Mission Trails (Mission Gorge)
Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego · near San Diego (Mission Gorge) · San Diego
Rock Climbing
At a glance
- Skill level
- beginner
- Grade range
- 5.4–5.11 (bouldering ~V1–V6)
- Best season
- Fall–spring · Low and hot in summer
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Free park entry. Habitat-sensitive zones with restricted access — stay on trails; some boulders are off-limits for conservation.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Rock Climbing detail
- Climb types
- top-rope · sport · bouldering
- Rock type
- Granite — smooth and slick, a footwork trainer
- Route count
- Dozens of top-rope/short lines + ~20 catalogued boulders
- Signature routes
- Gorge slab top-ropes · Gorge cracks · Gorge boulders
- First timer note
- Perfect first-outdoor-day spot — book a guided intro session; the polished rock teaches balance and footwork better than gel-gripping.
- Intl tip
- The perfect first-outdoor-day spot — book a guided intro session; the polished granite teaches balance and footwork. Respect the posted habitat closures.
The guide
One of the largest urban regional parks in the country, Mission Trails is the county's go-to place to learn to climb outdoors —…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mission Trails (Mission Gorge) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 32.82394, -117.05258