Winter Wall
- 20 routes
- 5.8 – 5.13c
- Sport · Trad
- May–Jun, Aug–Sep
- best months
Is Winter Wall 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.
Winter Wall 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 and hiking destinations, with Hellgate Gulch just 0.1 mile away and Avalanche Gulch and Nude Beach Cove about 2 miles off. The area has 20 routes, mostly sport climbing with one trad route. Grades run from 5.8 up to 5.13c, with the median around 5.11a. Among the named routes are "AKs and Bad Belays" at 5.8, "California Screamin'" at 5.12b and "Hell or High Water" at 5.13c, a trad climb. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Helena show July highs around 86°F with lows near 55°F, while winter brings highs in the low 30s and regular snow days from December through February.
Best time to go · May–Jun, Aug–Sep
Best time to visit Winter Wall
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.
Jan
32° / 14°
7 wet · 6 snow
Feb
37° / 17°
6 wet · 5 snow
Mar
48° / 25°
7 wet · 4 snow
Apr
57° / 32°
8 wet · 2 snow
May
66° / 41°
11 wet
Jun
75° / 49°
11 wet
Jul
86° / 55°
8 wet
Aug
85° / 53°
6 wet
Sep
73° / 45°
6 wet
Oct
58° / 34°
7 wet · 2 snow
Nov
43° / 23°
6 wet · 4 snow
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, 17.8 mi away at 3,828 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Routes (20)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
CLIMB
Hellgate Gulch
Next door
Hellgate Gulch in Montana has 6 climbing routes across 5 grades, offering sport and trad options.
CLIMB
Avalanche Gulch
~3 min drive
Avalanche Gulch in Montana has 17 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad options.
CLIMB
Nude Beach Cove
~3 min drive
Nude Beach Cove in Montana has 5 sport climbing routes.
CLIMB
Blue Collar Wall
~3 min drive
Blue Collar Wall in Montana has 9 sport climbing routes across 7 grades.
CLIMB
Bukowski Buttress
~3 min drive
Bukowski Buttress in Montana has 11 sport climbing routes across 8 difficulty grades.
CLIMB
Nude Beach
~3 min drive
Nude Beach in Montana has 8 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad options.
CLIMB
Nude Beach SW Face
~3 min drive
Nude Beach SW Face in Montana has 12 sport climbing routes.
CLIMB
Big Belt Mountains
~23 min drive
Big Belt Mountains in Montana has 1 trad climbing route.
CLIMB
Beaver Creek
~26 min drive
Beaver Creek in Montana has 9 sport climbing routes.
CLIMB
Evening Rock
~32 min drive
Evening Rock in Montana has 5 climbing routes across 5 grades, offering sport, top-rope, and trad.
