Happy & Sad Boulders
Volcanic Tablelands, north of Bishop · near Bishop · Eastern Sierra
Rock Climbing
At a glance
- Skill level
- all-levels
- Grade range
- V0-V11
- Best season
- October-April - low elevation stays climbable when the Buttermilks are frozen; too hot in summer
Permits and booking
- Permit
- BLM day-use, no permit. The parking lot is private LADWP land (no camping or fires). Cultural sensitivity is paramount - the Volcanic Tablelands hold Native American petroglyphs protected by federal law; never touch, deface, or share their locations, and stay strictly off the fragile vegetation.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Rock Climbing detail
- Climb types
- bouldering
- Rock type
- Volcanic tuff (Bishop Tuff)
- Route count
- ~780 problems (Happy ~540, Sad ~240)
- Nickname
- Bishop's Winter Bouldering
- Signature routes
- Heavenly Path · The Hulk · Molly
- Intl tip
- Bishop's best winter bouldering - come October through April when it is too cold to climb almost anywhere else. The Sad Boulders' shaded catacombs stay cool on warm days. Pads and DIY; the Bishop Area Climbers Coalition has the access beta. Respect the petroglyphs absolutely.
The guide
The Happy and Sad Boulders are Bishop's winter bouldering heart - a labyrinth of pocketed volcanic tuff in the Volcanic Tablela…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Happy & Sad Boulders — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.4137, -118.4472