Crystal Bluff (Big Rock Quarry) poster-style illustration
Why We WaitWet sandstone breaks. The science, the casualties and one very salty crimp.

Crystal Bluff (Big Rock Quarry), AR

Crystal Bluff now
Nearly dry: sunny faces may be ready, shady rock needs more time
Rest day. Hit the gym or a rainy-day crag, and let the holds live.
Likely climbable by Tue, Nov 10 around 3 PM.
⚠ 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 Crystal Bluff. 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 Crystal Bluffmeasured forecast
Mon, Nov 2: 0.03 in measured0.03MTue, Nov 3: 0.49 in measured0.49TWed, Nov 4: 0.55 in measured0.55WThu, Nov 5: 0.00 in measuredTFri, Nov 6: 0.00 in measuredFSat, Nov 7: 0.00 in measuredSSun, Nov 8: 0.00 in measured•0%Mon, Nov 9: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceM1%Tue, Nov 10: 0.00 in forecast, 1% chanceT11%Wed, Nov 11: 0.00 in forecast, 11% chanceW1%Thu, Nov 12: 0.00 in forecast, 1% chanceT0%Fri, Nov 13: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceF1%Sat, Nov 14: 0.00 in forecast, 1% chanceS1%Sun, Nov 15: 0.00 in forecast, 1% chanceS
Last 7 daysNext 7 days
Gauges within 6 mi: MYLA4, COCO-AR-PS-108, KORK, KLIT, FCUA4, F2142 · forecast: NWS
Rain gauges
Updates hourly

Last rain at these gauges: 103 h ago (4 days) · 0.61 in at Little Rock 2.2 N, ending Wed 8 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

No webcam within about 20 mi of Crystal Bluff. Webcams near Crystal Bluff on Windy ↗ · AR road cameras ↗

Thanks and community

Local coalitions and stewards

  • Access Fund ↗For keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment across the country.
  • Arkansas Climbers Coalition ↗For climbing access and stewardship across Arkansas, from the Ozarks to Crystal Bluff.
  • 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

GroupsArkansas Climbers ↗Arkansas Climbers Coalition ↗Rock Climbing Arkansas ↗
OnlineMountain Project Midwest forum ↗
Local guidance

Local guidance

General guidance Crystal Bluff is in a North Little Rock city park, opened in 2025 and developed by the Arkansas Climbers Coalition: park rules and hours apply, it's lead climbing only (no top access), and parking is at the gated fork on River Road, not on the grass. No local wet-rock guidance was found for this area. The general rule for sandstone: most areas need 2 to 3 days after rain and up to a week after big storms. If the ground at the base is damp, the rock is too. Climbing: wet sandstone ↗

  • Rock Jackfork Sandstone (hard, quartzitic)
  • Group Hard sandstone: red for 24 h after rain, caution to 48 h (72 h in winter)

Arkansas Climbers Coalition ↗
Rain check details

Rain nearby, but it missed Crystal Bluff

The gauges agree: the rain missed Crystal Bluff. There were three rounds of rain, and they mostly fell elsewhere.

What happened

  1. Thu about 4–7 PM: A storm cell built to the south and northwest. It dropped 0.38 in at Conway (23 mi northwest), and 0.01 in at Fourche Lafave (29 mi northwest). All of it fell 14 or more miles from Crystal Bluff.
  2. Fri about 4–7 PM: Rain fell to the south and northwest. It dropped 1.14 in at Conway (23 mi northwest), and 0.01 in at Hensley (17 mi south). All of it fell 17 or more miles from Crystal Bluff.
  3. Sat about 4–6 PM: Rain fell to the northwest. It dropped 0.50 in at Conway (23 mi northwest). All of it fell 23 or more miles from Crystal Bluff.

Where the rain fell (72-hour totals)

AreaGaugesRain
Northwest, 14–29 miConway, Lake Conway, Fourche Lafave, Conway - Cantrell Field0.00–2.02 in
South, 17 miHensley0.04 in
Crystal Bluff areaArkansas River, Little Rock 2.2 N, North Little Rock Municipal Airport, Little Rock, Adams Field, Fourche Creek0.00 in
North, 21–25 miVilonia, Conway0.00 in
Northeast, 12–21 miJacksonville, Little Rock Air Force Base, Cabot0.00 in
East, 24 miUapb-Lonoke Farm0.00 in
Southeast, 28 miArkansas River0.00 in
Southwest, 22 miBauxite, Benton0.00 in
West, 14–28 miLittle Rock, Lake Maumelle, Bringle Creek, Maumelle River0.00 in

Crystal Bluff has dry gauges on 5 sides: northeast, southeast, southwest, west and northwest, the closest at Arkansas River, Little Rock 2.2 N and North Little Rock Municipal Airport. Rain would have had to slip between them, and that's unlikely here.

The site shows 🔴 Likely wet. Last rain: 0.61 in at Little Rock 2.2 N, ending 103 h ago. Drying it out takes about 41 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.

📍 Local climbers: we don't have Crystal Bluff'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 30 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 Crystal Bluff: which walls are dry, seeps, closures, approach and trail conditions.

No beta posted yet. Be the first to spray some beta from Crystal Bluff: which walls are dry, wet or seeping?

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Rain chance, wind and temperature

Rain chance, wind and temperature

Temperature: 63°F now · next 24 h 42–71°F

Good friction temps (high 71°F).

Wind now: 7 mph from the NW, gusts 12 · North Little Rock Municipal Airport (KORK), 4.7 mi, 39 min ago

3p68°54p66°35p64°26p60°17p55°08p52°09p50°010p49°011p47°012a46°01a46°02a45°1
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 Crystal Bluff ↗Sun and shade now (ShadeMap) ↗
Rain gauges

Last rain at these gauges: 103 h ago (4 days) · 0.61 in at Little Rock 2.2 N, ending Wed 8 AM

  • 0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 117 h ago (4 days): 0.44 in, ending Tue 6 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports hourly · River and rain gauge (HADS), sends by GOES satellite
  • Little Rock 2.2 N
    COCO-AR-PS-108 · 3.5 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 103 h ago (4 days): 0.61 in, ending Wed 8 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • North Little Rock Municipal Airport
    KORK · 4.7 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 114 h ago (4 days): 0.41 in, ending Tue 9 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 20 min · Airport weather station (ASOS/AWOS)
  • Little Rock, Adams Field
    KLIT · 5.3 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 118 h ago (4 days): 0.48 in, ending Tue 5 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports hourly · Airport weather station (ASOS/AWOS)
  • 0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 117 h ago (4 days): 0.49 in, ending Tue 6 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 15 min · River and rain gauge (HADS), sends by GOES satellite
  • FW2142 Little Rock
    F2142 · 5.9 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 120 h ago (5 days): 0.46 in, ending Tue 3 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 5 min · Citizen weather station (CWOP), sends over the internet
  • Maumelle 0.8 SE
    COCO-AR-PS-54 · 7.1 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 104 h ago (4 days): 0.36 in, ending Wed 7 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Little Rock 4.2 W
    COCO-AR-PS-103 · 8.0 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 104 h ago (4 days): 0.08 in, ending Wed 7 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Sherwood 4.6 Nnw
    COCO-AR-PS-26 · 8.6 mi · checked 3:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 104 h ago (4 days): 0.52 in, ending Wed 7 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)

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.
  • There's no climbing on rain-proof rock within 100 miles of here. Worth the drive on a wet day, nearest first:
    1. Kyle's Landing limestone · 104 mi · deep-water soloing
    2. Steel Creek (Buffalo River) limestone · 105 mi · no permanent anchors on the national river
    Miles are straight line from Crystal Bluff. 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 ↗

  • Arkansas Climbers Coalition

    For climbing access and stewardship across Arkansas, from the Ozarks to Crystal Bluff.

    Facebook ↗Instagram ↗

  • 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