Climbing Forecast › Red Rock Canyon › Calico Basin

RED ROCK CANYON · DESERT SANDSTONE

Calico Basin weather & climbing conditions

Poor — wet, too windy or closed

Right now

Temp69°F
Wind9 mph
Gusts14 mph
Humidity56.1%
Rain 48hdry
Last rainNone recent

Assessment

2.4mm rain forecast
Do not climb wet desert sandstone — holds break and cams pull

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Saturday 10 October
Poor
Temp32°F
Rain0.09 in
Wind9 mph
Gusts14 mph
Humidity56%
2.4mm rain forecastDo not climb wet desert sandstone — holds break and cams pull
  • Do not climb — wet desert sandstone is severely weakened, cams can pull and holds break, permanently damaging the route
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
13:00 — dry — — null%
21:00 69° dry 9 — 56.1%
Sun Sunday 11 October
Poor
Temp64°F
Rain1.7 in
Wind18 mph
Gusts—
Humidity71%
43.5mm rain forecastDo not climb wet desert sandstone — holds break and cams pull
  • Do not climb — wet desert sandstone is severely weakened, cams can pull and holds break, permanently damaging the route
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
  • Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 59° 0.3 in 12 — 97.8%
07:00 60° 0.4 in 13 — 97%
08:00 60° 0.3 in 8 — 95.8%
09:00 62° 0.03 in 17 — 84.8%
10:00 63° 0.02 in 19 — 78%
11:00 63° 0.01 in 16 — 76.6%
12:00 64° 0.01 in 17 — 74.2%
13:00 62° 0.01 in 21 — 75.3%
14:00 64° dry 19 — 68.3%
15:00 64° dry 17 — 65.7%
16:00 66° dry 17 — 61.9%
17:00 65° dry 14 — 63.5%
18:00 63° dry 14 — 69%
19:00 62° dry 13 — 72.3%
20:00 62° dry 13 — 68.6%
21:00 61° dry 11 — 70.6%
Mon Monday 12 October
Poor
Temp61°F
Rain0.10 in
Wind10 mph
Gusts—
Humidity62%
2.5mm rain forecastDo not climb wet desert sandstone — holds break and cams pull
  • Do not climb — wet desert sandstone is severely weakened, cams can pull and holds break, permanently damaging the route
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
  • Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 53° dry 5 — 88.7%
07:00 53° dry 6 — 89%
08:00 56° dry 6 — 82.5%
09:00 58° dry 5 — 71.7%
10:00 61° 0.01 in 8 — 65%
11:00 62° 0.00 in 9 — 60.1%
12:00 62° 0.01 in 10 — 62%
13:00 62° 0.01 in 11 — 61.7%
14:00 62° 0.01 in 10 — 62%
15:00 61° 0.01 in 11 — 61.7%
16:00 60° 0.01 in 11 — 64.7%
17:00 57° 0.01 in 10 — 67.4%
18:00 55° 0.01 in 10 — 72.2%
19:00 54° 0.01 in 11 — 73.5%
20:00 52° dry 9 — 77.8%
21:00 51° dry 9 — 75.6%
Tue Tuesday 13 October
Poor
Temp52°F
Rain0.06 in
Wind5 mph
Gusts—
Humidity75%
1.6mm rain forecastDo not climb wet desert sandstone — holds break and cams pull
  • Do not climb — wet desert sandstone is severely weakened, cams can pull and holds break, permanently damaging the route
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
  • Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 44° dry 4 — 90.3%
07:00 42° 0.01 in 3 — 92.3%
08:00 47° 0.02 in 4 — 87.3%
09:00 51° 0.01 in 3 — 73.3%
10:00 52° 0.02 in 4 — 72.7%
11:00 51° 0.01 in 6 — 76.7%
17:00 55° dry 4 — 65.6%
Wed Wednesday 14 October
Poor
Temp59°F
Raindry
Wind4 mph
Gusts—
Humidity56%
Should be dryOnly 25h since rain — desert sandstone 48h minimum wait
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 59° dry 4 — 55.8%
17:00 62° dry 3 — 54.7%
Thu Thursday 15 October
Caution
Temp66°F
Raindry
Wind11 mph
Gusts—
Humidity38%
Should be dryDesert sandstone — check base sand is powder-dry before climbing
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 65° dry 10 — 38.1%
17:00 67° dry 6 — 42.6%
Fri Friday 16 October
Caution
Temp64°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity45%
Should be dryDesert sandstone — check base sand is powder-dry before climbing
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 64° dry 5 — 45%
17:00 65° dry 2 — 49.4%
Sat Saturday 17 October
Good
Temp64°F
Raindry
Wind3 mph
Gusts—
Humidity59%
Should be dry
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 64° dry 3 — 58.7%
17:00 67° dry 2 — 56.5%
Access
Never climb wet sandstone here

About Calico Basin

Calico Basin is Red Rock's residential-access sport-climbing entry point — a spread of Aztec sandstone crags and the famous Kraft Boulders just outside Red Rock Canyon NCA proper, reached via a residential neighbourhood off Charleston Boulevard rather than the scenic loop road. Concentrated in a small area with short approaches; every formation faces a different way so you can chase sun or shade year-round. Aztec sandstone gives distinctive varnished patina holds — pockets, slopers, crimps. Prime season is October through April. : BLM Red Rock's official guidance is 24-48h after major rain, but Southern Nevada Climbers Coalition says 3-4 days after winter/snow. If the sand at the base is damp, turn back. Wag-bag human waste program — pack out everything.

Region
Red Rock Canyon
Rock type
Desert sandstone
Aspect
mixed-facing
Altitude
3599 ft
Exposure
medium
Seepage
very-low

Other crags in this region

Black Velvet CanyonFirst Pullout (Calico I)Oak Creek CanyonPine Creek Canyon (Red Rock)Sandstone QuarryWillow Springs