Lake Tahoe Climbing

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

Get the paper guide at https://www.laketahoebouldering.com or your local climbing store.

OVERVIEW:
With the recent discovery of thousands of new problems, Lake Tahoe is now a world-class bouldering area. These guides include every pebble that has ever been wrestled in and around Tahoe, with full color photos, topos, GPS, and everything else needed to get you to the boulders. Tahoe has 10,000+ problems which range from novice to expert on many different rock types. It is one of the few places on Earth where you can boulder year round in a beautiful mountain setting. Come and... Show more

This digital Lake Tahoe 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 Lake Tahoe days smoother, safer, and more dialed. Get the paper guide at https://www.laketahoebouldering.com or your local climbing store. OVERVIEW: With the recent discovery of thousands of new problems, Lake Tahoe is now a world-class bouldering area. These guides include every pebble that has ever been wrestled in and around Tahoe, with full color photos, topos, GPS, and everything else needed to get you to the boulders. Tahoe has 10,000+ problems which range from novice to expert on many different rock types. It is one of the few places on Earth where you can boulder year round in a beautiful mountain setting. Come and experience the magic for yourself. SEASON: The bouldering season in Tahoe is generally from May through the end of October. Sometimes, when climbers are lucky enough, winter holds off for a while and the season extends all the way through November and into early December in a dry year. Once winter hits, it’s over for the high elevation areas, but you can typically still get some climbing in at areas like Bliss and the Pie Shop until the first big lake level snowfall. When things get rolling in the spring varies from season to season. Normally, the lower areas are good by May and even the highest elevation spots are dry by mid-June. We all know conditions are everything in bouldering, and it goes without saying that fall is the best in Tahoe, as it is for most of the country. Spring is a combo of cool days mixed with the dreaded heat of summer. Once summer is in full swing the only option is shade and/or higher elevations. That’s when places like Castle Peak and Sugar Pine offer some escape and better conditions. The only downfall at this point is the bugs. Sometime in early July a ruthless bug hatch happens and the mosquitoes and biting flies can get downright unruly. By the end of August the bugs start to die off and the epic fall conditions are just around the corner. There are many good options for wintertime recreation in Tahoe, especially if you ski or snowboard. But if you’re hellbent on bouldering there are some options. During long dry spells places like the Pie Shop, South Bliss, Woodfords Canyon, and Jobs Peak Boulder are a few of the places that stay dry. The entire East Shore, known as the banana belt, melts fast and stays warm on sunny days. But the best spot hands down, aside from making a trip to the Eastside, is Doyle. Doyle is 1 hour from Reno and 2 hours from Tahoe. If you’re willing to make the drive you will find out why Doyle is the Buttermilks of the Tahoe Area. In summary, even though Tahoe gets snow in the winter, you can climb in and around Tahoe year round as long as it’s not storming. ETHICS: Unlike route climbing, bouldering is pretty casual regarding ethics, but there are a few things to think about. Chipping holds is not practiced in Lake Tahoe. Dogs can be a major nuisance and are not allowed in state parks such as Bliss. If you bring dogs, please consider other climbers and how your dogs are behaving. Dogs running all over the pads and getting underneath climbers is not cool. I know everyone loved the movie Rampage and some climbers like to yell words of encouragement and beta. Maybe think twice about this practice. Silence is golden. Unless someone asks for beta or is about to take a huge fall because they are missing an obvious hold, I suggest just letting the climber concentrate. Bottle caps, tape and cigarette butts are trash. It’s out of hand how much of this stuff is found at the boulders. And finally, If you need to take a dump at the boulders use common sense. LODGING: Tahoe is filled with many hotels to fit any climber’s budget. There are also many campgrounds around the lake that can be crowded in the middle of summer, so reservations may be needed. A good web site that lists many campsites in Tahoe is: https://www.explorer1.com/tahoe/camping.htm You can also call the U.S. Forest Service Campgrounds at (800) 280-2267 or California State Parks at (800) 444-7275 for info and reservations. There is also a lot of Forest Service land where dispersed camping is permitted. Phantom Spires, The Secrets, Upper Sugar Pine, Blackwood Canyon, White Rock Lake, Doyle, and select spots at the Sierra Buttes, are a few examples of spots where you can camp just about anywhere. During the driest years, fires may be prohibited. If they are permitted, fire permits are required at many spots, so be sure to get one. For a list of ranger stations from which to get a fire permit visit: https://www.fs.fed.us/r5/tahoe/ Tahoe is massive. North and South Lake could easily make for entirely separate climbing trips, so make sure you develop your tick list accordingly! Most of the North Lake bouldering is adjacent to I-80, while South Lake climbing is accessible via CA-89 and US Route 50. Reno-Tahoe International Airport is the closest major airport to North Lake Tahoe at just 45 minutes away. Sacramento International Airport is a 2 hour drive, while San Francisco Airport is 3.5 hours away.