Climbing Conditions Report
Conditions Report by Climbing Rangers: 4/10/2025
WEEKLY CONDITIONS REPORT:
@bishopclimbingrangers
Hope you all busted out your tank tops and bikinis for spring break, the summer sun ☀️ rolled in. After a long winter, the high desert is coming back to life! The valley and foothills of Payahuunadu are noticeably greener with fresh growth 🌱 and the boulders and canyons are dotted with early blooms of primrose, desert peach, paintbrush, desert dandelions, and patches of Lupin. 🌸 Take time to enjoy the richness of life that is found here in Bishop as you are out and about!
Buttermilks:
Seek shade. Go early. Get out there and send!
Volcanic Tablelands:
While the tablelands have been scorching as of late, this weekend should be just about perfect. Wildflowers 🌸 are starting to pop up all over the tablelands! Enjoy and please stay on trail and do not pick any wildflowers! 🌱 It’s getting HOT out there 😓 We have been working hard to restore many degraded areas of the Happy Boulders this season. The Volcanic Tablelands have one of the most diverse and richest floras of the Great Basin. Let’s keep this amazing area beautiful.
Pine Creek:
It’s back in season. Near perfect conditions.
Owens River Gorge:
Great conditions in the shade. Some of the river crossings have changed with fluctuating flows throughout the season. Sandals are if you need to briefly get your feet wet crossing!
Climber Coffee:
We will be hosting climber coffee this Saturday at the Happy Boulders from 9-11am come say hey!!
Join the@bishopclimbingrangers for Climber Coffee every Saturday at 9am. Enjoy free and delicious coffee from @blacksheepcoffee_ca. This is a great opportunity for community and conversation with fellow climbers in our area.
🐍 Rattlesnake Season is Here 🐍
Temps are rising, and rattlesnakes are on the move in the Eastern Sierra. Recent sightings have been reported in the Tablelands (Happiness & Sads), Buttermilks, Druids, and the Gorge.
Rattlesnakes aren’t aggressive, but they will defend themselves if startled. That “ch-ch-ch-ch” you hear? It’s just their way of saying: “Hey, I’m here—please don’t step on me.”
Snakes play a vital role in our ecosystem. Give them space and respect, and they’ll usually return the favor.
Stay safe out there: 👀 Watch where you step, sit, or place your hands. 🚶 Stay on trails—avoid walking through tall grass or brush. 🐶 Keep dogs leashed and close. 🎧 Skip the headphones—you’ll want to hear that warning rattle. 🪨 Approach boulders, ledges, and cracks with caution.
💉 Dog owner? Rattlesnake avoidance training and vaccines are available for dogs.👉 Bishop Veterinary Hospital is hosting a training on 4/16—call them for more info.
🚨 If bitten:
▪️Stay calm and call 911 immediately.
▪️Get to medical care as quickly as possible.📍 Northern Inyo Hospital — 150 Pioneer Ln, Bishop, CA
▪️Keep the bite below heart level on the way to the hospital.
Do NOT: ✖️ Apply ice or heat ✖️ Try to suck out the venom ✖️ Take medication, alcohol, or caffeine ✖️ Use a tourniquet
Be alert, stay safe, and enjoy the spring season responsibly.
Restoration Rundown: A Stewardship Series
How can we keep the stoke high and the impact low?
Stay on trails & designated zones: Avoid compacting the soil and trampling fragile new seedlings by sticking to established paths.
Mind your gear: Keep crash pads and equipment off restoration areas to protect regrowth. Don’t drag crashpads around because it increases erosion. Please do not tie your pets off to any vegetation as it is very fragile.
Respect restoration zones: Even if they look barren, these areas are working hard to recover. Compacting the soil makes it harder for new seeds to germinate.
Be a crag ambassador: Kindly remind fellow climbers to follow these practices. Volunteer at our stewardship events—it takes a village!☕️Bishop Climbing Rangers
Sierra Forever
ROAD CONDITIONS 📣
**For the latest information on conditions on the California State Highway System, please visit the Caltrans QuickMap website at quickmap.dot.ca.gov or download the app to your smartphone. You can also call the Road Condition Hotline at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623). Tioga Pass is CLOSED for the season to Yosemite.
Volcanic Tablelands Geology
The martian rocks, deep canyons, and diversity of life in the otherworldly volcanic tablelands have inspired humans since first venturing into the area ~12,000+ years ago. Surprisingly, there is an incredible array of life in a place that appears rather hostile. While the desert feels tranquil today, it was born from a catastrophic volcanic explosion 🌋 more violent than any eruption humanity has witnessed. 767,000 years ago, the Long Valley Caldera erupted and 25 cubic miles of blazing hot rhyolite tephra rocketed high into the atmosphere and rained back down to Earth ☄️ in an apocalyptic scene. The crater left behind from this blast was 20 miles long, 10 miles wide, and over a mile deep. Ash from this explosion 💥 has been found as far away as Kansas and Nebraska! 125 cubic miles of blistering molten pumice raced out from the caldera soon after and smothered the landscape and all the life within it. Slowly, this material cooled and hardened into the rock we know as Bishop Tuff. Ash at the bottom compressed under the immense weight and became densely welded while the light fluffy material on top was stripped away by wind and rain. Slowly, life 🌸 came back to reclaim the area and the Owens River carved its way through the landscape, excavating the Owens River Gorge and the steep relief at the edge of the Tablelands. Faulting action combined with the eroding power of water sculpted the wonderful canyons of the Happy and Sad boulders where we climb today! 🧗
Written by:
Bishop Climbing Ranger
The Bishop Area Climbing Ranger position is a collaboration among the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Inyo National Forest (INF), LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Bishop Area Climbers Coalition (BACC), Bishop Chamber of Commerce (BCC), Sierra Forever, and Friends of the Inyo (FOI) to promote climbing conservation in the Bishop, CA. Area – specifically in Pine Creek, the Buttermilks, the Volcanic Tablelands, and the Owens River Gorge. Climbing Rangers will support local land managers and supporting organizations by performing a variety of tasks to preserve and maintain our cherished local climbing landscapes.
