Bison Buttress
- 6 routes
- 5.6 – 5.10b
- Top Rope · Trad
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Bison Buttress is a climbing area in Blue Mounds State Park in Minnesota, managed by State Park and Recreation. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with Orc Wall, Primitive Buttress and Kanaranzi Buttress (South Face) all about 0.1 mile away. The area offers a range of routes, with six listed in total. Three are trad routes and three are top rope. Grades run from 5.6 to 5.10b, with Buffalo Burr at 5.6 and Buffalo's Buldge and Oath of Fealty at 5.10b. Climbers can choose between styles, with top rope options including Destination Unknown and Buffalo's Buldge. Summer is the warmest stretch for a visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Rock Rapids, Iowa, show July highs around 85°F with lows near 62°F, while September cools to highs around 75°F. Winters are cold, with January highs near 25°F.
- Orc WallRock climbing0.1 mi
- Primitive ButtressRock climbing0.1 mi
- Kanaranzi Buttress (South Face)Rock climbing0.1 mi
- North Quarry TalusRock climbing0.1 mi
- The ChamberRock climbing0.1 mi
- The Metamorphic RockRock climbing0.1 mi
- North Quarry AreaRock climbing0.1 mi
- North Quarry BoulderRock climbing0.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- North Quarry TalusRock climbing · Next door
- The ChamberRock climbing · Next door
- North Quarry AreaRock climbing · Next door
- The Metamorphic RockRock climbing · Next door
- North Quarry BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- Quarry BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- East Quarry BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- Saturday ButtressRock climbing · Next door
- Midnight ButtressRock climbing · Next door
- Many Cracks ButtressRock climbing · Next door
Also worth it near here
- Blue Mound State Park Tipi and Cart-In CampgroundCamping · ~2 min drive
Rock RiverCanoeing · ~33 min drivePhoto: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Great Bear Recreation ParkDownhill skiing · ~44 min drivePhoto: Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sioux FallsWaterfall · ~49 min drivePhoto: Clyde Charles Brown, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Bison Buttress
Best months: April–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
25° / 6°
5 wet
Feb
30° / 10°
5 wet
Mar
43° / 22°
6 wet
Apr
58° / 34°
9 wet
May
70° / 47°
12 wet
Jun
81° / 58°
10 wet
Jul
85° / 62°
8 wet
Aug
82° / 59°
8 wet
Sep
75° / 50°
7 wet
Oct
61° / 36°
6 wet
Nov
44° / 23°
5 wet
Dec
30° / 12°
5 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Rock Rapids, IA, 18.5 mi away at 1,350 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
