Big Rock (Perris)
Lake Perris (Riverside County) · near Perris / Riverside · Los Angeles / SoCal
Rock Climbing
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Grade range
- 5.4 to 5.12 · Famous for friction slab climbing
- Best season
- Fall through spring · Summer is hot inland · Morning shade helps
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Near Lake Perris State Recreation Area — check current access and parking (day-use fees may apply for lake access). No climbing permit. A longtime SoCal slab-climbing classroom.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Rock Climbing detail
- Nickname
- The Slab-Climbing Classroom
- Climb types
- sport · trad · top-rope
- Rock type
- Granite slab
- Route count
- Dozens of slab routes on a large granite dome above Lake Perris
- Signature routes
- The classic friction slabs · Harder face routes
- First timer note
- Big Rock is one of the best places in Southern California to learn slab and friction climbing — the low-angle granite rewards footwork and balance over brute strength, making it a superb intermediate teaching venue. The lake below means a swim can finish the day.
- Intl tip
- Big Rock is above Lake Perris — combine climbing with lake swimming, kayaking, or a picnic. The Inland Empire location makes it an easy pairing with Riverside Quarry for a two-crag day, or a stop en route to Idyllwild or Joshua Tree.
The guide
Big Rock, a large granite dome above Lake Perris in Riverside County, is Southern California's friction-slab classroom — smooth…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Big Rock (Perris) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.857, -117.165