New York · Rock climbing · Harrietstown

Bluff Island

8 routes
V1-2 – V2-3
Bouldering · Mixed · Trad
May–Sep
best months

Bluff Island is a climbing area in the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest in New York, managed by the State Department of Conservation. It sits within the wild forest's network of climbing spots, and the closest town is Ray Brook, about 5 miles away. The area is a bouldering destination, with eight routes in total. Five are boulders, two are mixed, and one is trad. The boulders run from V1-2 to V2-3 on the V scale, and the trad route is rated about 5.6 on the YDS scale. The Green Line, Indigo Line and Red Line Traverse are all V1-2 boulders, and the Cyan Line is V2-3. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Ray Brook weather station show July highs around 74°F with lows near 53°F, while winter highs stay in the 20s. Lower Saranac Lake is about half a mile away, and the Sorry and West Side Snowshoe Trail hikes are each about 2.6 miles off. The First Set and Second Set climbing areas are about 5 miles away.

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Bluff Island

    Best months: May–September. 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

      23° / 5°

    2. Feb

      25° / 5°

    3. Mar

      34° / 14°

    4. Apr

      48° / 27°

    5. May

      61° / 39°

    6. Jun

      70° / 49°

    7. Jul

      74° / 53°

    8. Aug

      72° / 51°

    9. Sep

      66° / 44°

    10. Oct

      52° / 36°

    11. Nov

      40° / 26°

    12. Dec

      27° / 15°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Ray Brook, NY, 4.7 mi away at 1,620 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (8)