Climbing Forecast › Vermont › Bolton Dome (Lower West)

VERMONT · SCHIST · bird ban

Bolton Dome (Lower West) climbing conditions

Poor — wet, too windy or closed

Right now

Temp51°F
Wind11 mph
Gusts16 mph
Humidity81.5%
Rain 48h0.00 in
Last rain67h ago

Assessment

5.5mm rain forecast
Good friction temperature range for schist

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Monday 5 October
Poor
Temp52°F
Rain0.2 in
Wind11 mph
Gusts16 mph
Humidity89%
5.5mm 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 51° dry 11 — 82.8%
07:00 52° dry 11 — 84.4%
08:00 52° 0.00 in 11 — 88.4%
09:00 53° dry 10 — 89.1%
10:00 52° dry 9 — 93.4%
11:00 50° 0.00 in 9 — 96.9%
12:00 52° 0.02 in 9 — 94.6%
13:00 52° 0.01 in 10 — 90.1%
14:00 53° 0.07 in 12 — 85.1%
15:00 52° dry 12 — 91.6%
16:00 55° dry 12 — 71.7%
17:00 57° 0.02 in 12 — 56.6%
18:00 54° 0.04 in 13 — 64.9%
19:00 51° 0.03 in 13 — 78.3%
20:00 51° 0.02 in 13 — 77.6%
21:00 49° dry 13 — 78.2%
Tue Tuesday 6 October
Good
Temp43°F
Raindry
Wind12 mph
Gusts—
Humidity71%
Should be dry
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 42° dry 12 — 74.7%
07:00 42° dry 12 — 76%
08:00 41° dry 12 — 76.1%
09:00 40° dry 11 — 77.8%
10:00 40° dry 11 — 79.1%
11:00 39° dry 11 — 81%
12:00 40° dry 11 — 77.8%
13:00 42° dry 13 — 73.1%
14:00 44° dry 13 — 68.4%
15:00 45° dry 13 — 63%
16:00 47° dry 13 — 56.3%
17:00 49° dry 13 — 50.9%
18:00 51° dry 12 — 45.6%
19:00 51° dry 13 — 47.5%
20:00 51° dry 12 — 49.6%
21:00 50° dry 11 — 51.5%
Wed Wednesday 7 October
Poor
Temp48°F
Rain0.04 in
Wind11 mph
Gusts—
Humidity71%
0.9mm rain forecast
  • Wet schist is slippery and slow to dry
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 40° dry 5 — 78.6%
07:00 40° dry 6 — 76.7%
08:00 40° dry 8 — 77.3%
09:00 39° dry 9 — 80.2%
10:00 40° dry 9 — 81%
11:00 41° dry 10 — 78.3%
12:00 44° dry 9 — 73.7%
13:00 49° dry 9 — 65.5%
14:00 52° 0.01 in 11 — 62.5%
15:00 53° 0.03 in 13 — 64.3%
16:00 53° dry 14 — 70.3%
17:00 53° dry 13 — 65.9%
18:00 56° dry 12 — 62.7%
Thu Thursday 8 October
Poor
Temp52°F
Rain0.01 in
Wind7 mph
Gusts—
Humidity94%
0.3mm rain forecastHumidity 94% — 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 53° dry 9 — 86.5%
12:00 51° dry 7 — 94.1%
18:00 61° 0.00 in 9 — 56.2%
Fri Friday 9 October
Poor
Temp46°F
Rain0.04 in
Wind7 mph
Gusts—
Humidity98%
0.9mm rain forecastHumidity 98% — 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 46° 0.01 in 6 — 97.6%
12:00 46° 0.01 in 7 — 98.2%
18:00 54° dry 9 — 61.2%
Sat Saturday 10 October
Poor
Temp46°F
Rain0.04 in
Wind7 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 46° 0.02 in 6 — 94.9%
12:00 47° 0.01 in 7 — 99%
18:00 55° dry 9 — 62.8%
Sun Sunday 11 October
Good
Temp45°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity82%
Should be dry
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 42° dry 2 — 81.2%
12:00 44° dry 6 — 81.6%
18:00 67° dry 10 — 40.7%
Mon Monday 12 October
Good
Temp57°F
Raindry
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity70%
Should be dry
  • Schist climbs well when dry; lichen may slow drying in shade
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 56° dry 5 — 74.7%
12:00 58° dry 2 — 70.4%
18:00 75° dry 4 — 46%
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