Leaning Tower
Photo: andyarthur, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 5 routes
- 5.5 – 5.9-
- Sport
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Leaning Tower 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 Hailes Cave South, Mahican Section and Sunset Wall all about 0.1 mile away. The area has five sport routes, all rated between 5.5 and 5.9- on the YDS scale. Bad Engineering is the easiest at 5.5, and Breaking Point and The San to My Andreas are the hardest at 5.9-. 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, Schoolhouse Trail is about 1.2 miles away, and Meadow Loop, Nature Center Trail and Blue Loop Trail are each about 1.3 miles off.
Best time to go · Apr–Oct
Best time to visit Leaning Tower
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.
Jan
31° / 12°
Feb
34° / 13°
Mar
42° / 20°
Apr
57° / 33°
May
70° / 44°
Jun
77° / 53°
Jul
81° / 59°
Aug
80° / 56°
Sep
74° / 49°
Oct
59° / 38°
Nov
48° / 28°
Dec
36° / 19°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Delanson 2ne, NY, 10.6 mi away at 984 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: andyarthur, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Hailes Cave South
Next door
Hailes Cave South in New York has 16 sport climbing routes across 10 grades.
Photo: andyarthur, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Mahican Section
Next door
Mahican Section in New York has 10 sport climbing routes across 9 grades.
Sunset Wall
Next door
7 sport climbing routes at Sunset Wall in New York, ranging from easy to difficult.
Photo: andyarthur, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Cave Wall
Next door
Cave Wall in New York has 7 sport climbing routes on 7 difficulty grades.
Catskills
~55 min drive
Catskills is a bouldering area in New York with 1 route.
CLIMB
Dark Block
Next door
Dark Block is a New York climbing crag with 6 sport routes.
CLIMB
Horseshoe North Cliff
Next door
Horseshoe North Cliff in New York has 8 sport routes across 6 difficulty grades.
CLIMB
Fossil Wall
Next door
Fossil Wall in New York has 7 sport climbing routes across 5 difficulty grades.
CLIMB
Plotterkill Preserve (ice)
~20 min drive
Ice climbing in New York's Plotterkill Preserve during winter months.
CLIMB
Dorson's Rock
~48 min drive
14 climbing routes at Dorson's Rock in New York, grades span 8 difficulty levels.