The Ultimate Guide to Ten Sleep Rock Climbing
Disclosure: This blog has affiliate links, and it’s how I can keep doing what I love. If you book something, I might make a commission with no added cost to you. Thanks for the support!
Thinking of planning a climbing trip to Ten Sleep, Wyoming?
In this guide to Ten Sleep rock climbing, I’ll go over my experience living there for a month. And, for reference, people love it so much there that they go for the entire summer!
I’ll cover the climbing season, alternatives for where to stay and all the things to do…
So, let’s get straight into it!
Use the table of contents to jump ahead if you’d like!
Ten Sleep Canyon
Driving through eastern Wyoming is pretty boring.
But let me tell you… after all those rolling hills in Wyoming, Ten Sleep Canyon BLEW me away.
The canyon is huge. There’s SO much climbing.
The limestone and dolomite cliffs make some incredible formations you get to see as you drive into the canyon. Pine trees cover the land in the higher altitudes, and the weather gets warmer as you drive 4,000 feet down towards Ten Sleep.
Who Will Love Ten Sleep Rock Climbing?
The rock climbing in Ten Sleep is perfect for people climbing 5.12.
That’s me exactly, so I had a BUNCH of fun. The sheer concentration of 12s is amazing!
Ten Sleep is also known for being a little soft. Now, that’s a subjective thing… and not an issue at all, at least for me. As a person with weak fingers, who prefers overhangs and bigger holds, Ten Sleep actually felt hard at first. I had to downgrade myself to 11s and work my way up.
If you love vertical climbing and pockets and crimps, yea… it might feel soft to you.
The bolting at Ten Sleep is also incredibly generous. You rarely find long run-outs.
To sum it up, Ten Sleep’s rock climbing is perfect to gain confidence outdoors. It makes you push yourself on new grades and feel great moving on the rock. It’s vertical, with small holds and lots of technical climbing!
The Rock
The limestone of Ten Sleep Canyon feels really good.
I fell in love with pockets after a month of Ten Sleep rock climbing and still think of the place anytime I grab a perfect, deep pocket.
Like I said, the rock makes some amazing crimps and pockets on mostly vertical cliffs. But you can find some overhung goodness throughout the canyon too, like at Powers Wall.
The Climbing Season & Conditions
The climbing season in Ten Sleep is from early May to late September or early October. But it might be REAL cold on both ends.
On the other hand, it can also get really hot in July and August. But those are the months you can climb for sure.
Now, I was in Ten Sleep in the middle of the summer and the heat honestly wasn’t too bad. Heat waves come and go, and you adapt.
The climbing in Ten Sleep Canyon ranges from 5,000 feet above sea level to 9,000 feet, so you can always find cooler weather. There are even primitive camping sites up high for if it gets too hot to sleep comfortably (more on that later).
And, in my experience, Ten Sleep rock climbing is good as long as you’re in the shade. During hot days, I would always just move to the shade and it was great.
Then, the best part of the day was getting back to the Rock Ranch and jumping in the ice-cold river.
Access (Parking and Approaches)
To access all the climbing in Ten Sleep, you either park by the side of the highway or on the old dirt road. Then, you have steep hikes to the rock.
I was amazed with how steep some of the approaches were!
Most, thankfully, are pretty short.
But there are a few cliffs, like The Ark, that require a much longer 30-minute hike.
The Best Routes in Ten Sleep
I know this is subjective, but here’s my take on the best sport climbs in Ten Sleep Canyon.
For reference, I am a guy who prefers overhung, reachy, juggy climbs. I have weak fingers (comparatively) and can barely crimp. So, a lot of the following climbs suit my style, but I also worked on my weaknesses at Ten Sleep and enjoyed some really crimpy, vertical routes!
- Soul Bossa Nova 12b: a 100-foot route that gets harder and harder all the way to the top. It’s SO good! The pump factor is insane and the most complicated move is right at the chains.
- Shaguar 12b/c: it starts out with a short vertical section and ends with a short, super powerful overhung part. A long, hard move to better holds and you have to reel it in to finish!
- Emancipation 12a: you start off with a really hard slab and then its pump-factor all the way to the chains.
- The Gooey Grasshopper 11d: a really fun climb on a gorgeous piece of rock called the Cobra. It’s a little bit of vert, along with moving on an arete and a final overhang and hard finish.
My favorite crags were Powers Wall, Mondo Beyondo, French Cattle Ranch and Crag 6.
Where to Stay for Ten Sleep Rock Climbing
- Ten Sleep Rock Ranch: This is where we stayed the entire month we were climbing in Ten Sleep Canyon. It really is the ideal location. The Rock Ranch has lots of camping sites, and it’s smart to book in advance because they fill up quickly. They cost $10 per person. They also have showers ($4), a dish washing station, refrigerators, bathrooms and a roofed pavilion for eating/working with good WiFi. The best part of car camping at the Ten Sleep Rock Ranch was the cold river. It’s definitely THE main attraction at the campground, and the source of a LOT of fun.
- Dispersed camping at a higher elevation: Even though Ten Sleep is in northern Wyoming, it gets hot in the summer. That’s not great for sleep or climbing sometimes, and some people look for dispersed camping up the canyon, at a higher elevation. You can find sites like these along the Old Crag Road, which is a dirt road that runs parallel to the highway. But the best, coldest places to sleep are up closer to Crag 6 in Bighorn National Forest, at more or less 9,000 feet above sea level (up from 5,000). How much the conditions change with that 30-minute drive is crazy!
- Worland: A lot of the people we met were staying at Airbnb’s in Worland. While Ten Sleep has something like 300 people, Worland is a proper town. It has a whole 5,000 people living there! It’s about 45 minutes from the climbing, so if you don’t mind the driving and love the comfort of civilization, Worland is the place for you.
Working Remotely at the Rock Ranch
I, along with like 30 other people, worked full time while rock climbing in Ten Sleep.
The Rock Ranch has great WiFi and a big pavilion with rows of picnic tables where everyone works.
The picnic tables have power strips for charging all kinds of devices too.
It was really fun seeing a bunch of climbers living their normal lives at the Ten Sleep Rock Ranch. The priority, of course, is to climb. But in between… you work.
What to do in Ten Sleep, Wyoming
For a tiny town, there’s actually a lot you can do in Ten Sleep and the surrounding area.
- Eat at great restaurants: my favorite was the Sleepy Coyote. I was seriously impressed with their burgers, and their sandwiches were good too. 1 Cow also has amazing burgers, and then Dirty Sally’s General Store has delicious ice cream and milk shakes.
- Go to the Brewery: The Ten Sleep Brewery is THE place to hang out. You can also camp here, so that’s what a lot of climbers do.
- The Lake: You can go have a picnic by the Lake Point Picnic Ground. It’s a gorgeous spot to hang out and the temperature is cooler because it’s at a higher elevation than Ten Sleep and the Rock Ranch.
- Watch a movie: One of my favorite memories of Ten Sleep rock climbing was a rest day when we went to watch Deadpool & Wolverine in Worland. It’s a tiny, super cool movie theater.
- Chill at the Rock Ranch: This is what we did most of our rest days. It’s just such a good time. We were either working during rest days or hanging out. There’s not much to do, and that’s the point. We would talk to people, hang out by the river, hang up a hammock at our site, jump in the river all the time, take naps on the deck… amazing memories!
A Road Trip after Ten Sleep Rock Climbing?
Lala and I took a week of rest from Ten Sleep rock climbing to go on a short road trip. We drove west towards Lander first and climbed at Wild Iris.
It was very different from Ten Sleep, but also amazing. And sleeping in the city park in Lander, Wyoming was a whole experience.
Then we traveled to Grand Teton National Park and hiked up the Middle Teton (you can do the Grand if you trad climb). Finally, we explored Yellowstone in one day and drove back to Ten Sleep.
From there, you could keep driving up to Glacier National Park and even to Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada. This road trip takes you through 3 of the best American national parks and is one of the craziest road trips through the US and Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The climbing style is super fun and the canyon is gorgeous. The camping is perfect and access is really easy. What more can you ask for?
You can climb in Ten Sleep from May to October, but it’s best (although maybe too hot) in July and August.
It’s a combination of limestone and dolomite, which makes for climbing on mind-blowing pockets and sharp crimps. Most of it is vertical.
Well, Ten Sleep is mainly a destination for climbers now. Sometimes there are more climbers in the canyon than people in the town. But originally, Ten Sleep was a resting area for American natives. It’s called Ten Sleep because it was 10 days or “10 sleeps” from Fort Laramie.
Yes, but it really depends on style. Some of the more overhung climbs felt easy to me, while others were saying they those same climbs were hard. On the other hand, there were some vertical crimp-fests I couldn’t even finish that people were flashing over and over. So just don’t worry about it and go have fun on climbs with great movement!
Final Thoughts on Ten Sleep Rock Climbing
Ten Sleep’s rock climbing has been some of my favorite in the USA.
I’m looking forward to going back, as much for the climbing as for the good times there are to be had. You get to know people from all over – Colorado, Utah and, at least when I was there, Wisconsin.
If you’re thinking of going, I hope this guide has convinced you to do just that!
If you have any questions about Ten Sleep, please comment below and I’ll be sure to answer!
