Capitan Gap
Capitan Gap in New Mexico has 9 climbing routes with 9 difficulty grades, featuring bouldering pads, sport, and trad.
- 9 routes
- 5.7+ – 5.13
- Sport · Trad · Bouldering
Is Capitan Gap open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 5 alerts for Lincoln National Forest.
Order# 03-08-26-002: Temporary Road Closure
Agency alert covering Lincoln National Forest · Order 03-08-26-002 · USFS · Lincoln National Forest
Order# 03-08-01-26-002: Area and Trails Closure
Agency alert covering Smokey Bear Ranger District · Order 03-08-01-26-002 · USFS · Smokey Bear Ranger District
Current Fire Restrictions and Related Prohibitions
Agency alert covering Lincoln National Forest · USFS · Lincoln National Forest
InciWeb - for current incidents
Agency alert covering Lincoln National Forest · USFS · Lincoln National Forest
Snow Play Closure
Agency alert covering Smokey Bear Ranger District · Order 03-08-01-24-007 · USFS · Smokey Bear Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Lincoln National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Capitan Gap
Best months: April–May and July–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
51° / 24°
4 wet · 3 snow
Feb
55° / 27°
3 wet · 2 snow
Mar
62° / 30°
3 wet · 2 snow
Apr
69° / 36°
3 wet · 1 snow
May
77° / 44°
4 wet
Jun
87° / 51°
6 wet
Jul
85° / 55°
10 wet
Aug
83° / 54°
10 wet
Sep
78° / 48°
7 wet
Oct
70° / 38°
4 wet
Nov
60° / 29°
3 wet · 1 snow
Dec
50° / 24°
4 wet · 3 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Capitan, NM, 10.9 mi away at 6,480 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.
Capitan Gap is a climbing area in the Smokey Bear Ranger District of Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of hiking routes, with Thorium Canyon about 2.8 miles away and South Base about 3.3 miles away. The area has nine routes, six of them sport climbs and two trad routes, with grades ranging from 5.7+ up to 5.13. The Long Way Up is a sport route at 5.10b, and the Offwidth Project is a trad route at 5.13. The boulder route is listed separately. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Capitan weather station show May highs around 77°F and October highs around 70°F, while July and August bring the most wet days, about 10 each month. The station sits roughly 700 feet lower than the gap, so temperatures here run a little cooler.
Routes (9)
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