Palisade Head
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 80 routes
- 5.7 – 5.13a
- Trad · Sport · Top Rope
- May, Jul–Sep
- best months
Palisade Head is a climbing area in Minnesota with 80 routes spanning 30 distinct difficulty grades. The crag offers mixed, sport, top-rope, and trad climbing options.
- Nearby · Mystical Mountain Zone · Wolf Ridge ELC Area (North Shore) · Shovel Point
Best time to go · May, Jul–Sep
Best time to visit Palisade Head
Best months: May and July–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
19° / 1°
10 wet
Feb
24° / 3°
8 wet
Mar
35° / 15°
9 wet
Apr
46° / 28°
9 wet
May
59° / 40°
12 wet
Jun
70° / 49°
13 wet
Jul
76° / 54°
12 wet
Aug
74° / 53°
12 wet
Sep
65° / 46°
12 wet
Oct
51° / 34°
11 wet
Nov
36° / 21°
10 wet
Dec
24° / 9°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Wolf Ridge Elc, MN, 9 mi away at 1,400 ft. The station sits about 700 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Routes (80)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: SteveBenassi, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Mystical Mountain Zone
~6 min drive
Mystical Mountain Zone in Minnesota has 15 climbing routes across 8 grades, offering top-rope and trad options.
Photo: SteveBenassi, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Wolf Ridge ELC Area (North Shore)
~7 min drive
North Shore Minnesota climbing with Lake Superior views and varied difficulty.
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Shovel Point
~3 min drive
Shovel Point in Minnesota has 22 climbing routes with 14 difficulty grades, offering top-rope and trad climbing.
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Silver Bay Ice
~4 min drive
Winter ice climbing destination in Minnesota with frozen formations.
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Silver Bay, Eleanor Road Side Crag
~6 min drive
Silver Bay, Eleanor Road Side Crag in Minnesota has 8 climbing routes with 4 difficulty grades, offering bouldering, top-rope, and trad.
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Sawmill Creek Dome
~10 min drive
Sawmill Creek Dome in Minnesota has 3 bouldering routes with pads.
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Picnic Rock
~11 min drive
Picnic Rock in Minnesota has 63 climbing routes with 34 difficulty grades.
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Underbelly Boulder
~11 min drive
Underbelly Boulder in Minnesota has 6 bouldering routes spanning 5 difficulty grades.
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Section 13
~13 min drive
Section 13 in Minnesota has 18 climbing routes with 12 difficulty grades.
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Manitou River ICE (North Shore)
~19 min drive
Premier winter ice climbing on Minnesota's North Shore near Manitou River.
