Rattler Cliff Rock Climbing

Rattler Cliff is a beautiful, secluded roadside crag with trad, sport, and bouldering.

Season: You generally want to climb in the shade spring through fall. Usually this area goes out of season in the winter unless the roads are dry and you chase the sun on the south-facing routes.

The rock quality at the base of some routes are poor, but it gets quite good the higher you go. Stickclips are useful for the sport lines. Helmets are recommended, especially for the trad routes. The bouldering area is good and concentrated with somewhat sketchy landings (bring all your pads) with the exception of Lydia, the SLV classic V9 right in the parking lot with a flat landing.

Rattler Cliff is known for its beautiful "rattle" feature at the end of the canyon that hosts one of the SLV's best crack climb and Journey to Ixtlan, a pumpy, crag classic.

There are loose but defined trails to all of the routes. The bouldering access can get a bit 'schwacky, so use your best trail finding judgment, and disturb as little as possible. There are no bathrooms, please bring your own bags to pack out human + dog poop.

Enjoy beautiful views of the Sangre de Cristos, and beware of the rattlesnakes (mind your dogs).

For full topos and descriptions, grab a copy of the new SLV Guidebook, "Penitente: Rock Climbing in the San Luis Valley" by Wolverine Publishing / Nate Liles.