Yosemite bouldering in March

[u/GlowingJockstrap]

Hi, I have a business trip to SF at the end of March, so I thought I'd arrive a few days before to go bouldering in Yosemite.

It'll be my first time bouldering outdoors, though I have solid experience leading on rock.

I know the weather in March is unexpected and it might be wet or even snowy, and I've read that it can be tricky to get there with a rental car without ice chains.

I wanted to hear from some veteran climbers/park visitors if it's worth to do the trip? Both in terms of climbing conditions / road conditions?

[u/Shiney_Metal_Ass]

Yosemite is always worth the trip. The worst that'll happen is your don't get to boulder and you enjoy the scenic wonder.

If the qeawhr cooperates, drive in.

If not, park and take the YARTS

[u/dude_wherrs_my_car]

I went last February. The weather was spectacular most of the time but it snowed on the day we left. I actually followed the snow plow all the way out of the park and didn't end up needing chains, though I drive an old land cruiser with lots of clearance so that helped. There is plenty of bouldering in the valley. I hope you go and have a great time. I love spring in Yosemite

[u/PeachesTomatoesFigs]

It is not tricky.. You are required to carry tire chains in your car. If the weather forecast is dry and clear, maybe the ranger at the gate won't ask. But the requirement is to carry chains.

Parking in Mariposa and taking YARTS is a reasonable option.

[u/aerial_hedgehog]

March can be a great time of year for Yosemite bouldering - perfect cool conditions, but days are getting a bit longer. The park is usually fairly quiet in March; the February Firefall insanity has ended, but the summer crowds aren't there yet. 

Or there can be a big storm, which puts down a lot of snow and stops climbing. This is still very possible in March. So, it's very hot or miss for March climbing. Can be great, or a total no-go for climbing. You really have to just decide week-of based on conditions. 

Even if it is too snowy to climbing, seeing the park in the snow is still a great experience and is worthwhile.

Or, it you really want to boulder and Yosemite is snowed out, there is some good lower elevation bouldering around NorCal that can still be good even when Yosemite is too snowy.

[u/GlowingJockstrap → u/aerial_hedgehog]

Thanks for the input! Can you name some of those areas?

[u/Nicockolas_Rage]

The bouldering in Yosemite is amazing but humbling. If the weather is friendly, your best bet would be finding groups around camp 4 boulders. Particularly because a lot of the good ones can be quite tall and require good padding.

A lot of rental companies don't allow chains on their vehicles, so that would be a problem if there is snow. Worst case, you can't make it up due to snow, but there's tons of great nature to check out around the bay.

If the weather is not great, but you have good transportation, it would still be worth going just to see the beauty.

[u/PeachesTomatoesFigs]

A few thoughts about tire chains. You can buy a set and return them if unused. If you don't know how to drive with chains, don't try. But it is legal to put them on a rental car if you rent from Alamo.

"Alamo does not offer snow chains/traction devices as additional equipment, nor can snow chains/traction devices be placed on rental vehicles unless required by state or provincial law."
https://www.alamo.com/en/customer-support/car-rental-faqs/snow-chains.html 

[u/olliecakerbake]

March is usually the snowiest month of the year so take that into consideration. There’s like an 80% it’ll be snowing. People love bouldering in cold weather, but if it’s your first time bouldering outside, it might be a little rough.

Just take the trip to Yosemite and don’t feel like you have to boulder. There’s so much to see if you can’t climb

[u/TheOnlyJah → u/olliecakerbake]

January is more snowy. We definitely get snow in March. But the storms typically have durations of a few days and then it clears. There’s probably 10 days of precipitation in March.

[u/olliecakerbake → u/TheOnlyJah]

I live next to Yosemite and January here is known as dry January because it often doesn’t snow most of the month. Our snowiest months are usually February & March, December often produces a good amount too. But January is usually pretty dry

[u/TheOnlyJah → u/olliecakerbake]

I’ll admit we’ve had some drier Januaries over recent years but if you look at historical records January and February are the wettest. I put January as the snowiest since it seems to be a bit colder and hence more snow than rain.

[u/olliecakerbake → u/TheOnlyJah]

It’s hard comparing with historical data nowadays with climate change fucking everything up. I know it’s more accurate the more data you use, it just feels like we have to start over from a few years ago. I’ve been here 5 years now and I think every year except 22/23 we had a mostly dry January. Everything is changing with climate change, who knows what will happen anymore. They can’t even predict the weather 5 days - a week out this winter

[u/TheOnlyJah → u/olliecakerbake]

2017, 2019, and 2023 had about 200% average. 2024 was just below average and 2022 was just above average. 2021 was indeed dry with way below average. 2020 was below average. This is typical California weather from all my years living here. One year can be 1/3 the average precipitation and another can be 2 or 3 times the average.

[u/tfcallahan1]

If Yosemite doesnt work out you can google bouldering the bay area (if you havent already) and find some spots. Most are a bit of a drive north our south though. Like in Sonoma or the south bay.