Colorado · Rock climbing · Fruita

Colorado National Monument

18 routes at Colorado National Monument range from 8 difficulty grades, mixed and trad climbing.

Colorado National MonumentPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
18 routes
5.5 – 5.12a
Trad · Mixed

Is Colorado National Monument open right now?

Alert in the area

The National Park Service lists an alert for Colorado National Monument.

As of · Source: NPS · Colorado National Monument. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Colorado National Monument

Best months: April–May and September–October. 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

    39° / 21°

    6 wet · 4 snow

  2. Feb

    45° / 25°

    5 wet · 3 snow

  3. Mar

    56° / 34°

    6 wet · 2 snow

  4. Apr

    63° / 39°

    6 wet · 1 snow

  5. May

    74° / 49°

    6 wet

  6. Jun

    87° / 58°

    4 wet

  7. Jul

    93° / 65°

    6 wet

  8. Aug

    90° / 62°

    7 wet

  9. Sep

    80° / 54°

    7 wet

  10. Oct

    66° / 41°

    6 wet

  11. Nov

    50° / 31°

    6 wet · 2 snow

  12. Dec

    39° / 22°

    6 wet · 4 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Colorado Nm, CO, 0.7 mi away at 5,781 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Colorado National Monument is a climbing area in western Colorado, managed by the National Park Service. The climbing sits within the monument itself. Independence Monument and the Organ Pipe Spire and Pipe Organ Spire formations are among the named objectives close by. The most comfortable climbing comes in spring and fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 74°F and October highs around 66°F. July is the hottest month, with typical highs in the low 90s. The monument charges a fee. Independence Monument lies about 0.1 mile away, with Monument Canyon at about 0.4 mile for more climbing. Hikers can take the Wedding Canyon Trail, and Saddlehorn Campground, under a mile off, is the closest place to camp.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Independence MonumentPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Independence Monument

~0 min drive

Independence Monument in Colorado has 7 climbing routes on rock.

Organ Pipe Spire and Pipe Organ SpirePhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Organ Pipe Spire and Pipe Organ Spire

~0 min drive

7 trad routes at Organ Pipe Spire and Pipe Organ Spire in Colorado.

Monument CanyonPhoto: iagoarchangel, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Monument Canyon

~1 min drive

Monument Canyon in Colorado has 30 climbing routes across 17 difficulty grades, featuring bouldering pads, mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Kissing Couple areaPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Kissing Couple area

~1 min drive

Kissing Couple area is a Colorado climbing crag with 5 routes and 3 difficulty grades.

Fruita CanyonPhoto: Navin75, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Fruita Canyon

~1 min drive

Fruita Canyon in Colorado has 11 traditional climbing routes across 8 difficulty grades.

No Thoroughfare CanyonPhoto: Cerahammond, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

No Thoroughfare Canyon

~1 min drive

No Thoroughfare Canyon in Colorado has 15 climbing routes.

Devil's CanyonPhoto: iagoarchangel, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Devil's Canyon

~5 min drive

Devil's Canyon in Colorado has 20 climbing routes across 8 grades.

Devil's Gate TowerPhoto: iagoarchangel, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Devil's Gate Tower

~5 min drive

7 climbing routes at Devil's Gate Tower in Colorado.

Slab BoulderPhoto: iagoarchangel, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Slab Boulder

~5 min drive

Slab Boulder in Colorado has 5 bouldering routes across 4 grades.

Petrified HillPhoto: AndreyZharkikh, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Petrified Hill

~6 min drive

Petrified Hill is a bouldering area in Colorado with 16 routes.