New Mexico · Rock climbing · Alamogordo

Shady Side Left

Shady Side Left in New Mexico has 24 sport climbing routes.

Shady Side LeftPhoto: Romtomtom, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
24 routes
5.11a – 5.14b
Sport

Is Shady Side Left open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 6 alerts for Lincoln National Forest.

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

Best time to visit Shady Side Left

Best months: March–November. 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

    48° / 26°

    4 wet · 2 snow

  2. Feb

    52° / 28°

    4 wet · 2 snow

  3. Mar

    59° / 33°

    3 wet · 1 snow

  4. Apr

    66° / 37°

    2 wet

  5. May

    73° / 45°

    3 wet

  6. Jun

    82° / 54°

    5 wet

  7. Jul

    81° / 57°

    10 wet

  8. Aug

    79° / 56°

    10 wet

  9. Sep

    74° / 51°

    6 wet

  10. Oct

    66° / 41°

    4 wet

  11. Nov

    56° / 32°

    3 wet · 1 snow

  12. Dec

    48° / 26°

    4 wet · 2 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mtn Park, NM, 2.3 mi away at 6,804 ft. The station sits about 600 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Shady Side Left is a sport climbing area in New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest, within the Sacramento Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the area sits about 0.1 mile from the Shady Side climbing area and the Far Side Right and Mid-Town climbing areas, so it fits naturally into a day spent exploring this cluster of boulders and sport routes. The climbing here is all sport, with 24 routes spread across a range from 5.11a to 5.14b. The median grade is 5.12c, and some of the named routes include Bandit (5.11a), Scott (5.12a), Doug (5.13a) and Oktoberfest (5.13b). The hardest route, Volver de La Belle Epoque (5.14b), was first climbed by Cody Roth. For comfortable conditions, late spring and early fall are the sweet spots. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 73°F and September highs around 74°F, with July and August bringing more wet days. Winter highs sit in the upper 40s. Hikers can head to Grand View or Salado Canyon Trail, both about a mile away, and Slide campground is about 6 miles off for an overnight stay.

Routes (24)