Montana · Rock climbing · Townsend

Hellgate Gulch

6 routes
5.7 – 5.13b
Sport · Trad
May–Jun, Aug–Sep
best months

Is Hellgate Gulch 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.

Hellgate Gulch is a climbing area in the Townsend Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Winter Wall just 0.1 mile away and Avalanche Gulch and Nude Beach Cove each about 1.9 miles off. The area has six routes, five of them sport and one trad, with grades ranging from 5.7 to 5.13b. The hardest are Between Heaven and Hell and Seventh Circle, both 5.13b. Purgatory is the only trad route, at 5.10a. The first ascents of these routes date back to the early 1990s, with Seventh Circle added in 2020. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Helena show July highs around 86°F and lows near 55°F, while winter brings highs in the low 30s and regular snow days from December through February. That station sits about 630 feet lower than the gulch, so temperatures here run cooler. Hellgate Campground is about 3.3 miles away, and Hellgate Ridge is a hike roughly 1.7 miles off.

  • Best time to go · May–Jun, Aug–Sep

    Best time to visit Hellgate Gulch

    Best months: May–June and August–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

      32° / 14°

      7 wet · 6 snow

    2. Feb

      37° / 17°

      6 wet · 5 snow

    3. Mar

      48° / 25°

      7 wet · 4 snow

    4. Apr

      57° / 32°

      8 wet · 2 snow

    5. May

      66° / 41°

      11 wet

    6. Jun

      75° / 49°

      11 wet

    7. Jul

      86° / 55°

      8 wet

    8. Aug

      85° / 53°

      6 wet

    9. Sep

      73° / 45°

      6 wet

    10. Oct

      58° / 34°

      7 wet · 2 snow

    11. Nov

      43° / 23°

      6 wet · 4 snow

    12. Dec

      33° / 14°

      7 wet · 5 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Helena Rgnl Ap, MT, 17.9 mi away at 3,828 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (6)