Arizona · Rock climbing · Oak Creek Canyon · Near Kachina Village

Sterling Pass

Sterling PassPhoto: davidpinter, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
13 routes
5.8 – 5.12-
Trad · Sport
Mar–May, Sep–Nov
best months

Is Sterling Pass open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Red Rock Ranger District. It doesn't name Sterling Pass, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · Red Rock Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Sterling Pass is a climbing area in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, part of the Red Rock Ranger District of Coconino National Forest in Arizona. The Forest Service manages the land. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Oak Creek Canyon show May highs around 78°F and October highs around 74°F, while July highs reach about 90°F and winter lows drop near 30°F. Oak Creek Canyon, a climbing area, sits about half a mile away. The Sterling Pass #46 hike is under a mile off, and the Clifftop Trail and Slide Rock Trail are each about a mile away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Manzanita.

    Campground

    Sites open the weekend of Dec 4 on Recreation.gov
  • Eat after

    Chipotle

    Fast food

    Open after 6

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Kachina Village
  • Best time to go · Mar–May, Sep–Nov

    Best time to visit Sterling Pass

    Best months: March–May and September–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      54° / 30°

    2. Feb

      57° / 31°

    3. Mar

      64° / 35°

    4. Apr

      70° / 39°

    5. May

      78° / 46°

    6. Jun

      88° / 54°

    7. Jul

      90° / 61°

    8. Aug

      88° / 60°

    9. Sep

      84° / 54°

    10. Oct

      74° / 44°

    11. Nov

      63° / 36°

    12. Dec

      53° / 30°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Oak Creek Canyon, AZ, 1.9 mi away at 5,118 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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