Rock climbing guides and rock climbing classes at Joshua Tree National Park and Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks, Idyllwild.

Covid-19 Protocols

At Vertical Adventures we realize, as does California Governor Gavin Newsom, that outdoor recreation is beneficial to Californians' mental health and well-being during this difficult pandemic.

The California "Stay Home" order allows outdoor recreation, and Joshua Tree National Park remains open for day use, although all campgrounds in the Park are currently closed. We continue to operate under CDC and National Park Service guidelines, which include health screening of all our clients and guides, temperature checks the morning of your outing, mask use when we can't social distance, good hand hygiene, and equipment sanitizing after each use.

The morning of your outing you will need to pass a forehead temperature check of less than 100.4° Fahrenheit in order to participate.

We will ask you to wear a mask during the meet and greet, equipment outfitting, and during any person to person interaction of 6 feet or less during the day. Your guide will also wear a mask and provide you with hand sanitizer, and ask you to hand sanitize at regular intervals during the day.

At Vertical Adventures, the health and safety of our clients and guides is our top priority.

Rock Climbing Instruction in Southern California

Since 1983, Vertical Adventures rock climbing school has been Southern California's rock climbing school leader, setting the standard of professionalism with our low student to instructor ratios, state of the art course curriculums, excellent safety record, and exceptional rock climbing guides.

Vertical Adventures Rock Climbing School was honored to be ranked as the #1 rock climbing school in America by Outside Magazine, in their list of America’s top adventure schools, and our rock climbing school made the list of msnbc.com's "Top Ten Outdoor Adventures."

Our rock climbing school instruction is offered year-round. From September through May our group rock climbing classes and guided rock climbs are held at Joshua Tree National Park, located in the high desert north of Palm Springs. One of America's most popular rock climbing areas, with over 9,000 routes to choose from, Joshua Tree has ideal weather for rock climbing in the fall and spring, and is the best site in the country for rock climbing during the winter season.

Summer temperatures are generally too hot for rock climbing all day long at Joshua Tree National Park, although our Joshua Tree rock climbing program offers half-day private lessons during the summer season to climb in the shade of early morning or late afternoon/evening when temperatures can be surprisingly comfortable. All of our rock climbing classes can be booked as a private lesson or private group class during the summer Joshua Tree rock climbing season.

During the summer season Vertical Adventures' Idyllwild Rock Climbing School offers rock climbing classes at Suicide Rock, and guided climbs of Idyllwild's Tahquitz Rock, which at 1,000 feet high is Southern California's tallest rock formation, and one of the best rocks in the country for traditional, multi-pitch rock climbing. Located in the beautiful pine forest above the town of Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains, at an elevation of 7000 feet, Tahquitz Rock offers ideal conditions in the summer months for guided rock climbs.

Our rockclimbing classes and guided rock climbs have enabled many to attain goals they never thought possible. To the gym climber who has yet to climb outside: I invite you to experience the joy and exhilaration of outdoor rockclimbing in Southern California. Joshua Tree is the ideal place to learn to safely climb outdoors.

With over 9000 rock climbing routes, Joshua Tree National Park rock climbing combines easy access for rock climbing classes plus great variety, providing the perfect venue for a rock climbing class or guided rock climbing.

Bob Gaines, Director A.M.G.A. Certified Rock Climbing Instructor AMGA Certified Rock Instructor

Vertical Adventures Rock Climbing School Director Bob Gaines is an American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Certified Rock Instructor. Bob is an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program Provider and teaches the AMGA SPI Course at Joshua Tree National Park. Bob is also an examiner for the AMGA SPI Assessment. Bob has been a Joshua Tree rock climbing guide and instructor since 1983, when he founded Vertical Adventures' rock climbing schools at Joshua Tree National Park and Tahquitz and Suicide Rock Idyllwild. Vertical Adventures’ Joshua Tree rock climbing school program includes our Joshua Tree rock climbing class instruction, Joshua Tree rock climbing classes, Joshua Tree rock climbing courses and seminars, and rock climbing guides for Joshua Tree National Park. Our Joshua Tree rock climbing season for our regularly scheduled group rock climbing classes and private group lessons is from September through May. We offer half-day rates for guided rock climbing and private group lessons in June, July, and August at Joshua Tree National Park. Our Joshua Tree rock climbing program and guided rock climbs operate under commercial use permit at Joshua Tree National Park. Our Idyllwild rock climbing school and guides, which includes our one-day rock climbing classes, multi-day rock climbing courses, group rock climbing instruction, and guided rock climbs at Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks, operates in June, July, and August at Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks, Idyllwild, under special use permit of the U.S. Forest Service, Idyllwild. Vertical Adventures Rock Climbing School Director Bob Gaines' latest guidebook is Best Climbs Joshua Tree National Park, featuring 252 of the finest routes in Joshua Tree National Park.