10 Jan 26 - Trip/Conditions Report: Alabama Hills Rock Climbing

Conditions Report: 

Current As Of: 10 January 2026*

Activity During Report: Rock Climbing

Conditions: 

Last Saturday we headed out to the Alabama Hills to celebrate a Blaine's birthday with an ambitious goal: 32 pitches for his 32nd birthday. With a solid crew, good weather, and no shortage of short routes, the Alabama Hills delivered exactly what we were hoping for.

Our group was camped at the Candy Store, which made for an easy, relaxed, and highly efficient start to the day. It’s a fantastic basecamp if your goal is to maximize climbing--being able to roll out of camp and hop straight onto routes makes stacking pitches feel effortless. The Candy Store area has a great concentration of climbs right next to camp, and the mellow vibe and easy access make it one of the better spots in the Hills for a climbing-focused weekend.

From there, we headed north to Alabama Hills North, climbing routes on The Slingshot at Paul’s Paradise and then over at Burnt P***s. Later in the afternoon, we made our way back south to finish the day at the Southern Blonde area, squeezing in a couple more routes before calling it.

Conditions were classic shoulder-season perfection at Alabama Hills. It was chilly in the shade, but fully t-shirt weather in the sun, with calm air and big views of the Sierra crest making for a really pleasant day out. The rock was dry, grippy, and climbable all day, and moving between sun and shade made temperature management easy.

While the routes are generally short and the rock quality variable given its type and lack of traffic, the density of climbing here makes it easy to pack in a ton of movement in a single day. There’s a huge variety of features and styles--roped routes, bouldering, scrambling, and link-ups—all within a small area. Friendly grades, approachable terrain, and easy camping right next to the climbing make the Alabama Hills an excellent destination for weekend trips, birthday objectives, or just casual days of mileage.

One important note: bring (or acquire) the newest Alabama Hills guidebook. There has been a lot of development since the last widely circulated editions, and while Mountain Project is helpful, it doesn’t come close to capturing everything that’s out there yet. Having the updated guide makes route-finding easier, helps spread climbers out, and opens up a lot of lesser-known climbing.

All told, it was a fantastic day of climbing, good company, and exactly the kind of low-stress, high-fun outing the Alabama Hills are known for.

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Climbing the forgettable Wrist Rocket on The Slingshot using the TR set up via climbing the far better namesake arete next to the route

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The Southern Blonde area with climber on Arc of a Diver

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Epic silhouette of a climber on top of the Burnt P***s

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Got a More Specific Question? As always, don't hesitate to call us at store (760-873-7520) if ever in need of adventure ideas or conditions information!

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