New Mexico · Rock climbing · Vadito

Lower Walls

Lower Walls in New Mexico has 3 climbing routes with sport and trad options.

3 routes
5.9+ – 5.10
Trad · Sport

Is Lower Walls open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Carson National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Carson National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Lower Walls

Best months: May–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

    44° / 18°

    5 wet · 5 snow

  2. Feb

    45° / 20°

    5 wet · 5 snow

  3. Mar

    51° / 24°

    6 wet · 5 snow

  4. Apr

    57° / 29°

    6 wet · 3 snow

  5. May

    65° / 36°

    6 wet · 1 snow

  6. Jun

    75° / 43°

    7 wet

  7. Jul

    76° / 47°

    12 wet

  8. Aug

    74° / 46°

    12 wet

  9. Sep

    69° / 41°

    7 wet

  10. Oct

    61° / 32°

    5 wet · 1 snow

  11. Nov

    52° / 24°

    4 wet · 3 snow

  12. Dec

    44° / 18°

    4 wet · 4 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gascon, NM, 19.7 mi away at 8,250 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Lower Walls is a climbing area in the Camino Real Ranger District of Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Tim's Thumb and Water Wall each about 0.1 mile away. The area has three routes, two of which are trad and one is sport. Grades run from 5.9+ to 5.10, with Burt Crack at the top of that range. Gunky Monkey is a trad route at 5.9+, and Unknown is a sport route at the same grade. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Gascon show July highs around 76°F with lows near 47°F, while winter brings highs in the mid-40s and a few snowy days each month from December through February. Comales campground and the Rio Pueblo paddling route are each about half a mile away. Tio Maes Canyon and Osha Canyon are both within a mile for hiking.

Routes (3)

Not the Water Wall(1)

Unknown5.9+