Tongue River Canyon
Tongue River Canyon in Wyoming has 39 climbing routes across 22 difficulty grades.
- 39 routes
- 5.5 – 5.12b
- Trad · Sport · Bouldering
Is Tongue River Canyon open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Bighorn National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Bighorn National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Tongue River Canyon
Best months: June–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
30° / 8°
Feb
29° / 7°
Mar
35° / 13°
Apr
41° / 18°
May
50° / 28°
Jun
61° / 35°
Jul
71° / 42°
Aug
70° / 41°
Sep
61° / 33°
Oct
46° / 23°
Nov
36° / 15°
Dec
29° / 8°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Burgess Junction, WY, 8.7 mi away at 8,060 ft. The station sits about 800 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Closures we've recorded since August 2026
Forest Special Order 02-02-06-26-06 Tongue River Canyon Trail and Area Closure
Tongue Ranger District · Order dated September 10, 2026; seen Sep 9, 2026 → lifted Sep 21, 2026 · Forest Service
Tongue River Canyon is a climbing area in the Tongue Ranger District of Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing spots, with Happy Trails and The Knight both about 0.2 miles away. The canyon holds 39 routes, split roughly evenly between sport and trad climbing, with a few bouldering problems. Grades run from 5.5 to 5.12+ on the YDS scale, and the hardest route listed is KGB at 5.12+. Sport climbers will find Slippery Dog at 5.10b and Scratching the Dirt at 5.11b. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Burgess Junction weather station, at 8,060 feet, show July highs around 71°F with lows near 42°F, while winter highs stay in the 20s. Nearby, the Tongue River offers canoeing about 2.5 miles away, and Sibley Lake campground is about 6.4 miles off.
Routes (39)
Gecko Stubbs Wall(2)
Keyhole Arch(1)
Landslide, The(3)
Lower Canyon Bands(2)
Prow Amphitheater, The(4)
Schoolhouse Rock(2)
Sentry, The(2)
Small Wall(2)
Waterstreak Wall(4)
Whodunnit(2)
Winter Wall(3)
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