Oregon · Rock climbing · Trail

(1)Aurora Buttress

7 routes
5.8 – 5.12a
Sport · Trad
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
best months

Aurora Buttress is a climbing area in Oregon, about 3.8 miles from the town of Trail. It sits among several other climbing areas, with Cloud Buttress, Long Wall and The Cathedral all within about a tenth of a mile. That makes it easy to pair with those neighbors on a single visit. The climbing here is a mix of sport and trad routes, with seven routes in total. The grades run from 5.8 up to 5.12a, so there is something for climbers of different abilities. Uppyer Crack is a trad route at 5.8, and Thumper is a trad route at 5.10c. The sport routes include The Ocelot at 5.10d and Borealis at 5.12a. For timing, late spring and early fall tend to be the most comfortable. Typical averages from the Lost Creek Dam weather station, about 11 miles away, show May highs around 72°F and September highs around 84°F, with July and August averaging about 90°F. That station sits roughly 1,600 feet lower than the buttress, so temperatures up high run cooler. Paddlers can find Evans Creek about 4.4 miles away and Trail Creek about 4.7 miles away. Hikers have Trail A at about 8.4 miles and Viewpoint Mike Trail at about 9.9 miles.

  • Best time to go · May–Jun, Sep–Oct

    Best time to visit (1)Aurora Buttress

    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.

    1. Jan

      49° / 31°

      17 wet

    2. Feb

      54° / 31°

      14 wet

    3. Mar

      59° / 34°

      16 wet

    4. Apr

      63° / 37°

      14 wet

    5. May

      72° / 43°

      10 wet

    6. Jun

      80° / 47°

      6 wet

    7. Jul

      90° / 52°

      3 wet

    8. Aug

      90° / 51°

      2 wet

    9. Sep

      84° / 45°

      4 wet

    10. Oct

      70° / 38°

      9 wet

    11. Nov

      55° / 34°

      15 wet

    12. Dec

      47° / 31°

      18 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lost Creek Dam, OR, 10.8 mi away at 1,580 ft. The station sits about 1,600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (7)