Sugarloaf
Kyburz (Hwy 50, near Strawberry) · near Kyburz · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Rock Climbing
At a glance
- Skill level
- all-levels
- Grade range
- 5.7–5.13c (boulders V0–V4+)
- Best season
- October–May · low, sunny SW dome — Tahoe's premier winter/shoulder-season crag; too hot midsummer
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No climbing permit or parking fee. The approach uses a public right-of-way that crosses private parcels near Kyburz/Silver Fork — stay on trail, park only at the signed pullout, and respect residents; access is goodwill-dependent.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Rock Climbing detail
- Climb types
- trad · sport · multi-pitch · top-rope · bouldering
- Rock type
- Granite — a large freestanding dome with Yosemite-quality cracks and faces
- Route count
- 150+ routes (~73 trad, ~48 sport, plus TR & boulders)
- Signature routes
- Grand Illusion (5.13b/c) · Farley (5.9) · The Fracture (5.10d)
- First timer note
- A full mountain crag with a real 25–30 minute uphill approach, not a roadside stop — bring a doubles rack and plan a whole day.
- Intl tip
- This climbs when snow shuts the rest of Tahoe — a clear winter or shoulder-season day is prime. Expect a genuine 25–30 minute uphill approach and bring a doubles rack.
The guide
A massive granite dome hidden above Highway 50, Sugarloaf packs Yosemite-quality cracks and faces into a compact, sunny hillsid…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Sugarloaf — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.77137, -120.3074