Colorado · Rock climbing · Sedalia

Black Wave Wall

Black Wave Wall in Colorado has 7 climbing routes with 7 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad options.

7 routes
5.8 – 5.11c
Sport · Trad

Is Black Wave Wall open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 8 alerts for Pike and San Isabel National Forests.

As of · Source: USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Black Wave Wall

Best months: June–September. 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

    33° / 9°

  2. Feb

    34° / 11°

  3. Mar

    41° / 17°

  4. Apr

    47° / 23°

  5. May

    57° / 31°

  6. Jun

    69° / 41°

  7. Jul

    74° / 47°

  8. Aug

    71° / 45°

  9. Sep

    65° / 38°

  10. Oct

    54° / 27°

  11. Nov

    42° / 18°

  12. Dec

    33° / 12°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Divide 4nw, CO, 21.4 mi away at 9,134 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Black Wave Wall is a climbing area in Colorado's Pike and San Isabel National Forests, within the South Platte Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the wall sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with The Choss Temple and Hole in the Wall each about 0.1 mile away. The area has seven routes, six of them sport and one trad. Grades run from 5.8 up to 5.11c, with the hardest route, A Woman Scorned, at 5.11c. Black Wave itself is a 5.11a sport route, and Forest Management is a 5.10c. Fear Factor and Slab Management are both 5.10b and 5.10c sport routes. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 74°F with lows near 47°F, while winter highs stay in the low 30s. Devils Head Campground is about a mile away, and Flat Rocks Campground is roughly 5 miles off. The Zinn Trail starts about 0.3 mile away, and the East Side Express Sawblade Ridge Rock Climbing approach is about 0.4 mile away.

Routes (7)

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