Climbing Closures

You are visiting the ancestral lands of the Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, and Mojave! Native American communities still depend on these landscapes today for their cultural and religious practices. The park helps preserve traces of their past. Of special note are the pecked or painted images scattered in the rock formations known to the Chemehuevi as Tumpituxwinap or storied rocks. These are a sacred part of their living universe.

When climbing please lookout for signs of the past, be respectful of closures, and leave no trace. Our Native American communities ask you to be mindful and reflect on the generations that have passed before and those still to come. Please climb responsibly and respectfully.

Some areas of the park are permanently closed to rock climbing and bouldering due to their proximity to sensitive resources or private property. Other areas may be closed temporarily to protect sensitive wildlife.

Permanent Climbing and Bouldering Closures

Rock Climbing Routes

Energy Crisis, Police and Thieves, and Unsolved Mystery on the east side of Little Hunk formation
The Schwarzenegger Wall, at the north end of Rockwork Rock formation
Zombie Woof Rock formation
The Maverick Boulder formation

Bouldering Problems

Pictograph Boulder, at the base of Queen Mountain
Shindig, on Indian Cave Boulder
Lonely Stones Area #3
The Shipwreck formation
The entire Indian Wave Boulders circut, except for Native Arete
Wormholes, in The Underground
Lucky Boy Boulders, all problems

Private Property

The private property across from the Hemingway parking area
Keys Ranch: Visitors to the ranch must be accompanied by a park ranger; scheduled tours are available.

Seasonal Wildlife Closures

Our seasonal climbing closures usually run from late February through June to protect and respect nesting raptors. The nesting areas may change year to year. If you are planning to climb in the park from late February to July please check this page. There are currently no seasonal wildlife climbing closures. We recommend climbing the below routes in the fall or winter, because raptors often return to their nests year after year. Walls that were closed in the spring and summer of 2021 included: