New Mexico · Rock climbing · Las Cruces

Pena Blanca

Pena Blanca in New Mexico has 4 climbing routes with mixed and trad styles.

Pena BlancaPhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
4 routes
5.7 – 5.9
Trad · Mixed

Best time to visit Pena Blanca

Best months: October–April. 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

    59° / 30°

    3 wet

  2. Feb

    64° / 34°

    3 wet

  3. Mar

    71° / 39°

    2 wet

  4. Apr

    78° / 46°

    1 wet

  5. May

    87° / 54°

    2 wet

  6. Jun

    96° / 64°

    4 wet

  7. Jul

    96° / 69°

    8 wet

  8. Aug

    94° / 68°

    8 wet

  9. Sep

    88° / 61°

    5 wet

  10. Oct

    80° / 48°

    4 wet

  11. Nov

    68° / 37°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    58° / 30°

    3 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at State Univ, NM, 10.3 mi away at 3,886 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Pena Blanca is a climbing area in the Organ Mountains Wilderness of southern New Mexico, on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management's Las Cruces District Office. It sits within the wilderness, and several other climbing areas lie just 0.2 miles away, including The Garden, Hybrid Wall and Grandpa Smith Boulder. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show April highs around 78°F and October highs around 80°F, while June and July average highs near 96°F with more wet days. The area has four routes, all rated between 5.7 and 5.9 on the YDS scale. Jam Crack and Sunny Corner are trad routes, and Mr. Tips is a mixed route. Long Crack is a trad route at 5.9. For a change from climbing, Soledad Canyon Multi-Use Path and Sierra Vista Trail are both about 4.9 miles away.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

The GardenPhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Garden

~0 min drive

Garden, The in New Mexico has 20 climbing routes.

Hybrid WallPhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hybrid Wall

~0 min drive

Hybrid Wall in New Mexico has 6 routes spanning 5 difficulty grades, offering mixed and sport climbing.

Shady SidePhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Shady Side

~13 min drive

Shady Side in New Mexico has 25 climbing routes across 13 grades, featuring bouldering, sport, and trad.

Sunny SidePhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Sunny Side

~13 min drive

Sunny Side in New Mexico has 11 climbing routes across 7 grades, featuring mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Long CanyonPhoto: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Long Canyon

~13 min drive

Long Canyon in New Mexico has 8 bouldering routes across 7 grades.

South OrgansPhoto: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

South Organs

~13 min drive

South Organs in New Mexico has 1 sport climbing route rated 5.10b-5.10c.

Cap-Rock BoulderPhoto: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cap-Rock Boulder

~13 min drive

Cap-Rock Boulder in New Mexico has 6 bouldering routes across 5 grades.

Organ NeedlePhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Organ Needle

~15 min drive

Organ Needle in New Mexico has 5 climbing routes.

Needle and SquaretopsPhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Needle and Squaretops

~15 min drive

Needle and Squaretops in New Mexico has 12 climbing routes.

Little Squaretop MassifPhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Little Squaretop Massif

~15 min drive

Little Squaretop Massif in New Mexico has 7 traditional climbing routes across 4 grades.