Cow Creek Canyon / McGraw Ranch trailhead
7 traditional climbing routes in Cow Creek Canyon, Colorado.
Photo: KimonBerlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- 7 routes
- 5.8+ – 5.11a
- Trad
Is Cow Creek Canyon / McGraw Ranch trailhead open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Rocky Mountain National Park.
As of · Source: NPS · Rocky Mountain National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Cow Creek Canyon / McGraw Ranch trailhead
Best months: May–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.
Jan
37° / 16°
7 wet
Feb
38° / 16°
8 wet
Mar
45° / 21°
9 wet
Apr
52° / 26°
10 wet
May
61° / 35°
12 wet
Jun
74° / 43°
10 wet
Jul
80° / 48°
13 wet
Aug
78° / 46°
13 wet
Sep
70° / 39°
9 wet
Oct
57° / 30°
7 wet
Nov
44° / 23°
6 wet
Dec
36° / 16°
7 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Estes Park 3 Sse, CO, 5.5 mi away at 7,812 ft. The station sits about 500 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.
Cow Creek Canyon / McGraw Ranch trailhead is a climbing area in Rocky Mountain National Park, inside the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness. The National Park Service manages the land, and the trailhead sits within the park's wilderness boundaries. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical July highs reach about 80°F with lows near 48°F, based on averages from a nearby weather station in Estes Park. That station sits a few hundred feet below the trailhead, so temperatures up here run slightly cooler. A fee applies here, as noted by the National Park Service API. Plan for that before you go. Cow Creek Trail starts less than a mile away, and Balanced Rock Trail is about a mile off. Climbers can head to First Pew and Pulpit Rock Massif, both about 1.4 miles from the trailhead.
Routes (7)
Rabbit Ears Rock(3)
Sheep Mountain Rock(4)
Facts about this crag
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