Lizard Slabs
- 5 routes
- 5.7 – 5.8
- Trad
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- best months
Is Lizard Slabs open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Kootenai National Forest. It doesn't name Lizard Slabs, so check the source for the area it covers.
Kootenai Flood Event & Inaccessible Areas
Agency closure covering Kootenai National Forest · USFS · Kootenai National Forest
Updated Skillet Fire Area, Road, Trail Closure
Agency alert covering Kootenai National Forest · Order 01-10- · USFS · Kootenai National Forest
Upper Young Creek Road #7202 Closure
Agency alert covering Rexford Ranger District · Order 01-14-01-26-01 · USFS · Rexford Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Kootenai National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Lizard Slabs is a climbing area in the Rexford Ranger District of Montana's Kootenai National Forest, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Hold Up Bluffs North and Mikey's Mussel Beach each about 0.4 miles away and Stone Hill about 0.6 miles off. The area has five trad routes, all rated between 5.7 and 5.8 on the YDS scale. Lizard Follies and Scotty's Delight are both 5.7, and Pterodactyl is the hardest at 5.8. The routes were first climbed between 1981 and 1992. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Eureka run to highs around 86°F in July and August, with lows in the low 50s. September cools to highs near 75°F with fewer wet days. Beartrap Ponds and Beartrap Mountain are hikes within about 2.4 miles. The Koocanusa Area, a lake fishing spot, is about 2.9 miles away, and Webb Mtn. Lookout Rental offers camping about 3 miles out.
Best time to go · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Best time to visit Lizard Slabs
Best months: April–June and September–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
32° / 19°
10 wet
Feb
39° / 21°
8 wet
Mar
49° / 28°
9 wet
Apr
60° / 34°
8 wet
May
70° / 42°
10 wet
Jun
77° / 49°
10 wet
Jul
86° / 53°
7 wet
Aug
86° / 51°
5 wet
Sep
75° / 44°
6 wet
Oct
57° / 35°
8 wet
Nov
41° / 27°
9 wet
Dec
31° / 21°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Eureka Rs, MT, 13.1 mi away at 2,532 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
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Mikey's Mussel Beach
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