Middle Sunset Wall
Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 11 routes
- 5.8 – 5.12c
- Sport · Trad
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Is Middle Sunset Wall open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Shenandoah National Park. It doesn't name Middle Sunset Wall, so check the source for the area it covers.
Active Closure
Park closure covering Shenandoah National Park · NPS · Shenandoah National Park
Parking at Boundary Access Areas
Park alert covering Shenandoah National Park · NPS · Shenandoah National Park
As of · Source: NPS · Shenandoah National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Middle Sunset Wall is a climbing area in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, within the Shenandoah Wilderness. The National Park Service manages the land, and the area sits inside designated wilderness, so it is a backcountry destination rather than a developed park unit. The climbing here is a mix of sport and trad routes, with 11 routes in total. The grades run from 5.8 to 5.12c, with the hardest route, Sunset Gun, at 5.12c. Among the sport routes are Priapus Verde at 5.11a and Sun Burn at 5.11. The trad routes include Frigid Air at 5.8 and Stretch Mark at 5.9. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from the nearby Big Meadows weather station, about 7 miles away, show July highs around 75°F with lows near 59°F, while winter highs stay in the 30s. Several other climbing areas sit right next door, including Eagle's Gift and Lower God's Area, each about 0.1 mile away. The Saddle Trail is about 0.2 mile off, and Big Meadows Campground is about 7 miles away for an overnight base.
Best time to go · Apr–Oct
Best time to visit Middle Sunset 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.
Jan
36° / 19°
Feb
38° / 22°
Mar
44° / 27°
Apr
57° / 37°
May
64° / 46°
Jun
70° / 54°
Jul
75° / 59°
Aug
73° / 58°
Sep
69° / 52°
Oct
58° / 42°
Nov
48° / 32°
Dec
39° / 24°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Big Meadows, VA, 7.1 mi away at 3,540 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Routes (11)
Facts about this crag
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