Colorado · Rock climbing · Kim

Picket Wire Canyon

Picket Wire Canyon in Colorado has 7 climbing routes with sport and trad options.

7 routes
5.2 – 5.10d
Sport · Trad

Best time to visit Picket Wire Canyon

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

    47° / 17°

    3 wet · 2 snow

  2. Feb

    50° / 20°

    3 wet · 2 snow

  3. Mar

    60° / 28°

    4 wet · 1 snow

  4. Apr

    67° / 37°

    5 wet · 1 snow

  5. May

    77° / 47°

    6 wet

  6. Jun

    89° / 58°

    6 wet

  7. Jul

    93° / 63°

    7 wet

  8. Aug

    90° / 61°

    6 wet

  9. Sep

    83° / 52°

    4 wet

  10. Oct

    71° / 37°

    3 wet

  11. Nov

    57° / 27°

    3 wet · 1 snow

  12. Dec

    47° / 18°

    3 wet · 2 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at La Junta 20 S, CO, 9.7 mi away at 4,210 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Picket Wire Canyon is a climbing area in Colorado's Comanche National Grassland, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with Scorpio Crag, Misson Boulders and The Vortex Boulder and Padilla Boulder all about 0.1 mile away. The climbing here ranges from sport and trad routes with grades from 5.2 up to 5.10d. The easiest is Rim Access, a trad route at 5.2, and the hardest is Finger Hole, a sport route at 5.10d. Queen's Ride, a trad route at 5.10, and Chimney, a sport route at 5.6, round out the options. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in La Junta show May highs around 77°F and October highs around 71°F, while July averages climb to about 93°F. For a longer outing, Withers Canyon Trailhead and the Withers Loop Trail are about 1.6 miles away, and the Picket Wire Canyonlands hike is about 1.8 miles off.

Routes (7)