Blue
The hardest route among six climbs catalogued at Switchback Boulder.
- V2
- grade
- Bouldering Pads
- style
Is Blue open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Sandia Ranger District. It doesn't name Blue, so check the source for the area it covers (3 listed).
Area Closure for Recreation Residence Structures and Property at 91 Casa Loma Road
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-14 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Area Closure for Recreation Residence Structures and Property at 69 Casa Loma Road
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-13 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Area Closure for Sandia Crest “Switchback” Hazard Tree and Fuel Reduction Project
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-02 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts Stage 1 Fire Restriction Lifted
Agency alert covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-00-26-20 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts Stage 1 Fire Restriction Order 03-03-00-26-05
Agency alert covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-00-26-05 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Sandia Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Blue
Best months: April–May 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
45° / 26°
5 wet · 3 snow
Feb
51° / 29°
5 wet · 3 snow
Mar
60° / 35°
5 wet · 2 snow
Apr
68° / 40°
4 wet · 1 snow
May
78° / 49°
5 wet
Jun
88° / 58°
5 wet
Jul
89° / 62°
11 wet
Aug
86° / 61°
11 wet
Sep
80° / 55°
8 wet
Oct
68° / 43°
6 wet
Nov
54° / 33°
5 wet · 2 snow
Dec
44° / 26°
5 wet · 3 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Albuquerque Foothills Ne, NM, 3.8 mi away at 5,994 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
At the upper end of Switchback Boulder's modest range, this climb represents the hardest of six routes catalogued at the crag.
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Francis Storr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Carnuel Crag
~2 min drive
Carnuel Crag in New Mexico has 24 climbing routes with 11 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.
Photo: somjuan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Upper Fat City Drainage (a.k.a. Embudo Canyon)
~3 min drive
Upper Fat City Drainage (a.k.a. Embudo Canyon) in New Mexico has 8 routes spanning 7 difficulty grades.
Photo: maximalideal, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Foothills Bouldering
~4 min drive
Foothills Bouldering in New Mexico has 4 bouldering routes.
Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Lower Domingo Baca Slabs (AKA: The Ribcage)
~12 min drive
Lower Domingo Baca Slabs in New Mexico has 8 climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades.
Photo: BenFrantzDale, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Domingo Baca Canyon, Lower
~13 min drive
Domingo Baca Canyon, Lower in New Mexico has 4 climbing routes.
Photo: Francis Storr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Super Rock
~1 min drive
Super Rock in New Mexico has 16 climbing routes with 9 difficulty grades.
Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Sandia Mountains
~12 min drive
5 climbing routes in the Sandia Mountains, New Mexico, ranging across 4 difficulty grades.
Warmup Boulders (AKA Brett & Jill boulders) South Side
~1 min drive
6 bouldering routes in New Mexico spanning 6 difficulty grades.
Brett and Jill boulders
~1 min drive
Brett and Jill boulders in New Mexico has 5 bouldering routes.
U-Mound
~1 min drive
U-Mound is a bouldering crag in New Mexico with 4 routes.
