Red Rocks Late May/Early June?

Hey all,

I'm driving my girlfriend out to Vegas for a med school rotation in the last week of May, first week of June. We're coming across country for two weeks so there's a lot of options for stopping to climb, but I was curious if Red Rocks would be a good destination that time of year. How hot is it going to be there in May/June?

Would anyone recommend any other areas nearby Vegas or in Utah at that time of year?

Thank you for your help.

-Chris

Chris,

You can consult the almanac function on Weather Underground site: wunderground.com/cgi-bin/fi…

Back in the shady canyons it may be up to 10° cooler than temps posted on local television stations. Remember you'll often hike in the sun on the approaches. Some of the locals do it.

I am already climbing at Mt. Charleston by then. Judging by the snow pack and recent high temperatures, this season looks like early for warmer temps. It is barely freezing overnight at 10K locally.

Someone else would know more about Utah climbing. Around St. George it will be warming up in June

First time I went to Red Rock was in late May/early June. It was hot (mid 90's in the canyon). We brought lots of water (4L/person/day), did our best to stay in the shade and had a great time.

Get there early, start your approach while it's still cool and you'll be good to go. There are plenty of classic climbs that stay shady for most of the day.

What are you looking to climb?

Contrary to popular belief, it is climbable here year-round...and comfortably so. If you don't mind suffering a bit on approaches, all but the hottest of days can be pleasant in the canyons with shade.

Pretty simple formula to figure out temps in the canyons...use weather.gov and pull up the forecast for blue diamond, nv or calico basin, nv. If climbing in the canyons, subtract 5-10 degrees from those temps and figure it will be in the shade in a dry climate. You can also use the "Click map for forecast" tool on Weather.gov to get a hyper-localized forecast near where you will be climbing.

That said, bring a ton of ice water...approaches will dry you out.

And don't forget the beers in the cooler at the car.

Hope this helps