Sinks Canyon (Sandstone) poster-style illustration
Why We WaitWet sandstone breaks. The science, the casualties and one very salty crimp.

Sinks Canyon (Sandstone), WY

Sinks Canyon now
Likely dry for the next 8 hours
Go get it.
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 Sinks Canyon. 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 Sinks Canyonmeasured forecast
Mon, Nov 2: 0.68 in measured0.68MTue, Nov 3: 0.15 in measured0.15TWed, Nov 4: 0.01 in measured0.01WThu, Nov 5: 0.10 in measured0.10TFri, 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% chanceM0%Tue, Nov 10: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceT0%Wed, Nov 11: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceW0%Thu, Nov 12: 0.00 in forecast, 0% chanceT3%Fri, Nov 13: 0.00 in forecast, 3% chanceF3%Sat, Nov 14: 0.00 in forecast, 3% chanceS11%Sun, Nov 15: 0.00 in forecast, 11% chanceS
Last 7 daysNext 7 days
Gauges within 8 mi: PC286, COCO-WY-FM-21, PC454, COCO-WY-FM-69, KLND, PC453, TWNW4, COCO-WY-FM-27, COCO-WY-FM-50 · forecast: NWS
Rain gauges
Updates hourly

Last rain at these gauges: 72 h ago (3 days) · 0.10 in at Townsend Creek, ending Thu 2 PM

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

Lander, toward the Wind River Range, 6.3 mi from Sinks Canyon: 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.
  • 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

OnlineMountain Project Wyoming, Montana, Dakotas forum ↗
Local guidance

Local guidance

General guidance Sinks Canyon State Park: the Tensleep Sandstone crags at the canyon mouth are the ones to let dry. The dolomite higher up the canyon and at Wild Iris is the usual wet-day choice. 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 Tensleep Sandstone
  • Group Fragile when wet: red for 48 h after rain, caution to 72 h (96 h in winter)

Sinks Canyon (Sandstone) on Mountain Project ↗
Rain check details

Rain nearby, but it missed Sinks Canyon

The gauges agree: the rain missed Sinks Canyon. There was one round of rain, and it mostly fell elsewhere.

What happened

  1. Sun about 7 AM: Rain fell to the northwest. It dropped 0.10 in at Hobbs Park (17 mi northwest). All of it fell 16 or more miles from Sinks Canyon.

Where the rain fell (72-hour totals)

AreaGaugesRain
Northwest, 17–27 miHobbs Park, Wind River, St. Lawrence Alt0.00–0.10 in
Sinks Canyon areathe Sinks Canyon gauge, Lander 5.7 SW, Moss Rock, Lander 4.3 WSW, Lander0.00 in
North, 28 miKinnear0.00 in
Northeast, 16–29 miSharpnose, Riverton, Riverton Regional Airport, Riverton Mobile0.00 in
South, 16–23 miSkyline, South Pass, South Pass City 3 Nne, Anderson Ridge0.00 in
Southwest, 28 miLarsen Creek0.00 in
West, 25 miBig Sandy Opening0.00 in

Sinks Canyon has dry gauges on 5 sides: north, northeast, southeast, south and southwest, the closest at Moss Rock, Lander 4.3 WSW and Townsend Creek. Rain would have had to slip between them, and that's unlikely here.

The site shows 🟢 Likely dry. Last rain: 0.10 in at TOWNSEND CREEK, ending 72 h ago. Drying it out takes about 24 h of good drying weather; the rock has likely dried. Touch the rock and check for damp sand at the base, especially in the shady canyons.

From 25 gauges out to 30 mi. Farther gauges as of 2:29 PM MST. 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 Sinks Canyon: 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 39–58°F

Good friction temps (high 58°F).

Wind now: 4 mph from the NE, gusts 7 · Sinks Canyon (PC286), 0.4 mi, 34 min ago

2p58°5g103p56°6g124p55°55p51°8g136p48°127p48°138p48°139p47°1410p47°1411p47°1412a47°131a45°13
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 Sinks Canyon ↗Sun and shade now (ShadeMap) ↗
Rain gauges

Last rain at these gauges: 72 h ago (3 days) · 0.10 in at Townsend Creek, ending Thu 2 PM

  • Sinks Canyon
    PC286 · 0.4 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 138 h ago (5 days): 0.68 in, ending Mon 8 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 10 min · PacifiCorp weather station
  • Lander 5.7 SW
    COCO-WY-FM-21 · 0.4 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 127 h ago (5 days): 0.64 in, ending Tue 7 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Moss Rock
    PC454 · 3.6 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 144 h ago (6 days): 0.45 in, ending Mon 2 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 10 min · PacifiCorp weather station
  • Lander 4.3 Wsw
    COCO-WY-FM-69 · 4.0 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 126 h ago (5 days): 0.55 in, ending Tue 8 AM
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Lander
    KLND · 5.3 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 139 h ago (5 days): 0.32 in, ending Mon 7 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports hourly · Airport weather station (ASOS/AWOS)
  • Baldwin Creek
    PC453 · 6.2 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 138 h ago (5 days): 0.01 in, ending Mon 8 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports every 10 min · PacifiCorp weather station
  • Townsend Creek
    TWNW4 · 6.6 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 72 h ago (3 days): 0.10 in, ending Thu 2 PM
    24 h ago12 hnow
    Reports hourly · Mountain snow station (SNOTEL)
  • Lander 8.7 Sse
    COCO-WY-FM-27 · 6.9 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    No rain in the last 7 days
    One reading a day (a 24-h total), so no hourly bars
    Reports about daily · CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge (read daily)
  • Lander 1.7 Nnw
    COCO-WY-FM-50 · 7.2 mi · checked 2:29 PM
    0.00 inlast 24 h
    Last rain 103 h ago (4 days): 0.41 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.
  • Wet day? These nearby crags aren't sandstone, so rain doesn't weaken the rock (it can still be slick), nearest first:
    1. Sinks Canyon dolomite dolomite · 2 mi · higher up the same canyon
    2. Wild Iris dolomite · 13 mi · high, snowed in until about June
    Miles are straight line from Sinks Canyon. 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 ↗

  • 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