Lake Tahoe Bouldering & Rock Climbing- Lover's Leap

Recommended Climbs

Pop Bottle (6)
Bear's Reach (7)
Corrugation Corner (7)
Hay Stack (8)
The Line (9)
Traveler Buttress (9)
Hospital Corner (10a)
Surrealistic Pillar Direct (10a)
Vanishing Point (10b)
Roofer Madness (10c)
Main Line (11c)
Showtime (11c)
Fight the Power (12a)
Stone Cold Crazy (12c)

General Information: Lover's Leap is undoubtedly Tahoe's most popular climbing crag and for good reason. With between 350 and 600 feet of dead vertical rock and over 150 routes, it is a climber's playground. Perhaps the most unique feature, however, are the horizontal, raised dikes that criss-cross the face turning what would be extremely difficult climbing into something even beginner climbers can attempt. The combination of cracks and dikes makes for some spectacular routes.

Where To Start: Lover's Leap is located along Highway 50 at the town of Strawberry. From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 50 west towards Sacramento. As you negotiate some tight turns, a side profile of The Leap will come into view causing heart palpitations in climbers. Turn left onto a road right before the Strawberry Lodge and follow it back to the Forest Service campground. Park and follow the old Pony Express Trail for a bit before veering right to the base of the cliff.

General Cliff Description: Lover's Leap is broken into several areas. Looking at the wall, the far left is East Wall, then Central Wall, Main Wall, Lower Buttress, West Wall, and Dear John Buttress. Some of the best moderate climbing is on East Wall and includes Pop Bottle (6), Bear's Reach (7), Haystack Crack (8), and The Line (9). All of these are fine easy to moderate crack climbs requiring pro to 2 inches. The Main Wall has two popular moderate routes, Corrugation Corner (7) and Traveler Buttress (9) while The Lower Buttress offers the Surrealistic Pillar route (7 or 10a). The Leap also has many more difficult routes in the 5.10 and 5.11 range with a few 12s sprinkled in for good measure (not that we've ever been on them!)

In all, the Leap offers over 150 mostly multi-pitch climbs, enough to keep a very motivated climber busy for months! But if you run out, head over to the Hogs Back. This low angle rock spine that sits just west of the Leap offers ideal climbing for children or novices. We've seen kids as young as 6 climbing up this bit of rock.

Bouldering: There are some fine boulder problems close to the campground. These range in difficulty from easy through very challenging.

Advisory: Theft from cars is not uncommon here so be sure to cover up any gear you leave in your car or better yet, put it in the trunk.

NOTICE: While the information on this site is thought to be accurate and reliable, it is offered only as a guide and cannot replace sound personal judgement.