Lower Buttress
Lower Buttress in New Mexico has 5 climbing routes with bouldering pads and sport styles.
Photo: Mary P Madigan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 5 routes
- 5.6 – 5.10a
- Sport · Bouldering
Best time to visit Lower Buttress
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, 15.4 mi away at 6,344 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Lower Buttress is a climbing area in New Mexico, about 1.3 miles from the town of Buckman. The Bureau of Indian Affairs manages the land here, and the area sits alongside several other climbing spots within a short distance, including the North/West side, the South/East side and The Overlook, all about 0.1 mile away. The climbing is concentrated in sport routes, with five routes in total. Four are sport routes, and one is a boulder problem rated V5. The sport routes run from 5.6 to 5.10a. Over Easy (also known as Goldilocks & the 3 Bears) is the easiest at 5.6, while Scrambled (Bob's Route) is the hardest at 5.10a. Sunny Side Up (Photo-Op) is rated 5.8+. The most comfortable months for a visit are typically May and September. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 76°F and September highs around 80°F, while July and August bring highs near 88°F and about 10 wet days a month. Hikers can pair a climbing day with the Blue Dot Trail or the River Trail, both about half a mile away, or the White Rock Canyon Rim Trail at roughly 0.9 mile.
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Mary P Madigan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)North/West side
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29 routes, 17 grades, sport and trad climbing at North/West side in New Mexico.
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Photo: BFS Man from Webster, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Below The Old New Place
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Photo: BFS Man from Webster, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Old New Place
~1 min drive
Old New Place in New Mexico offers 24 mixed and sport climbing routes across 15 difficulty grades.
Photo: BFS Man from Webster, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)The Doughnut Shop
~2 min drive
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Photo: National Trails Office (US National Park Service), Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)Chicken Little Area
~2 min drive
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)Mordor
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Photo: National Trails Office (US National Park Service), Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)Middle Earth Sector
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Coffee Shop (aka Quickstop)
~1 min drive
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The Pit
~1 min drive
The Pit in New Mexico has 7 climbing routes across 5 grades, featuring sport and trad styles.
