Nevada · Rock climbing · Goldfield

Lower Formation

Lower Formation in Nevada has 7 sport climbing routes across 5 difficulty grades.

7 routes
5.5 – 5.12a
Sport

Best time to visit Lower Formation

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.

  1. Jan

    41° / 23°

  2. Feb

    44° / 25°

  3. Mar

    52° / 30°

  4. Apr

    59° / 35°

  5. May

    69° / 44°

  6. Jun

    81° / 54°

  7. Jul

    88° / 61°

  8. Aug

    86° / 60°

  9. Sep

    79° / 51°

  10. Oct

    64° / 40°

  11. Nov

    50° / 30°

  12. Dec

    41° / 21°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tonopah, NV, 16.3 mi away at 6,010 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Lower Formation is a climbing area on Bureau of Land Management land within the Tonopah Field Office in Nevada, about 16 miles from the town of Tonopah. It sits among a cluster of other climbing areas, with Stiff and Splits Dome and Tear Drop Dome each about 0.2 miles away. The area is a sport climbing destination with seven routes, all rated between 5.5 and 5.12a on the YDS scale. The easiest are Rain of Grains and Bray for me at 5.5, and the hardest is Rickless...abandoned at 5.12a. The median grade is 5.8. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Tonopah weather station show May highs around 69°F and October highs around 64°F, while July averages climb to 88°F and January lows drop to 23°F.

Routes (7)