Crater Lake Climbing

This digital Crater Lake 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 Crater Lake days smoother, safer, and more dialed.

The solitary Crater Lake Boulder sits in a majestic, steep-walled high lake basin accessed via a burly jeep trail. The views and overall hangout are great, well worth the rough drive (or moderate hike). The rock is an extremely fine grained quartzite, unlike anything else in Tahoe, and can be very slick, especially in the sun. Your hands and feet will blow off without warning, so be heads up and pay extra attention when climbing and spotting. The climbing is steep and powerful, good finger strength and technique are required.

DRIVING: 4x4 with medium to high clearance onl... Show more

This digital Crater Lake 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 Crater Lake days smoother, safer, and more dialed. The solitary Crater Lake Boulder sits in a majestic, steep-walled high lake basin accessed via a burly jeep trail. The views and overall hangout are great, well worth the rough drive (or moderate hike). The rock is an extremely fine grained quartzite, unlike anything else in Tahoe, and can be very slick, especially in the sun. Your hands and feet will blow off without warning, so be heads up and pay extra attention when climbing and spotting. The climbing is steep and powerful, good finger strength and technique are required. DRIVING: 4x4 with medium to high clearance only! From South Lake Tahoe, take Hwy 89 south over Luther Pass. Take a right on Hwy 88 toward Kirkwood at Pickett's Junction. At 4 miles (just past entrance to Blue Lakes) take a right (just past a bridge) on a steep semi-paved road. The road quickly crosses a cattle guard and turns to dirt. Take the right road for 2 miles and park just above Crater Lake. APPROACH: Hike to the left side of the lake, and follow the creek feeding the lake. Stay on left side of the creek until you enter a big basin. Avoid the marsh to reach the single boulder.