New Mexico · Rock climbing · Alto

The West Faces

West Faces, The in New Mexico has 7 climbing routes with 6 difficulty grades.

7 routes

5.8 – 5.11+

Trad · Bouldering · Sport

Is West Faces, The open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 5 alerts for Lincoln National Forest.

Order# 03-08-26-002: Temporary Road Closure
Agency alert covering Lincoln National Forest · Order 03-08-26-002 · USFS · Lincoln National Forest
Order# 03-08-01-26-002: Area and Trails Closure
Agency alert covering Smokey Bear Ranger District · Order 03-08-01-26-002 · USFS · Smokey Bear Ranger District
Current Fire Restrictions and Related Prohibitions
Agency alert covering Lincoln National Forest · USFS · Lincoln National Forest
InciWeb - for current incidents
Agency alert covering Lincoln National Forest · USFS · Lincoln National Forest
Snow Play Closure
Agency alert covering Smokey Bear Ranger District · Order 03-08-01-24-007 · USFS · Smokey Bear Ranger District

As of Oct 25, 7:00 pm MDT · Source: USFS · Lincoln National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit The West Faces

Best months: May–June 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
42° / 19°
6 wet
Feb
45° / 22°
6 wet
Mar
51° / 26°
6 wet
Apr
58° / 31°
4 wet
May
66° / 38°
5 wet
Jun
74° / 45°
9 wet
Jul
72° / 48°
16 wet
Aug
71° / 47°
16 wet
Sep
67° / 42°
10 wet
Oct
60° / 34°
6 wet
Nov
51° / 26°
5 wet
Dec
43° / 19°
6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Cloudcroft, NM, 32.7 mi away at 8,679 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

The West Faces is a climbing area in the Smokey Bear Ranger District of Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with Monjeau Peak and No Way Out Boulder each about 0.1 mile away, and Half Moon Boulder and The Fin Boulder roughly 0.2 mile off, making it easy to link several boulders and crags together in one outing. The area offers both bouldering and traditional climbing, with four boulder problems and four trad routes among the nine listed. Grades run from 5.8 to 5.11+ on the YDS scale, and from V4- to V5-6 on the V scale. Good Trouble is the only sport route, at 5.11+. For timing, spring and fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from the nearby Cloudcroft weather station, which sits a few hundred feet lower, put May highs around 66°F and October highs around 60°F. Summer brings more frequent wet days, with July and August averaging about 16 each.