Texas · Rock climbing · El Paso

Thunderbird

Thunderbird in Texas has 21 climbing routes across 13 grades, offering sport and trad options.

ThunderbirdPhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
21 routes
5.2 – 5.10b
Trad · Sport

Best time to visit Thunderbird

Best months: October–April. 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

    59° / 34°

    3 wet · 1 snow

  2. Feb

    64° / 39°

    3 wet

  3. Mar

    72° / 46°

    2 wet

  4. Apr

    80° / 53°

    1 wet

  5. May

    89° / 62°

    2 wet

  6. Jun

    97° / 71°

    4 wet

  7. Jul

    96° / 73°

    8 wet

  8. Aug

    94° / 72°

    8 wet

  9. Sep

    88° / 65°

    5 wet

  10. Oct

    79° / 54°

    4 wet

  11. Nov

    67° / 42°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    58° / 34°

    4 wet · 1 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at El Paso Intl Ap, TX, 8 mi away at 3,918 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Thunderbird is a climbing area in Franklin Mountains State Park in Texas, managed by State Park and Recreation. It sits within the park's state park land unit, and Mammoth Rock, another climbing area, lies just 0.3 miles away. The climbing here is a mix of trad and sport routes, with 12 trad and 9 sport routes in total. Grades run from 5.2 to 5.10, with the median at 5.7. Among the named routes are Barton crack at 5.2, Waterfall route at 5.5, and Thundercrack at 5.10. The Big Boss is a sport route at 5.9. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in El Paso show April highs around 80°F and October highs around 79°F, while July and August average highs near 96°F with more wet days. Thunderbird Trail is a hike 0.9 miles away, and Ron Coleman Trail is 1.2 miles off. Franklin Mountain Range and McKelligon Canyon, both climbing areas, are each about 1.9 miles away.

Routes (21)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Mammoth RockPhoto: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mammoth Rock

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Hybrid Wall

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Between the Sheets

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Sign of the Choss

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