Colorado · Rock climbing · Grand Junction

Rough Canyon

Rough Canyon in Colorado has 14 climbing routes across 12 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Rough CanyonPhoto: jimmy thomas from Seattle, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
14 routes
5.5 – 5.12+
Trad · Mixed · Sport

Best time to visit Rough 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

    39° / 21°

    6 wet · 4 snow

  2. Feb

    45° / 25°

    5 wet · 3 snow

  3. Mar

    56° / 34°

    6 wet · 2 snow

  4. Apr

    63° / 39°

    6 wet · 1 snow

  5. May

    74° / 49°

    6 wet

  6. Jun

    87° / 58°

    4 wet

  7. Jul

    93° / 65°

    6 wet

  8. Aug

    90° / 62°

    7 wet

  9. Sep

    80° / 54°

    7 wet

  10. Oct

    66° / 41°

    6 wet

  11. Nov

    50° / 31°

    6 wet · 2 snow

  12. Dec

    39° / 22°

    6 wet · 4 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Colorado Nm, CO, 10.3 mi away at 5,781 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Rough Canyon is a climbing area on Bureau of Land Management land in the Grand Junction Field Office, about 10 miles from the town of Grand Junction, Colorado. It sits among a cluster of climbing and hiking destinations, with Bang's Canyon and the Tabeguache Trail both about 0.6 miles away. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 74°F and October highs around 66°F, while July averages climb to about 93°F and winter brings highs near 39°F with a few snowy days each month. Other climbing areas within a few miles include Bentonite Mine, about 2 miles away, and Roost, The, about 2.9 miles away. For an overnight stay, KOA Holiday is about 6.2 miles from the canyon.

Routes (14)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Bang's CanyonPhoto: iagoarchangel, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Bang's Canyon

~1 min drive

Bang's Canyon in Colorado has 13 climbing routes across 12 grades, featuring bouldering pads and sport.

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Dynamite Cliff Band

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Dynamite Cliff Band in Colorado has 17 climbing routes across 10 difficulty grades.

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The Roost

~5 min drive

Roost is a 8-route climbing area in Colorado with 4 difficulty grades.

Devil's KitchenPhoto: iagoarchangel, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Devil's Kitchen

~5 min drive

Devil's Kitchen in Colorado has 8 climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades, featuring bouldering pads, sport, and trad.

D-Shacks CliffbandPhoto: Owen Richard, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

D-Shacks Cliffband

~8 min drive

D-Shacks Cliffband is a 6-route bouldering area in Colorado with routes spanning 5 difficulty grades.

Lancer BoulderPhoto: Owen Richard, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lancer Boulder

~9 min drive

Lancer Boulder in Colorado has 6 bouldering routes with bouldering pads.

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

The Gypsies

~9 min drive

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

Metamorphic Canyon

~9 min drive

Metamorphic Canyon in Colorado has 10 bouldering routes.

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

Liberty Cap

~10 min drive

Liberty Cap in Colorado has 16 climbing routes ranging across 11 difficulty grades.

Astro Bunny AreaPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Astro Bunny Area

~10 min drive

Astro Bunny Area in Colorado has 5 traditional climbing routes across 4 difficulty grades.