New York · Rock climbing · Voorheesville

Fossil Wall

7 routes
5.8 – 5.11a
Sport
Apr–Oct
best months

Fossil Wall is a climbing area in John Boyd Thacher State Park in New York, managed by State Park and Recreation. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with Horseshoe North Cliff, Dark Block and Sunset Wall all about 0.1 mile away. The area has seven sport routes, with grades ranging from 5.8 to 5.11a. Bexor and Crinoid Stem are the easiest at 5.8, and Life Crusher is the hardest at 5.11a. The routes are all sport, so expect bolts rather than traditional gear. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run from highs around 77°F in June to about 81°F in July, with lows in the upper 50s. Winters are cold, with January highs near 31°F. For a walk after climbing, the Blue Loop Trail, Orange Trail and Yellow Trail are all about 1.3 miles away, and the Schoolhouse Trail is about 1.5 miles off.

  • Best time to go · Apr–Oct

    Best time to visit Fossil Wall

    Best months: April–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.

    1. Jan

      31° / 12°

    2. Feb

      34° / 13°

    3. Mar

      42° / 20°

    4. Apr

      57° / 33°

    5. May

      70° / 44°

    6. Jun

      77° / 53°

    7. Jul

      81° / 59°

    8. Aug

      80° / 56°

    9. Sep

      74° / 49°

    10. Oct

      59° / 38°

    11. Nov

      48° / 28°

    12. Dec

      36° / 19°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Delanson 2ne, NY, 10.8 mi away at 984 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (7)

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Sunset WallPhoto: Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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