Bishop Climbing

This digital Bishop climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your Bishop days smoother, safer, and more dialed.

Small town with a big backyard. Bishop’s tagline captures the literal and emotional spirit of this special place. It’s no secret to climbers that the sleepy little town of Bishop is the base camp for some of the most outstanding recreation in North America. Historic testpiece climbs dot the landscape at every grade level. Legendary climbers have been drawn to the area’s boulders, cliffs, and mountains over generations, and the thousands of ascents spell out the evolution of modern bouldering. From Robinson’s Rubber Tester, to Iron Man, to the Swarm, Bishop is about connecting to the... Show more

This digital Bishop climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your Bishop days smoother, safer, and more dialed. Small town with a big backyard. Bishop’s tagline captures the literal and emotional spirit of this special place. It’s no secret to climbers that the sleepy little town of Bishop is the base camp for some of the most outstanding recreation in North America. Historic testpiece climbs dot the landscape at every grade level. Legendary climbers have been drawn to the area’s boulders, cliffs, and mountains over generations, and the thousands of ascents spell out the evolution of modern bouldering. From Robinson’s Rubber Tester, to Iron Man, to the Swarm, Bishop is about connecting to the story of modern climbing in a breathtaking location amidst friends and perfect weather. This guide covers the Buttermilks (areas accessed from Buttermilk Road) and the Tablelands (areas accessed from Chalk Bluff Road). More sub-areas will be added over time. Please reach out with additions and revisions, tread lightly, and enjoy the boulders! Bishop could also carry another tagline: Small Town with a Ton of Visiting Climbers. Bishop Bouldering is a world-class destination experience, and with that hallowed status comes added responsibility for visitors. Climbers are by and large a great user group, and by doing a little research and exercising some decent judgment, Bishop’s iconic climbing will be enjoyed for generations to come. Travel: Bishop’s remote yet accessible location is part of what makes it such a special place. 250 miles north of Los Angeles and 350 miles west of the Bay Area, Bishop straddles Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierra region of California within “long-weekend” driving distance of 20 million people. In 2021 Bishop began commercial flights to its regional airport, BIH. United is the only airline that flies there, with service to SFO and DEN currently. Camping: Camp in existing, designated sites, and stay up to date on fire regulations. Best yet, stay at the Pleasant Valley Pit Campground ($5/night bathrooms and trash) or in town at the Tri-County Fairgrounds ($15/night with showers and electricity!) Absolutely don’t park on vegetation or create new fire pits. Roads: Drive slow (25mph) on dirt roads. This goes a long way to improve climber-town relations and keeps the roads from getting (more) hammered than they already are. Buttermilks road is in pretty bad shape and no plans are currently in the works to grade or repair it. See area descriptions for specific road concerns. Trails: Bishop Climbing Rangers and volunteer groups have done a great job designating most trails in popular areas. The result has been an amazing rebound of local vegetation. The same goes for your pup. Dogs off leash are capable of harming the area as much or more than humans. In the Happy’s, Sad’s and Buttermilks, there is rarely a need to go off trail. Toilets and trash: Pack it in, pack it out. Obviously don’t litter, and maybe even pick up some trash you see! Build up some karma for that time you will inevitably forget your used finger tape somewhere.