New Mexico · Rock climbing · Carlsbad

Tornado Alley

Tornado Alley in New Mexico has 14 sport climbing routes.

14 routes
5.10b – 5.13a
Sport

Is Tornado Alley open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 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 Tornado Alley

Best months: September–May. 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

    56° / 34°

    4 wet · 1 snow

  2. Feb

    61° / 37°

    3 wet

  3. Mar

    68° / 43°

    3 wet

  4. Apr

    76° / 49°

    2 wet

  5. May

    84° / 58°

    4 wet

  6. Jun

    92° / 66°

    5 wet

  7. Jul

    91° / 68°

    6 wet

  8. Aug

    90° / 66°

    7 wet

  9. Sep

    83° / 60°

    6 wet

  10. Oct

    75° / 52°

    5 wet

  11. Nov

    65° / 42°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    57° / 35°

    3 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Carlsbad Caverns, NM, 18.8 mi away at 4,435 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.

Tornado Alley is a climbing area in the Guadalupe Ranger District of Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing walls, with Fossil Wall and Tombstone Wall each about 0.1 mile away and Violince Wall and Last Chance Canyon about 0.2 mile off. The area is known for its sport climbing, with routes ranging from 5.10b to 5.13a. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from the Carlsbad Caverns weather station, about 19 miles away, show April highs near 76°F and October highs near 75°F, while June and July average around 90°F. The routes here are all sport, and the grade range runs from 5.10b up to 5.13a. Some of the named routes include Revenge of the Little Fingers at 5.10b, Texas Twister at 5.12a and Rolling Thunder at 5.13a. For a change from the rock, the Overlook Trail is about 2.6 miles away, and Sitting Bull Falls is about 3.6 miles away.

Routes (14)