Climbing Forecast › Vermont › Bolton Dome (Lower West)

VERMONT · SCHIST · bird ban

Bolton Dome (Lower West) climbing conditions

Good — dry and climbable

Right now

Temp60°F
Wind3 mph
Gusts4 mph
Humidity78.9%
Rain 48hdry
Last rainNone recent

Assessment

No recent rain

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Friday 21 August
Good
Temp66°F
Raindry
Wind4 mph
Gusts4 mph
Humidity58%
No recent rain
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
07:00 60° dry 3 — 78.9%
08:00 59° dry 3 — 78.9%
09:00 59° dry 3 — 76.6%
10:00 58° dry 3 — 74%
11:00 61° dry 3 — 72.1%
12:00 65° dry 3 — 64.6%
13:00 67° dry 3 — 59.5%
14:00 69° dry 5 — 49.3%
15:00 70° dry 6 — 45.7%
16:00 71° dry 6 — 43.6%
17:00 72° dry 6 — 42.5%
18:00 73° dry 6 — 42.8%
19:00 73° dry 6 — 44.5%
20:00 73° dry 6 — 47.3%
21:00 72° dry 6 — 52.5%
Sat Saturday 22 August
Good
Temp66°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity71%
No recent rain
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 57° dry 5 — 85.4%
07:00 56° dry 4 — 83.9%
08:00 56° dry 4 — 84.1%
09:00 56° dry 5 — 83.7%
10:00 56° dry 5 — 83.7%
11:00 58° dry 6 — 82.9%
12:00 63° dry 5 — 78.8%
13:00 67° dry 4 — 71.7%
14:00 71° dry 5 — 66.2%
15:00 73° dry 7 — 59.7%
16:00 76° dry 8 — 53.4%
17:00 76° dry 9 — 49.9%
18:00 77° dry 9 — 50.1%
19:00 77° dry 9 — 51.6%
20:00 77° dry 10 — 52.2%
21:00 76° dry 9 — 56.4%
Sun Sunday 23 August
Poor
Temp68°F
Rain0.2 in
Wind8 mph
Gusts—
Humidity86%
6.3mm rain forecast
  • Wet schist is slippery and slow to dry
  • Damp air — slopers and friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 64° dry 9 — 86.7%
07:00 64° dry 9 — 89.4%
08:00 65° dry 8 — 89.9%
09:00 65° dry 8 — 90.4%
10:00 65° dry 8 — 89.1%
11:00 66° dry 9 — 88.1%
12:00 67° dry 9 — 85.6%
13:00 67° dry 8 — 86%
14:00 67° 0.01 in 8 — 87.4%
15:00 69° 0.01 in 8 — 86.8%
16:00 72° 0.01 in 9 — 78.2%
17:00 74° 0.01 in 9 — 74.5%
18:00 76° 0.02 in 8 — 73.2%
19:00 77° 0.03 in 9 — 70.8%
20:00 75° 0.05 in 8 — 76.3%
21:00 72° 0.1 in 9 — 88.7%
Mon Monday 24 August
Caution
Temp63°F
Rain0.00 in
Wind7 mph
Gusts—
Humidity96%
Drying — 15h since rainHumidity 96% — potential fog
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
  • Damp air — slopers and friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 65° dry 6 — 98.8%
12:00 63° dry 7 — 95.6%
18:00 73° dry 10 — 56.9%
Tue Tuesday 25 August
Poor
Temp61°F
Rain0.04 in
Wind7 mph
Gusts—
Humidity86%
0.9mm rain forecast
  • Wet schist is slippery and slow to dry
  • Damp air — slopers and friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 59° dry 6 — 87.1%
12:00 61° 0.01 in 7 — 86.4%
18:00 64° 0.02 in 9 — 88.4%
Wed Wednesday 26 August
Poor
Temp63°F
Rain0.02 in
Wind4 mph
Gusts—
Humidity97%
0.4mm rain forecastHumidity 97% — likely fog/cloud
  • Wet schist is slippery and slow to dry
  • Damp air — slopers and friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 59° dry 3 — 96.2%
12:00 62° dry 4 — 96.6%
18:00 73° dry 4 — 55.4%
Thu Thursday 27 August
Good
Temp63°F
Rain0.01 in
Wind5 mph
Gusts—
Humidity85%
Should be dry
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 60° dry 2 — 85.7%
12:00 63° dry 5 — 85%
18:00 80° 0.01 in 8 — 52.8%
Fri Friday 28 August
Poor
Temp66°F
Rain0.04 in
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity99%
1mm rain forecastHumidity 99% — likely fog/cloud
  • Wet schist is slippery and slow to dry
  • Damp air — slopers and friction edges may feel greasy
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 65° dry 4 — 99%
12:00 67° dry 2 — 98.8%
18:00 78° 0.02 in 3 — 62.3%
Bird ban (03-15 to 07-31)
CRAG-VT seasonal raptor closures apply to specific Bolton sectors each spring — check cragvt.org before travelling. Vermont Fish & Wildlife peregrine nesting typical window mid-March through late July.

About Bolton Dome (Lower West)

Bolton Dome is Vermont's most-visited sport crag — a 300-foot Bolton Formation quartz-mica schist wall on the south flank of Bolton Mountain, halfway between Waterbury and Burlington off Route 2. The Lower West sector holds the concentration of moderate sport lines that gives Bolton its reputation. Mountain Project's top-ranked classics are Work Shoes (5.7), Jamathon (5.7+), Mister Rogers (5.7+), Interstate Crack (5.11 trad), and Release the Hens (5.11c sport). South-facing aspect gives quick drying and a long April–November season. Access is on 48 acres CRAG-VT purchased in 2017 and reopened for climbing in 2019 after twenty years of closure — free, but respect the rules: designated 12-car lot on Champ Lane (March 15 – November 15); winter parking is at Bolton Valley Access Road (20-minute walk); overflow only on the south side of Route 2 clear of pavement and mailboxes. Dogs are prohibited. Now on its own weather anchor — the Upper West sector is 6 km away and much higher altitude, a genuinely different weather cell.

Region
Vermont
Rock type
schist
Aspect
south-facing
Altitude
656 ft
Exposure
medium
Seepage
medium

Other crags in this region

Deer LeapUpper West Bolton