Checkerboard Wall
Checkerboard Wall in New Mexico has 16 routes with 6 difficulty grades, offering mixed and trad climbing.
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 16 routes
- 5.6 – 5.10
- Trad · Mixed
Best time to visit Checkerboard Wall
Best months: March–May and 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
56° / 23°
3 wet
Feb
62° / 26°
2 wet
Mar
69° / 32°
1 wet
Apr
77° / 39°
1 wet
May
85° / 47°
3 wet
Jun
95° / 59°
3 wet
Jul
94° / 66°
9 wet
Aug
91° / 64°
9 wet
Sep
86° / 56°
5 wet
Oct
77° / 42°
3 wet
Nov
66° / 31°
3 wet
Dec
55° / 23°
4 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Las Cruces 20 N, NM, 11 mi away at 4,327 ft. The station sits about 1,200 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Checkerboard Wall is a climbing area in New Mexico on Bureau of Land Management land within the Las Cruces District Office. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with Pizza Boulders, Sugar Bowl and Vedauwoo Dome each about 0.4 miles away. The area draws climbers with 16 routes, most of them traditional, ranging from about 5.6 to 5.10 on the YDS scale. Worth the Effort is the hardest at 5.10, and King Me is a 5.8 that was first climbed by Forrest Wilcox. Mixed routes make up two of the 16. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Las Cruces show April and October highs around 77°F, while July and August climb into the low 90s and bring more wet days. That station sits roughly 1,200 feet lower than the wall, so expect cooler temperatures on the rock itself. Mountain bikers have options close by, with Three Arroyos about 0.9 miles away and Push It about 1.3 miles away.
Routes (16)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Pizza Boulders
~1 min drive
Pizza Boulders in New Mexico has 48 bouldering routes.
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Sugar Bowl
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New Mexico climbing area with 8 trad routes across 6 grades.
Photo: Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Vedauwoo Dome
~1 min drive
Vedauwoo Dome in New Mexico has 8 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad options.
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Felsenmeer Area
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Felsenmeer Area is a New Mexico climbing crag with 2 routes.
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Nauty Boulders
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Nauty Boulders in New Mexico offers 6 bouldering routes across 5 difficulty grades.
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The Citadel in New Mexico has 19 climbing routes across 12 grades, offering sport and trad options.
Photo: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Lesser Spire
~23 min drive
5 traditional climbing routes at Lesser Spire in New Mexico.
Photo: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Rib Cage
~23 min drive
Distinctive ribbed formations offering varied climbing in New Mexico's high desert.
Photo: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)North Rabbit Ear
~23 min drive
North Rabbit Ear is a New Mexico climbing crag with 17 traditional routes.
