Colorado · Rock climbing · Colorado Springs

Silver Cascade Slab aka Hesitation Slab

11-route climbing crag in Colorado with mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Silver Cascade Slab aka Hesitation SlabPhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
11 routes
5.6 – 5.10d
Sport · Mixed · Trad

Is Silver Cascade Slab aka Hesitation Slab open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 11 alerts for Pike and San Isabel National Forests.

As of · Source: USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Silver Cascade Slab aka Hesitation Slab

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.

  1. Jan

    39° / 13°

    5 wet

  2. Feb

    39° / 14°

    6 wet

  3. Mar

    45° / 20°

    7 wet

  4. Apr

    50° / 26°

    8 wet

  5. May

    59° / 33°

    10 wet

  6. Jun

    70° / 42°

    11 wet

  7. Jul

    74° / 46°

    16 wet

  8. Aug

    72° / 45°

    16 wet

  9. Sep

    66° / 39°

    9 wet

  10. Oct

    56° / 30°

    6 wet

  11. Nov

    46° / 19°

    5 wet

  12. Dec

    39° / 13°

    5 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Ruxton Park, CO, 5.3 mi away at 9,060 ft. The station sits about 1,400 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.

Silver Cascade Slab, also known as Hesitation Slab, is a climbing area in North Cheyenne Canon Park, within the Pikes Peak Ranger District of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado. The land is managed as city property. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Ruxton Park show July highs around 74°F with lows near 46°F, while winter highs stay around 39°F. That station sits about 1,400 feet lower than the slab, so temperatures on the slab run cooler. Buffalo Canyon Trail starts just 0.2 miles away, and the Bruin Trail for mountain biking is 0.3 miles off. Buzzard Boulders and the Main Area climbing areas are both about 0.9 miles away.

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