Colorado · Rock climbing · New Castle

Upper Slab

Upper Slab in Colorado has 9 routes with sport and trad climbing.

9 routes
5.7 – 5.8
Sport · Trad

Best time to visit Upper Slab

Best months: April–June 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

    36° / 12°

    8 wet · 6 snow

  2. Feb

    42° / 19°

    6 wet · 4 snow

  3. Mar

    53° / 26°

    6 wet · 2 snow

  4. Apr

    60° / 32°

    7 wet · 1 snow

  5. May

    71° / 40°

    7 wet

  6. Jun

    82° / 46°

    5 wet

  7. Jul

    89° / 53°

    5 wet

  8. Aug

    86° / 52°

    6 wet

  9. Sep

    78° / 44°

    6 wet

  10. Oct

    65° / 33°

    6 wet

  11. Nov

    49° / 24°

    6 wet · 2 snow

  12. Dec

    36° / 15°

    7 wet · 4 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Glenwood Spgs #2, CO, 5.8 mi away at 5,895 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Upper Slab is a climbing area on Bureau of Land Management land within the Colorado River Valley Field Office in Colorado, about 0.1 mile from the Lower Slab. The two slabs sit close together, so climbers can pair them in a single outing. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Glenwood Springs show May highs around 71°F and September highs around 78°F, while July climbs to about 89°F and winter brings frequent snow days. Nearby options include the Storm King Mountain Memorial Trail, about 1.6 miles away, and the Coal Camp Upper Loop Connector, about 2.4 miles away. For fishing, the Glenwood Springs Area is about 4.5 miles off, and Glenwood Canyon Resort offers camping about 6.3 miles away.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Glenwood CanyonPhoto: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Downstream ClusterPhoto: Loco Steve, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Hole WallPhoto: inkknife_2000 (14 million views), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hole Wall

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East CanyonPhoto: Loco Steve, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

East Canyon

~17 min drive

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Shoshone Power Plant AreaPhoto: Loco Steve, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Shoshone Power Plant Area

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Fountain ButtressPhoto: inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Roadside FinPhoto: inkknife_2000 (14 million views), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Roadside Fin

~18 min drive

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The Airy BlockPhoto: inkknife_2000 (14 million views), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Airy Block

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Colorado canyon climbing with varied routes for developing climbers.

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