New Mexico · Rock climbing · Gallup

The Monolith

Monolith, The in New Mexico has 6 sport climbing routes across 5 difficulty grades.

6 routes
5.11+ – 5.13b
Sport

Best time to visit The Monolith

Best months: May and September. 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

    45° / 14°

    6 wet

  2. Feb

    50° / 19°

    6 wet

  3. Mar

    59° / 23°

    6 wet

  4. Apr

    66° / 28°

    4 wet

  5. May

    75° / 36°

    4 wet

  6. Jun

    86° / 45°

    4 wet

  7. Jul

    89° / 54°

    9 wet

  8. Aug

    86° / 53°

    11 wet

  9. Sep

    80° / 44°

    7 wet

  10. Oct

    68° / 31°

    5 wet

  11. Nov

    56° / 20°

    5 wet

  12. Dec

    45° / 14°

    6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gallup Muni Ap, NM, 4.3 mi away at 6,471 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

The Monolith is a climbing area in New Mexico, about 1.4 miles from the town of Mentmore. It sits among a cluster of other climbing areas, with (04) The Balcony, (05) The Open Face Wall and (03) Wall of Dreams all about 0.1 mile away. The routes here are all sport climbs, and they run from about 5.11+ up to 5.13b, with the hardest of them, Wolverine, first climbed by Harry Edwards when he was 9 years old. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from the Gallup airport weather station, about 4.3 miles away, show May highs around 75°F and October highs around 68°F, while July and August average highs near 86 to 89°F. The High Desert Trail System starts about 1.4 miles away at the Mentmore entrance, and the Western loop of the High Desert Trail System is about 1.6 miles off.

Routes (6)