New Mexico · Rock climbing · Gallup

Cleopatra's Needle Area

Cleopatra's Needle Area in New Mexico offers 5 traditional climbing routes across 4 difficulty grades.

5 routes
5.7 – 5.10-
Trad

Best time to visit Cleopatra's Needle Area

Best months: May–June and August–September. 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

    45° / 14°

    7 wet

  2. Feb

    49° / 19°

    6 wet

  3. Mar

    58° / 24°

    6 wet

  4. Apr

    65° / 29°

    4 wet

  5. May

    74° / 36°

    4 wet

  6. Jun

    85° / 45°

    4 wet

  7. Jul

    88° / 55°

    10 wet

  8. Aug

    85° / 52°

    11 wet

  9. Sep

    79° / 43°

    7 wet

  10. Oct

    68° / 31°

    6 wet

  11. Nov

    56° / 21°

    6 wet

  12. Dec

    46° / 14°

    7 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Window Rock Ap, AZ, 21.4 mi away at 6,739 ft. The station sits about 600 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.

Cleopatra's Needle Area is a climbing area in New Mexico on land managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, within the Navajo Region Fire and Aviation Management unit. The area is known for its traditional routes, which range from about 5.7 to 5.10, with the East Face of Cleopatra's Needle at 5.9 and Putterman's Corner on Venus Needle at 5.10-. The five routes here are all traditional, and they sit within a small cluster of needles, with Cleopatra's Needle and Venus Needle as the two main objectives. The East Face of Cleopatra's Needle was first climbed by Mark Powell, Jerry Gallwas and Don Wilson, and Venus Needle's West Face was climbed by Layton Kor and Frank A. Magary in 1962. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Window Rock, Arizona, run from highs around 74°F in May to about 68°F in October, with lows near 36°F and 31°F. That station sits about 600 feet lower than the area, so temperatures here run a little cooler. The Cleopatra Needle Trail, about a mile away, is the closest nearby option for a hike.

Routes (5)