Climbing Forecast › Joshua Tree › Sheep Pass

JOSHUA TREE · QUARTZ MONZONITE · bird ban

Sheep Pass weather & climbing conditions

Poor — wet, too windy or closed

Right now

Temp59°F
Wind3 mph
Gusts4 mph
Humidity79.3%
Rain 48h0.04 in
Last rain1h ago

Assessment

6.7mm rain forecast

Drying Time

7% dry · 5-11h to dry

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Saturday 10 October
Poor
Temp32°F
Rain0.3 in
Wind3 mph
Gusts4 mph
Humidity79%
6.7mm rain forecast
  • Wet quartz monzonite is slick — dries within an hour or two of a shower in desert conditions
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
13:00 — dry — — null%
21:00 59° 0.04 in 3 — 79.3%
Sun Sunday 11 October
Poor
Temp59°F
Rain2.0 in
Wind19 mph
Gusts—
Humidity81%
51.8mm rain forecast
  • Good friction range for quartz monzonite
  • Wet quartz monzonite is slick — dries within an hour or two of a shower in desert conditions
  • Even mild humidity dulls the polished patina crimps and slopers — best days are cold and dry
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 57° dry 21 — 93.2%
07:00 57° 0.02 in 22 — 87.6%
08:00 57° 0.03 in 17 — 89.3%
09:00 57° 0.03 in 16 — 90.5%
10:00 57° 0.02 in 15 — 91.2%
11:00 59° 0.03 in 17 — 86.5%
12:00 58° 0.02 in 17 — 89.6%
13:00 59° dry 21 — 82.6%
14:00 58° dry 22 — 78.1%
15:00 59° dry 22 — 71.6%
16:00 58° dry 21 — 67.9%
17:00 57° dry 18 — 70.7%
18:00 55° dry 17 — 75.2%
19:00 54° dry 17 — 77.9%
20:00 53° dry 15 — 79.8%
21:00 52° dry 13 — 81.9%
Mon Monday 12 October
Poor
Temp54°F
Rain0.07 in
Wind14 mph
Gusts—
Humidity74%
1.9mm rain forecast
  • Good friction range for quartz monzonite
  • Wet quartz monzonite is slick — dries within an hour or two of a shower in desert conditions
  • Even mild humidity dulls the polished patina crimps and slopers — best days are cold and dry
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 49° dry 8 — 87.8%
07:00 49° dry 7 — 89.3%
08:00 51° dry 9 — 85.1%
09:00 52° dry 13 — 81.2%
10:00 54° 0.01 in 13 — 76.5%
11:00 55° 0.01 in 13 — 73.6%
12:00 54° 0.01 in 13 — 74.1%
13:00 54° 0.01 in 13 — 71.2%
14:00 54° 0.02 in 15 — 72%
15:00 53° 0.02 in 18 — 73.1%
16:00 52° 0.01 in 17 — 77.3%
17:00 50° dry 16 — 78%
18:00 48° dry 17 — 77%
19:00 46° dry 18 — 79.3%
20:00 45° dry 18 — 81.5%
21:00 44° dry 12 — 84.9%
Tue Tuesday 13 October
Good
Temp50°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity66%
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for quartz monzonite
  • Quartz monzonite gives bombproof friction when dry — coarse grain shreds fingertips, bring tape
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 43° dry 2 — 77.6%
07:00 43° dry 2 — 79%
08:00 46° dry 4 — 70.8%
09:00 48° dry 4 — 67.4%
10:00 50° dry 6 — 68.2%
11:00 51° dry 6 — 64.4%
17:00 53° dry 13 — 54.2%
Wed Wednesday 14 October
Good
Temp57°F
Raindry
Wind11 mph
Gusts—
Humidity48%
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for quartz monzonite
  • Quartz monzonite gives bombproof friction when dry — coarse grain shreds fingertips, bring tape
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 57° dry 11 — 47.9%
17:00 58° dry 9 — 46.7%
Thu Thursday 15 October
Good
Temp61°F
Raindry
Wind13 mph
Gusts—
Humidity48%
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for quartz monzonite
  • Quartz monzonite gives bombproof friction when dry — coarse grain shreds fingertips, bring tape
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 60° dry 13 — 47.8%
17:00 61° dry 15 — 50.8%
Fri Friday 16 October
Good
Temp61°F
Raindry
Wind9 mph
Gusts—
Humidity52%
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for quartz monzonite
  • Quartz monzonite gives bombproof friction when dry — coarse grain shreds fingertips, bring tape
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 60° dry 9 — 51.6%
17:00 62° dry 6 — 49.6%
Sat Saturday 17 October
Good
Temp66°F
Raindry
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity43%
Should be dry
  • Quartz monzonite gives bombproof friction when dry — coarse grain shreds fingertips, bring tape
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 66° dry 2 — 43.2%
17:00 66° dry 4 — 50.3%
Bird ban (02-17 to 06-07)
Prairie falcon nesting closure on specific routes: 'Fat Freddie's Cat', 'The Weenie', 'Pea Brain', 'The Red Obelisk', and 'Freak Brothers Dome'. Other Sheep Pass routes remain open. Check nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/no_climbing.htm for the current list — closures may extend if the nest is still active.

About Sheep Pass

Sheep Pass is a large area near the southeastern end of Lost Horse Valley, midway between Hidden Valley and Jumbo Rocks. Freak Brothers Dome and the adjacent formations catch a prairie falcon closure most years from mid-February through early June — specific named routes only, other lines remain open.

Region
Joshua Tree
Rock type
Quartz monzonite
Aspect
mixed-facing
Altitude
4199 ft
Exposure
medium
Seepage
very-low

Other crags in this region

Cap RockEcho Rock / Echo CoveHidden Valley CampgroundIndian CoveJumbo RocksLost Horse WallQuail Springs (Trashcan Rock)Real Hidden ValleyRyan Campground (Headstone Rock)Split RocksWonderland of Rocks