New Mexico · Rock climbing · Carson

Dead Cholla Wall

Dead Cholla Wall in New Mexico has 29 climbing routes across 19 grades.

29 routes
5.7 – 5.12a/b
Sport · Mixed · Trad

Best time to visit Dead Cholla Wall

Best months: May–June and August–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.

  1. Jan

    42° / 12°

    3 wet

  2. Feb

    46° / 19°

    3 wet

  3. Mar

    55° / 25°

    4 wet

  4. Apr

    63° / 31°

    4 wet

  5. May

    73° / 37°

    5 wet

  6. Jun

    84° / 47°

    5 wet

  7. Jul

    87° / 53°

    8 wet

  8. Aug

    84° / 51°

    10 wet

  9. Sep

    78° / 45°

    6 wet

  10. Oct

    67° / 32°

    5 wet

  11. Nov

    53° / 22°

    4 wet

  12. Dec

    42° / 14°

    4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Taos, NM, 8.5 mi away at 6,965 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Dead Cholla Wall is a climbing area on Bureau of Land Management land in the Taos Field Office of New Mexico, about 8.5 miles from the Taos weather station. It sits among several other climbing areas and trails, making it an easy addition to a day spent exploring the surrounding rock and paths. The area has 29 routes, with sport and mixed styles making up the bulk of them. The YDS grades run from 5.7 to 5.12-, with the median at 5.11a. Among the named routes are Fun at 5.7, Jam Time at 5.10b, and Re-Connected at 5.12-, a mixed climb with a first ascent by Bob D. & Thor Husted. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from the nearby Taos station show May highs around 73°F and September highs around 78°F, while July and August bring the most wet days. The West Rim Trail is just 0.4 miles away, and Utopian Vistas and Panorama Wall are each about half a mile off. The Vista Verde Trail lies roughly a mile away.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive