Gerstle Cove Climbing

This digital Gerstle Cove 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 Gerstle Cove days smoother, safer, and more dialed.

Overview: The main sandstone boulder of Gerstle Cove might only have three problems, but these are the types of climbs that stay with you. Situated on a rock shelf right at – or perhaps under – the tide line, this boulder is only open for a few hours each day. The movement is superb, with large edges in a steep overhang above a tide pool. While the stone on the Urchin Boulder is solid, this will never be a popular circuit due to the surrounding low-quality rock. Still, development has never stopped, and a handful of highballs have been added to the north in recent years.... Show more

This digital Gerstle Cove 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 Gerstle Cove days smoother, safer, and more dialed. Overview: The main sandstone boulder of Gerstle Cove might only have three problems, but these are the types of climbs that stay with you. Situated on a rock shelf right at – or perhaps under – the tide line, this boulder is only open for a few hours each day. The movement is superb, with large edges in a steep overhang above a tide pool. While the stone on the Urchin Boulder is solid, this will never be a popular circuit due to the surrounding low-quality rock. Still, development has never stopped, and a handful of highballs have been added to the north in recent years. Conditions: Oh boy, let us tell you about the tides. The Urchin Boulder sits right on the ocean, and the rocky shelf at the base acts as a ski jump, sending large waves flying across the boulder. See the reference photo on the following page? Yes, it regularly gets that wet. Only come at low tide with a swell under 2 feet. Don’t simply wander over to try it. This is a boulder you have to plan for. Other than the daily wave activity, everything else is perfect year round. Rules: $8 day use fee. Open sunrise to sunset. No dogs allowed off the paved roads. Bathrooms: Gerstle Cove has the only toilets in Salt Point State Park. The bathroom at the trailhead parking is wheelchair accessible. Land Manager: Salt Point State Park Parking: From the intersection of CA-1 and CA-116, drive north on CA-1 for 19.4 miles. Turn left at the large sign for Gerstle Cove, pass the campground, and turn left again to follow signs for the visitor center. Continue beyond the visitor center and park when the dirt road ends. Approach: From the end of the road, follow a narrow trail for 100 feet straight down the hillside into the cove. When you reach the bottom, head right for 100 feet to find the Urchin Boulder on a rocky shelf above the heaving ocean. Accessibility: 100 feet of steep trail followed by 100 feet of rock hopping along the coast.