Colorado · Rock climbing · Bayfield

Vertical Wall

Vertical Wall in Colorado has 5 climbing routes ranging from 5 difficulty grades.

5 routes
5.9 – 5.12-
Trad · Sport

Is Vertical Wall open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in San Juan National Forest. It doesn't name Vertical Wall, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · San Juan National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Vertical Wall

Best months: June–July 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

    34° / -4°

    4 wet · 4 snow

  2. Feb

    37° / -2°

    4 wet · 4 snow

  3. Mar

    43° / 9°

    5 wet · 5 snow

  4. Apr

    50° / 20°

    6 wet · 5 snow

  5. May

    60° / 29°

    5 wet · 2 snow

  6. Jun

    71° / 36°

    5 wet

  7. Jul

    76° / 42°

    11 wet

  8. Aug

    73° / 41°

    13 wet

  9. Sep

    68° / 35°

    9 wet

  10. Oct

    58° / 25°

    6 wet · 2 snow

  11. Nov

    44° / 12°

    4 wet · 3 snow

  12. Dec

    34° / -3°

    4 wet · 3 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Rio Grande Rsvr, CO, 21.5 mi away at 9,492 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Vertical Wall is a climbing area in the Columbine Ranger District of San Juan National Forest in Colorado, on Forest Service land. It sits in a cluster of nearby crags, so it is easy to pair with other walls in a single outing. Summer into early fall is the most comfortable stretch. A nearby weather station records typical July highs around 76°F with lows near 42°F, though July and August also bring the most wet days of the year, about 11 to 13 a month. Winter is cold and snowy, with typical January lows below zero. High Times Wall is about 0.1 mile away, and Vallecito Crags is roughly 0.4 mile off. For hiking, the Bear Creek Loop Trail starts about 0.4 mile from the wall. Vallecito Campground, about 1.3 miles away, is the closest place to camp.

Routes (5)

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Power HousePhoto: markbyzewski, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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PurgatoryPhoto: Doss Imaging, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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