Rock Climbing

Rock Climbing in Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is considered one of the premier rock climbing areas in the world. Within the park's nearly 794,000 acres are over 4,500 established routes in both wilderness and non-wilderness areas. There are 1.4 million visitors to the park every year, and many of them are climbers or enthusiasts for the sport of bouldering.

Under the provisions of its Backcountry and Wilderness Management Plan, the park’s goals are to restore to a natural condition those areas already impacted by climbing, to mitigate future impacts, and to prevent the cumulative impacts of climbing from increasing to unacceptable levels. These goals could not be achieved without the cooperation of the climbing community, conservation organizations, and interested individuals.

If you are a curious beginner or more experienced but have never climbed in Joshua Tree before, begin information gathering at the Joshua Tree National Park Climbing page. Besides finding out the permitting system and bolting regulations you can determine which routes are in or out of wilderness areas.

Climbing Joshua Tree: This is an online rock climbing data base for the park. Among many useful features it provides common route information with photographs and evaluations.

Friends of Joshua Tree: Friends of Joshua Tree is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the historical tradition of climbing in Joshua Tree National Park. Friends of Joshua Tree advocates, communicates, and encourages ethical and environmentally sound climbing practices, and works to shape park policy on climbing and climbing-related issues. Toward that end, Friends of Joshua Tree acts as a liaison between the climbing community and the National Park Service. Friends of Joshua Tree also donates funds, equipment, and volunteer services to Joshua Tree National Park in support of the park’s rock climbing, bouldering, ecological restoration, and search-and-rescue programs.

The American Alpine Institute: This PDF file provides a useful equipment list which takes into consideration not only the necessary climbing gear but also the wildly changing weather conditions which can confront the outdoor desert adventurer.

The Access Fund: This is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to keeping climbing areas open and to conserving the climbing environment. The fund works with land managers in the preparation of management plans and supports restoration activities; with conservation organizations to support wilderness preservation and wildlife habitat; and through corporate sponsors, outdoor retailers, and regional and local organizations and high profile climbers to reach their goals.

Other Websites of Interest:

Rockclimbing.com

Want to Learn How to Rock Climb?

The following three rock climbing schools are availble in the Twentynine Palms area. Call or email today to expand your horizons and see the world from the top!

Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School

Phone: 800-890-4745

Uprising

Phone: 888-254-6266

Vertical Adventures

Phone: 800-514-8785