New Mexico · Rock climbing · Santa Fe

Runway (Lower Tier)

Runway (Lower Tier) in New Mexico has 23 sport climbing routes on rock.

23 routes
5.8 – 5.12b
Sport

Best time to visit Runway (Lower Tier)

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.

  1. Jan

    44° / 20°

    4 wet

  2. Feb

    50° / 23°

    4 wet

  3. Mar

    59° / 28°

    5 wet

  4. Apr

    66° / 34°

    4 wet

  5. May

    76° / 43°

    4 wet

  6. Jun

    87° / 52°

    5 wet

  7. Jul

    88° / 58°

    10 wet

  8. Aug

    86° / 56°

    10 wet

  9. Sep

    80° / 49°

    7 wet

  10. Oct

    68° / 38°

    5 wet

  11. Nov

    54° / 27°

    4 wet

  12. 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.

Runway (Lower Tier) is a climbing area in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, so it works well as one stop in a day of bouldering and route climbing in the area. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station 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. Several climbing areas lie just 0.1 mile away, including the Upper Tier of The Grotto, Grotto Left (East Side) and Observatory Wall (Upper Tier). For a change of pace, the El Camino Real Historic Route Trail is about 0.4 mile off.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Middle Earth SectorPhoto: National Trails Office (US National Park Service), Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Middle Earth Sector

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MordorPhoto: National Trails Office (US National Park Service), Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Mordor

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Chicken Little AreaPhoto: National Trails Office (US National Park Service), Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Lower ButtressPhoto: Mary P Madigan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lower Buttress

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Lower Buttress in New Mexico has 5 climbing routes with bouldering pads and sport styles.

South/East sidePhoto: Mary P Madigan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

South/East side

~4 min drive

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The OverlookPhoto: Mary P Madigan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Overlook

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4 sport routes in New Mexico at Overlook, The

North/West sidePhoto: Mary P Madigan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

North/West side

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Below The Old New PlacePhoto: BFS Man from Webster, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Below The Old New Place

~5 min drive

35-route climbing crag in New Mexico with sport and trad options.

Old New PlacePhoto: BFS Man from Webster, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Old New Place

~5 min drive

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The Sewer CragPhoto: Mary P Madigan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Sewer Crag

~5 min drive

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