Picnic Area
- 5 routes
- 5.8 – 5.11b/c
- Sport · Top Rope · Trad
- May–Oct
- best months
Picnic Area is a climbing area in Crystal Falls State Forest Area in Michigan, managed by the State Department of Natural Resources. It sits among several other climbing spots, including Picnic Wall Right and Dry-Tool Cliff, both within a quarter mile, and Section 18 about 0.7 miles away. Five routes make up the area. They run from 5.8 up to 5.11b/c, with two sport routes at 5.11a and 5.11b, two top rope routes at 5.9 and 5.11b, and one trad route at 5.8. The most difficult is Blood Diamond, a sport climb. The easiest is Stop and Have a Picnic, a trad route. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 80°F and lows near 57°F, while January highs sit around 24°F. Norway Mountain Ski Resort is about 5 miles away, and the Sturgeon River offers canoeing about 8.5 miles off.
- Picnic Wall RightRock climbing0.1 mi
- Dry-Tool CliffRock climbing0.2 mi
- Section 18Rock climbing0.7 mi
- North BouldersRock climbing3.8 mi
- Merriman East PathwayHiking4.9 mi
- Norway Mountain Ski ResortDownhill skiing5.2 mi
- Pine Mountain Ski HillDownhill skiing7.5 mi
- Sturgeon RiverCanoeing8.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Iron MountainRock climbing · ~11 min drivePhoto: IvanTortuga, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Picnic Wall RightRock climbing · Next door
- Dry-Tool CliffRock climbing · Next door
- Section 18Rock climbing · ~1 min drive
- North BouldersRock climbing · ~7 min drive
- Creekside TalusRock climbing · ~7 min drive
- Pine Creek BoulderingRock climbing · ~7 min drive
- Carney CragRock climbing · ~7 min drive
- Carney Talus BoulderingRock climbing · ~8 min drive
- Granite BluffRock climbing · ~14 min drive
Best time to visit Picnic Area
Best months: May–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.
Jan
24° / 4°
10 wet
Feb
28° / 6°
7 wet
Mar
39° / 17°
8 wet
Apr
52° / 29°
10 wet
May
66° / 42°
12 wet
Jun
76° / 52°
12 wet
Jul
80° / 57°
11 wet
Aug
78° / 55°
11 wet
Sep
70° / 47°
11 wet
Oct
56° / 35°
11 wet
Nov
41° / 24°
9 wet
Dec
29° / 13°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Iron Mtn-Kingsford Wwtp, MI, 8.9 mi away at 1,071 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
