Chicken Little Area
Chicken Little Area in New Mexico has 13 routes across 8 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Photo: National Trails Office (US National Park Service), Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)- 13 routes
- 5.8 – 5.12a
- Sport · Mixed · Trad
Is Chicken Little Area open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Espanola Ranger District.
Headquarters Well Area Closure on Española Ranger District
Agency alert covering Espanola Ranger District · Order 03-10-06-25-17 · USFS · Espanola Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Espanola Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Chicken Little Area
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
44° / 20°
4 wet
Feb
50° / 23°
4 wet
Mar
59° / 28°
5 wet
Apr
66° / 34°
4 wet
May
76° / 43°
4 wet
Jun
87° / 52°
5 wet
Jul
88° / 58°
10 wet
Aug
86° / 56°
10 wet
Sep
80° / 49°
7 wet
Oct
68° / 38°
5 wet
Nov
54° / 27°
4 wet
Dec
44° / 20°
4 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Santa Fe Co Muni Ap, NM, 14.6 mi away at 6,344 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Chicken Little Area is a climbing area in the Espanola Ranger District of Santa Fe National Forest in northern New Mexico, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing sectors and trails, with Eden Wall North Sector and Judas Crag Sector each about a mile away. The area has 13 routes, most of them sport routes with one mixed and one trad. The YDS grades run from 5.8 up to 5.12a, with "Chicken Little" at 5.12a and "The Egg" at 5.9 among the named lines. The median grade is about 5.10+. For comfortable weather, late spring and early fall work well. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Santa Fe put May highs around 76°F and September highs near 80°F, while July and August bring highs in the upper 80s and about 10 wet days a month. The closest neighbors include Eden Wall North Sector, Judas Crag Sector and the Blue Dot Trail, all within a mile. Heaven Buttress is about a mile off.
Routes (13)
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