Sport Climbing in Secret Caves in Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico

After Hueco Tanks, as Lala and I planned for the next stages of our road trip across the US, people kept telling us about a sport climbing crag called Last Chance Canyon in New Mexico.

The itch to sport climb got a hold of us and we headed north-east from El Paso. It turned out to be exactly what we needed after so much bouldering, and we were even conditioned for the crazy steep caves because of our project in Hueco: Baby Martini.

We loved climbing in Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico so much that we returned a year.

This crag is a must-go for anyone who travels for the bouldering in Hueco Tanks! Here’s how to get to Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico and a little bit of beta for your trip there.

How to get to Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico

Just look for Last Chance Canyon, Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Google Maps will take you straight to where you start hiking.

If you’re on the road from El Paso to Hueco Tanks, which is U.S. highway 62, you’ll continue driving that same road all the way past Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the Carlsbad Caverns. You’re pretty much going to circle around the mountain range to get to the other side.

After turning left onto Dark Canyon Road and left again onto Queens Highway, you turn right onto a 4-mile dirt road that requires high clearance.

Our Subaru Forester made it without a problem, and our friend’s Crosstrek also made it.

A smaller vehicle?

Maybe, if you’re a master of unpaved roads, but do it at your own risk. And another friend’s van couldn’t make it either. The point is, you don’t need 4WD, but there is one particular section that’s going to be tough without high clearance.

Sleeping at Last Chance Cayon, New Mexico

The sleeping situation in Last Chance Canyon is awesome. The end of the dirt road, which is a dead end, is a loop with camping sites all around it and a big area for parking right next to the trailhead (where there’s a sign).

Since Last Chance Canyon is inside of Lincoln National Forest, you can camp for free in all these dispersed sites. You can stay for free for up to 14 days!

The closest town to Last Chance Canyon is about an hour and a half away, and there are absolutely no amenities – no bathroom, no water, not even other people (when I went)! Just some fire pits and the tiny sign at the trailhead.

The first time we went, we saw 1 other couple, and we were completely alone for 2 days the second time we went. That’s honestly one of my favorite things about climbing here, along with the steep sport climbing.

Now, there are also great places to sleep on the way, super close to Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the Carlsbad Caverns.

If you’re planning any sort of trip in the Southwest, I actually made a free map with 70+ free car camping spots I found and vetted during my 2 years on the road. It’s my go-to resource whenever I’m planning where to sleep for the night.

👉 Grab the map for free below – I’ll email it to you right away!

The Approach to Last Chance Canyon

The sign at the parking area asks climbers to pack their trash out, and I really recommend you do just that!

From there, take in the view before you. An ancient river carved a deep, snaking canyon into the ground. You can see the canyon turn 180 degrees over and over again as you follow it from east to west.

If you look straight down the ridge from the high point where you stand, you can see our favorite area in Last Chance Canyon: the Solstice Cave.

Getting to the areas in Last Chance Canyon is straightforward. No matter where you’re going, start hiking down the main path, which is well-marked. If you ever stray off-path, all you have to do is keep going straight down and you’ll link up with it again.

When you see a really well-marked path that cuts right, that’s to get to Violince Wall, Mad Cow Wall and Breakfast Wall.

After a while longer, you’ll see another path that cuts left marked with some piled up rocks (it’s easy to miss). That path goes towards Tornado Alley (amazing) and Fossil Wall.

And if you keep going straight down, you’ll get to the Solstice Cave.

Then, it’s a VERY tiring hike straight up to get back to the car. It’ll take 30-45 minutes.

Climbing in Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico

What can I do now but give you my recommendations? For details on all the climbs, check out Mountain Project.

We climbed at the Solstice Cave and Tornado Alley.

Climbing at the Solstice Cave:

• There’s a cool 10d on the far right hand side of the Solstice Cave to warmup, which is what we did both days we were there. It was a good route to get a feeling for the rock in Last Chance Canyon.
• 2 routes to the left is Eternal Sunshine 12a, which people had recommended us. It’s a fun jug haul with a tricky move close to the ground. It was AMAZING.
• After that, we tried Solstice 12d, which is kind of a thuggy jug-haul, and this was our favorite climb. It’s an absolute blast. We thought about it for a year, and then went back.

Climbing in Tornado Alley:

Tornado Alley really gives you an even better feel for the rock in Last Chance… pockets and jugs, you can get sharp edges and pockets on more vertical climbs or good textured holds and jugs on steeper terrain. Some climbs have both!

• The perfect warmup is Gustnado 11a, with cool movements on pockets and edges.
• Two other gorgeous climbs in the steeper section are Swept Away, the classic, and Fujimata, which follows a crack all the way up the wall and is the longest route there.

One climb I want to come back and try is Mad Cow 12b, at the Mad Cow Wall!

If you climb 12s and 13s (I’m a 12 climber myself), this crag has a ridiculous amount of high-quality routes.

An Extra Little Bit of Beta

• It can get windy enough to be really annoying here, and don’t always trust the weather forecast (it deceived us on both trips).
• Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico is close to Sitting Bull falls, where there’s also climbing. We didn’t climb there, but we heard from others in Hueco that it’s a good time with easier climbs… you can just enjoy the falls and get in the water.
• You can get drinking water from a faucet right before the dirt road at the Guadalupe Rangers District.
• The dispersed camping is at 6,000 feet, so it’s a lot colder up here than in Carlsbad or El Paso.

Rest Day Activities!

• Go hiking in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
• Easily explore 2 underrated national parks in one day (they’re 30 minutes from each other).
• Go on a road trip from El Paso and on to White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Park, as well as 2 state parks in El Paso.

I hope this short guide to climbing in Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico has been useful! I know Mountain Project exists and has everything, but sometimes it’s nice to get a more personal travel guide… and this is mine!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments and I’ll be sure to answer!