Upper Smoking Section
Upper Smoking Section in Colorado has 7 routes across 5 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.
- 7 routes
- 5.8 – 5.10d
- Sport · Trad
Is Upper 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 Upper 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.
Upper 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 Lower 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, about 1.3 miles away, offers canoeing, and Goose Creek Campground is about 2 miles off. The Hankins Pass Trail and the South Platte River fishing stretch are both within about 3.5 miles.
Routes (7)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Land that Time Forgot
~0 min drive
21-route climbing area in Colorado with mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Helen's Dome
~0 min drive
Helen's Dome in Colorado has 26 climbing routes with mixed, sport, and trad styles.
Couch Potatoes
~0 min drive
Couch Potatoes in Colorado has 5 trad routes across 4 difficulty grades.
Rainy Day Rock
~0 min drive
Rainy Day Rock in Colorado has 7 routes across 5 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.
Goose Creek/Molly Gulch Campground
~1 min drive
Goose Creek/Molly Gulch Campground in Colorado has 21 climbing routes with 13 difficulty grades.
The Abbey
~3 min drive
Abbey, The in Colorado has 8 climbing routes across 5 grades, offering mixed and sport climbing.
Whiskey Rocks
~3 min drive
Whiskey Rocks in Colorado has 2 trad climbing routes with 2 distinct difficulty grades.
Whiskey Rocks West
~3 min drive
Whiskey Rocks West in Colorado has 35 routes with bouldering pads, mixed, sport, and trad styles.
Whiskey Rocks North
~4 min drive
Whiskey Rocks North in Colorado has 34 routes with 21 difficulty grades, offering bouldering, sport, and trad climbing.
The Great Googly Moogly
~6 min drive
Great Googly Moogly is a climbing crag in Colorado with 9 routes.
