Grotto Left (East Side)
Grotto Left (East Side) in New Mexico has 17 climbing routes across 12 grades, offering sport and trad options.
- 17 routes
- 5.8 – 5.12c
- Sport · Trad
Best time to visit Grotto Left (East Side)
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, 13.3 mi away at 6,344 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Grotto Left (East Side) is a climbing area in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico, managed by the Forest Service. It sits on the east side of the Grotto, a cluster of climbing spots that also includes The Grotto, Grotto Right (West Side) and the Upper Tier of The Grotto, all within about a tenth of a mile. The area is a sport and trad crag with 17 routes, ranging from 5.8 to 5.12c. The hardest is Muscle Crow at 5.12c, and the easiest is Snazz By Nazz (aka Access Crack, Guillotine Crack p1) at 5.8. Evil and Bedeviled are two of the sport routes in the 5.10 to 5.11 range. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Santa Fe show May highs around 76°F and October highs around 68°F, while July and August average highs near 88°F with about 10 wet days a month. The El Camino Real Historic Route Trail is about 0.4 miles away, and Soda Springs is about 1.5 miles off. The Blue Dot Trail and River Trail are both about 2.3 miles away.
Routes (17)
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