Climbing Closures

Rock Climbing

• Overview of Rock Climbing
• Climbing Permits
• Climbing Regulations
• Big Wall Stewardship
• Climbing Closures
• Climbing Safety
• Climbing and Food Storage

Closures for Peregrine Falcon and Golden Eagle Protection

The peregrine falcon and golden eagle are protected species in Yosemite due to their sensitivity to disturbance during the nesting season. To protect these species, the superintendent of Yosemite National Park designates peregrine and golden eagle nesting cliffs as areas closed to visitor use, including climbing and slack-lining activities, from March 1 and lasting until chicks have fledged and dispersed from those areas each year. If you encounter any raptors (falcons, eagles, hawks, etc.) while climbing, please email us.

• There are currently no closures in effect to protect peregrine falcons or golden eagles because the breeding season has ended..We will post closures for 2025 no later than March 1.

Learn more about special status bird species in Yosemite National Park.

Closures for Other Reasons

Rock climbers recently reported a new crack in a cliff on the western side of Royal Arches, near the climbing route Super Slide. Subsequent investigation revealed that this crack has partially detached a large pillar of rock, and that cracking was actively occurring. As a precautionary effort to reduce risk from rockfall, the National Park Service is implementing a temporary area and trail closure starting August 30, 2023:

• Serenity Crack and Super Slide Climbing Area Closure: Closure includes all routes between and including Peruvian Flake West to the Rhombus Wall. The popular routes Serenity Crack/Sons of Yesterday, and Super Slide are included in the closure. 

• Advisory for Lower Fall Amphitheater (October 12, 2024): At approximately 8:15 am on Friday, October 11, 2024, a rockfall occurred from a cliff near Upper Yosemite Fall. Approximately 10 cubic meters of rock fell from a beneath an overhang in an area of fractured rock and tumbled down the cliff, fragmenting along the way. Rock debris swept across the Yosemite Falls Trail and fell into the Lower Yosemite Fall Amphitheater. The lower fall amphitheater sustained hundreds of small rock impacts across both sides of the canyon there.

  After a period of closure and assessment, the we have reopened the Yosemite Falls Trail and Lower Yosemite Fall Amphitheater area. However, rockfalls are unpredictable and additional rockfall activity is possible. Climbers are advised that the lower fall amphitheater is exposed to rockfall hazard and to make risk-based decisions accordingly.

 

Duration:

7 minutes, 8 seconds

The peregrine falcon thrives in Yosemite Valley, but this remarkable bird was temporarily extirpated from much of its native range, including Yosemite where it disappeared for decades, leading to its listing as an endangered species in the early 1970s. Because of the remarkable, collaborative efforts of Yosemite climbers, UCSC Predatory Bird Research Group, and NPS biologists, with generous funding from the Yosemite Conservancy, the story of Yosemite’s peregrine falcon is one of hope.