Banning State Park poster-style illustration
Why We WaitWet sandstone breaks. The science, the casualties and one very salty crimp.

Banning State Park, MN

Banning now
Drying out, but holds are likely still soft; no more rain expected
Rest day. Hit the gym or a rainy-day crag, and let the holds live.
Likely wet for more than a week at the forecast weather. Check back as the forecast updates.
⚠ This could be a sandbag: shaded, north-facing or seeping rock can stay wet longer than the gauges suggest. Touch the rock and check the ground before you tie in.
Updated · updates hourly
Sun and shade
Chase the sun or hide in the shade?
Live sun and shade map ↗ · ShadeMap
Live radar

Live radar

Updates hourly
Loading radar…

The last hour of rain and snow on radar; the pin marks Banning. Green is light, yellow to red is heavy. Radar: NOAA/National Weather Service. Mountains can block radar in parts of the West, so light rain may not show.

NWS radar ↗ · Windy radar ↗

Rain, last and next 7 days
Rain at Banningmeasured forecast
Mon, Nov 2: 1.23 in measured1.23MTue, Nov 3: 1.10 in measured1.10TWed, Nov 4: 0.76 in measured0.76WThu, Nov 5: 0.45 in measured0.45TFri, Nov 6: 0.00 in measuredFSat, Nov 7: 0.01 in measured0.01SSun, Nov 8: 0.00 in measured•3%Mon, Nov 9: 0.00 in forecast, 3% chanceM6%Tue, Nov 10: 0.00 in forecast, 6% chanceT17%Wed, Nov 11: 0.00 in forecast, 17% chanceW3%Thu, Nov 12: 0.00 in forecast, 3% chanceT0%Fri, Nov 13: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceF1%Sat, Nov 14: 0.00 in forecast, 1% chanceS2%Sun, Nov 15: 0.00 in forecast, 2% chanceS
Last 7 daysNext 7 days
Gauges within 10 mi: SNDM5, COCO-MN-PN-73, COCO-MN-PN-41, KTRM5 · forecast: NWS
Rain gauges
Updates hourly

Last rain at these gauges: 28 h ago · 0.01 in at Uscrn Site AT Audubon Center Near Sandstone 6W, ending Sat 11 AM

Rain in the last 3 days: none <0.10 in 0.10–0.25 >0.25. Tap a gauge for its name and link.

Webcam

Askov (I-35), 2.9 mi from Banning: today's pictures, newest last. Most nearby cams watch towns or roads; look for wet pavement, low clouds and rain over the hills. Open on Windy ↗

Thanks and community

Local coalitions and stewards

  • Access Fund ↗For keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment across the country.
  • Minnesota Climbers Association ↗For climbing access in Minnesota, including Robinson Park and the Sandstone Ice Festival.
  • Weather data ↗Rain gauges via Synoptic Data (MesoWest) from public and private weather networks. Forecasts from the National Weather Service. Model estimates from Open-Meteo when gauges go quiet.

Local climbing community

Groupsminnesota climbers ↗
OnlineMountain Project Midwest forum ↗Twin Cities Rock Climbing ↗
Local guidance

Local guidance

Park rule Park rules: climbing only in designated areas, with a free permit from the park office (allowed since 2014); no bolting. The Minnesota DNR says this porous sandstone breaks when wet: climb only after at least two sunny days have dried it, and stay off when the Kettle River is high. Minnesota DNR: Bouldering at Banning ↗

  • Rock Kettle River sandstone
  • Group Fragile when wet: red for 48 h after rain, caution to 72 h (96 h in winter)

Banning State Park on Mountain Project ↗Minnesota Climbers Association ↗
Rain check details

Only a trace at Banning

The gauges agree: the rain mostly missed Banning. The southwest end may have caught a light trace. There was one round of rain, and it mostly fell elsewhere.

What happened

  1. Sat about 9 AM: Light rain reached Banning. It dropped 0.01 in at Uscrn Site (8 mi southwest).

Where the rain fell (72-hour totals)

AreaGaugesRain
North, 17–22 miKettle River, Moose Lake0.00–0.04 in
Banning areaUscrn Site, Hinckley 5.3 NNW, Askov 5.7 E, Kettle River0.00–0.01 in
Southwest, 20–28 miBrook Park, Snake River, Mora, Mora Municipal Airport0.00–0.01 in
Southeast, 18–23 miSt. Croix, Grantsburg0.00 in
South, 30 miLind0.00 in

Banning has dry gauges on 3 sides: north at Kettle River, east at Askov 5.7 E and southeast at St. Croix. Rain would have had to slip between them, and that's unlikely here.

Where it might be damp: the southwest side of Banning is closest to Uscrn Site's 0.01 in. That's a trace, not a soaker. The site shows 🔴 Likely wet. Last rain: 0.01 in at USCRN SITE AT AUDUBON CENTER NEAR SANDSTONE 6W, ending 28 h ago on rock still damp from earlier rain (about 1.33 in). Drying it out takes about 82 h of good drying weather; at the forecast humidity, wind and sun, the rock is likely still wet. Touch the rock and check for damp sand at the base, especially in the shady canyons on the southwest end.

📍 Local climbers: we don't have Banning's crag and wall names yet, so this can only say which side of the area got wet. Send us the crags and walls (a name and a Mountain Project link or map pin for each) and the rain check will name the ones closest to the rain.

From 13 gauges out to 30 mi. Farther gauges as of 3:29 PM CST. Red means 0.10 in or more, amber a trace. Storm cells can be smaller than the gaps between gauges.
Local Beta Board

Local Beta Board

Climbers posting what they see at Banning: which walls are dry, seeps, closures, approach and trail conditions.

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Rain chance, wind and temperature

Rain chance, wind and temperature

Temperature: 55°F now · next 24 h 35–56°F

Good friction temps (high 56°F).

Wind now: 7 mph, gusts 14 · Uscrn Site AT Audubon Center Near Sandstone 6W (SNDM5), 8.1 mi, 2 h ago

3p51°8g184p49°6g155p46°3g126p42°2g87p39°0g68p38°09p37°010p36°011p35°012a35°01a35°0g52a35°0g6
No rain in today's forecast. Wind by hour (mph, arrow shows where it blows; g = gusts) and temperature. Forecast: National Weather Service.

NWS hourly forecast for Banning ↗Sun and shade now (ShadeMap) ↗
Rain gauges

Last rain at these gauges: 28 h ago · 0.01 in at Uscrn Site AT Audubon Center Near Sandstone 6W, ending Sat 11 AM

  • Uscrn Site AT Audubon Center Near Sandstone 6W
    SNDM5 · 8.1 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 28 h ago: 0.01 in, ending Sat 11 AM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports hourly · Climate Reference Network station, sends by GOES satellite
  • Hinckley 5.3 Nnw
    COCO-MN-PN-73 · 8.1 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 80 h ago (3 days): 2.29 in, ending Thu 7 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Askov 5.7 E
    COCO-MN-PN-41 · 8.8 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 81 h ago (3 days): 2.19 in, ending Thu 6 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Kettle River Near Willow River 1SW
    KTRM5 · 9.3 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 87 h ago (3 days): 1.79 in, ending Thu 12 AM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 15 min · River and rain gauge (HADS), sends by GOES satellite

Bars show rain each hour over the last 24 h. "Last rain" looks back 7 days. Tap a gauge to see its full record (on MesoWest, or its own network's site). The site checks every gauge hourly.
Is it actually dry?

Check the rock yourself

Rain gauges measure rain, not rock. Sandstone is weak when wet and holds water long after the surface looks dry, especially on shady or seepy faces. If the ground is damp, the rock is too, and the route will still be there tomorrow if nobody breaks it.

Is it actually dry?

Field checks before you tie in

  • Is the sand at the base dry? It dries before the rock does; damp sand means wet rock.
  • Are the trail and the ground at the cliff base dry? If not, don't climb.
  • Look for dark damp patches, moisture behind flakes and inside cracks, and fresh sand on holds.
  • Shaded walls, spots under trees and grooves that channel water stay wet much longer.
  • Sun and wind dry rock fast; cloudy, calm, humid days slow it down, and winter drying is slow (great friction, bad drying).
  • After long, soaking rain the rock can stay wet inches deep. Give it extra time.
  • If any part of the route, base included, is wet, pick another climb. No send is worth a broken hold.
  • Wet day? These nearby crags aren't sandstone, so rain doesn't weaken the rock (it can still be slick), nearest first:
    1. Ely's Peak (Duluth) basalt · 45 mi · no bolting; use the climbers' lot
    2. Interstate State Park (Taylors Falls) basalt · 54 mi
    Miles are straight line from Banning. Links go to Mountain Project.
Thank you

Thank you

  • Access Fund

    For keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment across the country.

    Access Fund is the national climbing advocacy nonprofit. It works alongside local climbing organizations, like the coalitions thanked on each area page, on access, stewardship and education, including how long to wait after rain.

    How to assess sandstone after rain ↗

  • Minnesota Climbers Association

    For climbing access in Minnesota, including Robinson Park and the Sandstone Ice Festival.

  • Weather data

    Rain gauges via Synoptic Data (MesoWest) from public and private weather networks. Forecasts from the National Weather Service. Model estimates from Open-Meteo when gauges go quiet.

Local climbing community

Facebook groups and pages

Online: forums and meetups