The Dark Side
29 climbing routes in Wyoming, grades 16, sport and trad.
- 29 routes
- 5.8+ – 5.13a
- Sport · Trad
Best time to visit The Dark Side
Best months: May–September. 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
33° / 12°
7 wet
Feb
35° / 15°
7 wet
Mar
44° / 21°
8 wet
Apr
51° / 28°
11 wet
May
60° / 36°
12 wet
Jun
73° / 46°
10 wet
Jul
81° / 52°
11 wet
Aug
79° / 49°
10 wet
Sep
72° / 43°
8 wet
Oct
56° / 31°
8 wet
Nov
43° / 23°
7 wet
Dec
34° / 14°
7 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Laramie 4se, WY, 7.6 mi away at 7,390 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
The Dark Side is a climbing area in Wyoming on Bureau of Land Management land within the Rawlins Field Office. It sits right next to Rogers Canyon, which is about 0.1 mile away, and the two areas make a natural pairing for a day of climbing in this part of the state. The area has 29 routes, mostly sport climbs with one trad route. The grades run from 5.8+ up to 5.13, with the median around 5.11d. Among the named routes are Ovulation Station (5.8+), When I Was A Young Boy I Had Me A Beer (5.11b) and New Slang (5.13). Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Laramie show July highs around 81°F with lows near 52°F, while winter highs stay in the low to mid 30s. For more time outdoors, the Power Line Trail and Horse Creek Trail are both about 5 miles away. Tie City Campground and Yellow Pine Campground are each roughly 10 miles off.
Routes (29)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Lower Blair II
~25 min drive
Lower Blair II in Wyoming has 9 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad options.
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Lower Blair III
~25 min drive
Lower Blair III in Wyoming has 33 climbing routes with 26 difficulty grades.
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Lower Blair I
~25 min drive
Lower Blair I in Wyoming has 29 climbing routes across 15 grades, offering sport and trad options.
Rogers Canyon
~0 min drive
Rogers Canyon in Wyoming has 2 sport climbing routes.
Telephone Road
~15 min drive
Telephone Road in Wyoming has 8 bouldering routes spanning 8 distinct difficulty grades.
Eagle Rock
~15 min drive
Eagle Rock in Wyoming has 11 routes ranging from moderate to hard difficulty, with bouldering and trad options.
Beehive Buttress
~20 min drive
Beehive Buttress in Wyoming has 25 climbing routes with 14 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad options.
The Cove
~20 min drive
Cove, The in Wyoming has 10 sport climbing routes across 8 difficulty grades.
Upper Blair Boulder Problems
~24 min drive
Upper Blair Boulder Problems in Wyoming has 9 routes across 7 grades, offering bouldering, sport, and trad.
Upper Blair
~24 min drive
Upper Blair in Wyoming has 10 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad options.
