Colorado · Rock climbing · Red Feather Lakes

Bristlecone Castle

Bristlecone Castle in Colorado has 12 climbing routes with 10 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad options.

12 routes
5.8 – 5.13b
Sport · Trad

Is Bristlecone Castle open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Canyon Lakes Ranger District.

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

Best time to visit Bristlecone Castle

Best months: June and 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

    31° / 11°

    9 wet

  2. Feb

    33° / 10°

    9 wet

  3. Mar

    40° / 15°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    45° / 20°

    10 wet

  5. May

    55° / 28°

    10 wet

  6. Jun

    68° / 36°

    10 wet

  7. Jul

    74° / 43°

    13 wet

  8. Aug

    72° / 41°

    14 wet

  9. Sep

    65° / 34°

    10 wet

  10. Oct

    51° / 25°

    8 wet

  11. Nov

    39° / 18°

    9 wet

  12. Dec

    31° / 11°

    9 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Hourglass Rsvr, CO, 12.4 mi away at 9,520 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Bristlecone Castle is a climbing area in the Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, managed by the Forest Service. The most comfortable months for a visit are typically July and August, when typical averages from a nearby weather station run to highs of about 74°F and 72°F with lows in the low 40s. Winter is cold, with typical January highs around 31°F. Other climbing areas sit right next to it, including High Cluster and Bristlecone Bouldering, each about 0.1 mile away, and King's Boulder, about 0.2 mile away. For an overnight stay, Tunnel Campground is about 1.6 miles off.

Routes (12)