Colorado · Rock climbing · Nederland

First Tier

First Tier in Colorado has 12 climbing routes with 8 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

12 routes
5.9 – 5.12b
Sport · Trad · Mixed

Best time to visit First Tier

Best months: May–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

    39° / 17°

    5 wet

  2. Feb

    40° / 17°

    5 wet

  3. Mar

    47° / 22°

    6 wet

  4. Apr

    52° / 27°

    8 wet

  5. May

    61° / 35°

    10 wet

  6. Jun

    73° / 44°

    9 wet

  7. Jul

    79° / 50°

    10 wet

  8. Aug

    77° / 48°

    11 wet

  9. Sep

    70° / 41°

    8 wet

  10. Oct

    57° / 31°

    6 wet

  11. Nov

    47° / 24°

    5 wet

  12. Dec

    40° / 17°

    5 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gross Rsvr, CO, 5.4 mi away at 7,970 ft. The station sits about 600 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

First Tier is a climbing area in the Boulder Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing spots, with Tarot Wall and Three Dihedrals both about 0.1 mile away. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 79°F with lows near 50°F, while winter highs stay in the low 40s. The Hawkins Surguine Spur Trail is about 0.9 mile away, and the Hawkins Surguine Spur mountain biking route is about 1.2 miles off. For an overnight stay, Winiger Ridge campground is about 4 miles away, and Gordon Gulch campground is about 4.8 miles away.