New Mexico · Rock climbing · Albuquerque

Upper Fat City Drainage (a.k.a. Embudo Canyon)

Upper Fat City Drainage (a.k.a. Embudo Canyon) in New Mexico has 8 routes spanning 7 difficulty grades.

Photo: somjuan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

8 routes

V1-2 – V8

Bouldering

Is Upper Fat City Drainage (a.k.a. Embudo Canyon) open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Sandia Ranger District. It doesn't name Upper Fat City Drainage (a.k.a. Embudo Canyon), so check the source for the area it covers (3 listed).

Area Closure for Recreation Residence Structures and Property at 91 Casa Loma Road
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-14 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Area Closure for Recreation Residence Structures and Property at 69 Casa Loma Road
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-13 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Area Closure for Sandia Crest “Switchback” Hazard Tree and Fuel Reduction Project
Agency closure covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-05-26-02 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts Stage 1 Fire Restriction Lifted
Agency alert covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-00-26-20 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District
Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts Stage 1 Fire Restriction Order 03-03-00-26-05
Agency alert covering Sandia Ranger District · Order 03-03-00-26-05 · USFS · Sandia Ranger District

As of Oct 26, 8:25 am MDT · Source: USFS · Sandia Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Upper Fat City Drainage (a.k.a. Embudo Canyon)

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.

Jan
45° / 26°
5 wet · 3 snow
Feb
51° / 29°
5 wet · 3 snow
Mar
60° / 35°
5 wet · 2 snow
Apr
68° / 40°
4 wet · 1 snow
May
78° / 49°
5 wet
Jun
88° / 58°
5 wet
Jul
89° / 62°
11 wet
Aug
86° / 61°
11 wet
Sep
80° / 55°
8 wet
Oct
68° / 43°
6 wet
Nov
54° / 33°
5 wet · 2 snow
Dec
44° / 26°
5 wet · 3 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Albuquerque Foothills Ne, NM, 3.1 mi away at 5,994 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Upper Fat City Drainage, also known as Embudo Canyon, is a bouldering area in the Sandia Mountain Wilderness, within the Sandia Ranger District of Cibola National Forest in New Mexico. The Forest Service manages the land, and the area sits inside designated wilderness. The climbing here is all bouldering, with eight routes spread across the drainage. The grades run from V1-2 up to V8, with the median around V3-4. Among the named routes are Amputation (V1-2), Roybal's Wall (V2-3) and Dham Uht (V6-7), and the hardest is 1/4" Minus at V8. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 78°F and October highs around 68°F, while July and August bring the most wet days, about 11 each month. Several other climbing areas and hikes lie close by. Boulder B is about 0.8 miles away, and the Embudo Bypass and Embudo hikes are each within about half a mile.