Upper Bear Canyon

Upper Bear Canyon is a sport climbing area in the Bozeman Ranger District of Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana, about 8 miles from Bozeman. It sits among a cluster of climbing areas, with Lower Bear Canyon and Under The Sea Wall each about half a mile away and Boundary Line Fin under a mile off. The routes here are all sport climbs, and they range from 5.7 to 5.11 on the YDS scale. The Bar Wrench Route is the easiest at 5.7, and High Tide is the hardest at 5.11. The first ascents of many of these routes were made by Ron Brunckhorst and Craig Zaspel between 2000 and 2003. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Bozeman show July highs around 82°F with lows near 52°F, and snow is common from November through April. That station sits roughly 1,000 feet below the canyon, so temperatures up high run cooler. New World Gulch, a ski touring area, is about a mile away, and the Moonshine hike is about 1.1 miles off. For an overnight stay, Mystic Lake Cabin is about 4 miles away.