenters! 

Southerner looking to sample what looks to be the only climbable rock in late July. I was doing some research & stumbled onto this thread. Everything open i assume? Any special road beta or should I just follow Google maps?

Jeremy L wrote:

Southerner looking to sample what looks to be the only climbable rock in late July. I was doing some research & stumbled onto this thread. Everything open i assume? Any special road beta or should I just follow Google maps?

Send it man! It’s all open. Google maps should be decent enough to get you there.

Other spot that is worth going to )in the summer months) is monkeyface falls. More in the foothills (south) of big bear.

Van Dusen Canyon Approach - This, the most popular approach, is up scenic Van Dusen Canyon (3N09) which is quite rocky and sees a fair amount of traffic on the weekends. Just past the pavement's end (about 0.5 miles up) is a gate that gets locked after the first snowfall and that re-opens in the Spring when the road is dry enough.

Take Van Dusen Canyon Road (3N09) to its end at a junction with 3N16 and make a left (heading west). Drive 0.6 miles, passing the Holcomb Valley Campground on the right, and make a right onto 3N07. Drive north along 3N07 passing a Boy Scout Camp on the left and several large dips in the road (often several feet deep with water in the early spring) until you can make a right which parallels a fence on the right. Follow this road (3N07) until it ends at a large parking area just below Parking Lot Rock.

Buzz, thanks for the recommendation, just checked it out on MP & looks like some good routes up there as well. I appreciate it!

Jon, thanks for the detailed beta, thanks buddy. I already have a partner but I couldn't help but notice that Diego Climber suggested that we climb together to see if we can decide which 1 of us is the asshole (my $ is on me). Open invitation to join us. We're scheduled to land on the 20th, leaving the 25th. We might be dealing w some jetlag but I'm sure we're gonna power through it (weather permitting).

I’m going to bet neither of us is an asshole in real life. :) You’ll have a great time! Perfect easy camping, safely bolted climbs and totally fair to soft grades. Beautiful granite holds that don’t break and great energy from the climbers. I only climb there on the weekends so I’ll miss your invite but I know you’ll have fun.