Colorado · Rock climbing · Fruita

COVID Castle

Colorado climbing area with 8 trad routes.

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

8 routes

5.8 – 5.11-

Trad

Best time to visit COVID Castle

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.

Jan
39° / 21°
6 wet · 4 snow
Feb
45° / 25°
5 wet · 3 snow
Mar
56° / 34°
6 wet · 2 snow
Apr
63° / 39°
6 wet · 1 snow
May
74° / 49°
6 wet
Jun
87° / 58°
4 wet
Jul
93° / 65°
6 wet
Aug
90° / 62°
7 wet
Sep
80° / 54°
7 wet
Oct
66° / 41°
6 wet
Nov
50° / 31°
6 wet · 2 snow
Dec
39° / 22°
6 wet · 4 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Colorado Nm, CO, 1.7 mi away at 5,781 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

COVID Castle is a climbing area in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, within the Grand Junction Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado. The name is a playful reference to the pandemic era, and the routes here are all traditional climbs. The area sits at a high elevation, and the climbing is spread across several named spots within a short distance. UFC Wall is about a tenth of a mile away, Devil's Canyon is half a mile off, and Devil's Gate Tower is about a mile. That makes it easy to string together a day on several walls. The climbing runs from about 5.8 to 5.11 on the YDS scale, with most of the routes falling around 5.10. Some of the named routes, like Vaccine Card and Moderna, were first ascended in the pandemic years. They are all traditional. For timing, May and September are the most comfortable months, with typical averages from a nearby weather station running from the mid-70s to around 80 degrees. July is the hottest, with typical highs near 93. The closest place to camp is Saddlehorn Campground, about 1.7 miles away. The D2 Trail and Canyon Rim Trail are also within about a mile and a half.