Indian Cove
Joshua Tree National Park (north side, off Hwy 62) · near Twentynine Palms · California Desert
Rock Climbing
At a glance
- Skill level
- all-levels
- Grade range
- 5.0-5.12b
- Best season
- October-April; ~1,000 ft lower, so a touch warmer
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Joshua Tree NP entrance fee (~$30/vehicle, 7 days); no climbing permit required for day climbing. Watch for seasonal raptor closures (typically Feb-June) on some formations - check the NPS Joshua Tree climbing page.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Rock Climbing detail
- Climb types
- trad · top-rope · sport · bouldering
- Rock type
- Quartz monzonite
- Route count
- ~800 routes
- Signature routes
- Taken for Granite · Direct South Face · Silent Scream
- Intl tip
- The park's huge, separate north-side area off Hwy 62, with camping among the rocks and ~800 routes at minute-long approaches. Slightly warmer than the main park - good on cold days. Fall-spring only; reservable campground.
The guide
Indian Cove is Joshua Tree's north-side enclave - a geographically separate section reached off Highway 62, with its own campgr…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Indian Cove — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.09378, -116.15658