Cox Canyon
Cox Canyon in New Mexico has 7 climbing routes across 5 difficulty grades.
- 7 routes
- 5.5 – 5.9
- Sport · Trad · Mixed
Best time to visit Cox Canyon
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
46° / 17°
5 wet · 2 snow
Feb
52° / 21°
5 wet · 1 snow
Mar
63° / 27°
5 wet · 1 snow
Apr
71° / 33°
4 wet
May
80° / 41°
4 wet
Jun
90° / 50°
3 wet
Jul
94° / 58°
5 wet
Aug
91° / 57°
7 wet
Sep
84° / 49°
6 wet
Oct
72° / 36°
5 wet
Nov
58° / 25°
4 wet · 1 snow
Dec
46° / 18°
5 wet · 2 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Aztec Ruins Nm, NM, 11.6 mi away at 5,644 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Cox Canyon is a climbing area in New Mexico, about 2 miles from the town of Riverside. It sits close to two hiking routes, Cox Canyon Trail and Cox Canyon Arch Trail, which make it easy to pair a climb with a walk. The climbing here is a mix of sport and trad routes, with a few mixed options. There are seven routes in total, and they run from about 5.5 to 5.9 on the YDS scale. Santa's Chimney is a sport route at 5.7, and Aperture is a trad route at 5.7+. Fracture, the mixed route, is the easiest at 5.5. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 80°F and October highs around 72°F, while July averages about 94°F. Tico Time Boulders, a climbing area about 2.6 miles away, is the closest neighbor. Cox Canyon Trail starts just 0.1 mile from the canyon, and Cox Canyon Arch Trail is 0.7 mile away.
Routes (7)
Cox Canyon (Main)(4)
Cox Canyon (South)(1)
Cox Canyon (West)(2)
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