Lower Smoking Section
Lower Smoking Section in Colorado has 10 routes with 6 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
- 10 routes
- 5.6 – 5.12
- Trad · Sport · Mixed
Is Lower Smoking Section open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 8 alerts for Pike and San Isabel National Forests.
FSR 286, Radical Hill, is closed due to washouts and unsafe conditions
Agency alert covering Pike and San Isabel National Forests · USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests
Interlaken Hotel Tree Hazards
Agency alert covering Pike and San Isabel National Forests · USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests
Sharpe Fire Update
Agency alert covering Pike and San Isabel National Forests · USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests
Turquoise Lake Road (County Road 4) Closure
Agency alert covering Pike and San Isabel National Forests · USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests
Downed and weakened trees on South Platte Ranger District
Agency alert covering South Platte Ranger District · USFS · South Platte Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Lower Smoking Section
Best months: June–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
33° / 9°
Feb
34° / 11°
Mar
41° / 17°
Apr
47° / 23°
May
57° / 31°
Jun
69° / 41°
Jul
74° / 47°
Aug
71° / 45°
Sep
65° / 38°
Oct
54° / 27°
Nov
42° / 18°
Dec
33° / 12°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Divide 4nw, CO, 16.9 mi away at 9,134 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Lower Smoking Section is a climbing area in the South Platte Ranger District of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with the Upper Smoking Section and Sheeprock both about 0.1 mile away. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Divide run to highs around 74°F in July and lows near 47°F, while winter highs stay in the low 30s. Goose Creek, a canoeing spot about 1.3 miles away, and Goose Creek Campground, about 2 miles off, are the closest options for paddling and camping. The Hankins Pass Trail lies about 2.9 miles away, and the South Platte River offers river fishing roughly 3.4 miles from the area.
Routes (10)
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