Blue Cloud
- 8 routes
- 5.8 – 5.11b
- Sport · Trad
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Blue Cloud open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Blue Cloud is a climbing area in the Helena Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing areas, with La Cantina, The Landing Zone and South Buttress all about 0.1 mile away. The climbing here is a mix of sport and trad routes, with eight routes in total. The grades run from 5.8 up to 5.11b, and the median is 5.10c. Among the named routes are Book of Payne, a 5.8 trad climb, and Tree Hugger, a 5.10b sport route first climbed by Jake Mergenthaler in 1999. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Austin put July and August highs around 78°F with lows in the upper 40s, while winter highs stay near freezing. For more time outdoors, Skyline 3 and Skyline 2 are hikes about 4 miles away, and Tenmile Creek offers canoeing at roughly 4.3 miles. Moose Creek Campground is about 6.7 miles off.
- La CantinaRock climbing0.1 mi
- The Landing ZoneRock climbing0.1 mi
- South ButtressRock climbing0.1 mi
- Skyline 3Hiking4 mi
- Skyline 2Hiking4.2 mi
- Tenmile CreekCanoeing4.3 mi
- MTBcityCamping6.7 mi
- Moose Creek CampgroundCamping6.7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- South ButtressRock climbing · Next door
- Sunset SlabRock climbing · ~12 min drive
- Mount HelenaRock climbing · ~12 min drive
- Sheep MountainRock climbing · ~21 min drive
- Right RockRock climbing · ~21 min drive
- Evening RockRock climbing · ~27 min drive
- Beaver CreekRock climbing · ~46 min drive
- Winter WallRock climbing · ~50 min drive
- Hellgate GulchRock climbing · ~51 min drive
- Blue Collar WallRock climbing · ~53 min drive
Best time to visit Blue Cloud
Best months: May–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
30° / 12°
6 wet
Feb
32° / 13°
6 wet
Mar
41° / 19°
7 wet
Apr
50° / 26°
8 wet
May
60° / 35°
9 wet
Jun
68° / 42°
9 wet
Jul
78° / 49°
6 wet
Aug
78° / 47°
6 wet
Sep
67° / 39°
6 wet
Oct
51° / 30°
6 wet
Nov
37° / 19°
6 wet
Dec
29° / 13°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Austin 1 W, MT, 3.2 mi away at 4,851 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
