A gazebo has been built on its summit. Along with fine views of the lake, D.L. Bliss State Park offers a scattering of boulders off of Highway 89 around Balanced Rock before the northern park entrance. The Old County boulders boast several basalt boulders to climb. The sharp, pocketed, edgy and sometimes blocky rock has traverses, high problems and mostly gentle landings that make for a great after-work session. At the end of Old County Road, hike west on fire roads to the boulders.
Most climbers tie into a rope once in a while.
The cliffs around Tahoe offer plenty of opportunities to gain altitude and get some air under your feet. The crisp, clean granite cracks and faces of Donner Summit put the area high on the list of places to visit for climbers on road tours. The volcanic rock at Big Chief provides steep, entertaining sport climbing, while 90-Foot Wall is a good place for beginner or intermediate climbers. In 1978, the hardest climb in the world was established by Tony Yaniro at Sugarloaf, south of Tahoe. Local climber, professional snowboarder and filmmaker Dave Hatchett believes rock climbing in the Tahoe area is pretty much as good as anywhere.