best sport near denver
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My girlfriend and I are taking a road trip late may through Denver, up highway 25 into Denver then west on 70 out of Denver towards California. We mostly do sport, little Trad. So what's the best sport climbing areas near Denver? I'm sure this has been asked before. |
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Rifle |
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I've done it, but it's a loooong day trip. |
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or if anyone has a favorite guidebook they think is most helpful that would be nice as well. |
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The latest edition of Rock Climbing Colorado would give you an excellent starting point. No first hand experience up there, so I can't give out any route advice. |
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Close to Denver: |
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Old and Busted wrote: Monastery, Shelf Road, St. Vrain Canyon, Thunder Ridge are within day trip range but too far away to call close to Denver.St Vrain better than Bocan? Hmmm... yeah, I guess for a few particular routes there are some stand-outs, but on the average, that's more driving for not much more return. Bocan, on average, is just as good. Just stay away from the new short stuff and get after the longer classics. IE: mountainproject.com/scripts… |
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Clear Creek Canyon has lots of variety for sport and is easy to get to from I 70. |
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The primary issue with the OP's question is that he does not define "close" adequately. Nor does he define "sport climbing" (grade range matters). Is he looking for somewhere to get in a quick half-day of climbing while passing through? Or is he looking for somewhere to go for 3-5 days while in the area, and doesn't mind driving a few hours. We in the Front Range are spoiled by convenience of climbing, and have a pretty strict definition of "close"; people from elsewhere may not be bothered by a 2-hours drive. My recommendations, based on distance: |
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Utah |
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let me clarify, we're taking a climbing/hiking/tourist roadtrip from Dallas Tx to Mt. Whitney california. This is a loose definition of "close to denver" since we'll be traveling north on 25 into denver and west on 70 out of Denver. SO CLOSE PRETTY MUCH MEANS ANYWHERE IN THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF CO. simply, if you could only climb one sport destination in CO for a day, which one(s) would be your favorite? |
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The Flatirons are pretty fun for both sport and trad! Being sandstone, the rock is usually quite featured and steep, a fun departure from the more slabby nature of BoCan. |
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david Graham wrote: This is a loose definition of "close to denver" since we'll be traveling north on 25 into denver and west on 70 out of Denver. SO CLOSE PRETTY MUCH MEANS ANYWHERE IN THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF CO. simply, if you could only climb one sport destination in CO for a day, which one(s) would be your favorite? we climb anything from 5.6 -5.12c sportIn that case, skip the stuff "close" to Denver, like Clear Creek. It is popular because it is convenient to the city, not because it is particularly amazing. If you just have a day, and will be driving up on 25 anyway, Shelf Road would be a great stop. Really scenic area, good camping, fun climbing. It is often considered a winter area, but you'll still find nice temperatures in May if you stick to the shade at crags like the Gem Wall. Devil's Head (a bit further north toward Denver) is fun too, and would be along the way for you. Cooler as well, at higher elevation. Or just skip Colorado and keep driving to Maple Canyon. |
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Devil's Head (sport) |
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Tony B wrote: St Vrain better than Bocan?I typically exclude mentioning the bubble because I personally never spend any time there & therefore unqualified to comment on it. |
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No mention of Boulder Canyon yet? It's close to Boulder (5 to 25 min), cool in the summer, many hundreds of sport routes, good guide books, and good camping close by. Negatives are: |
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Thanks for all the help y'all! I have a pretty good idea of the noteworthy places now. I'm jealous Coloradans have so many places to choose from. |
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david Graham wrote: SO CLOSE PRETTY MUCH MEANS ANYWHERE IN THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF CO. simply, if you could only climb one sport destination in CO for a day, which one(s) would be your favorite?Shelf Road. On the way to Denver. Hundreds of routes of all grades. Good camping. Not as good as Smith Rock, OR, Red River Gorge, KY or other epic sport destinations, but the most developed sport crag Colorado has to offer. If you climb really hard (I don't), Rifle off of I-70. Eldo is mostly a trad crag but there are a few stiff sport routes and Eldo is where you should go 'if you can only climb one destination for a day' and are willing to toss out the 'trad crag' bias. |
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david Graham wrote: simply, if you could only climb one sport destination in CO for a day, which one(s) would be your favorite?Rifle. Believe the hype! |
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Jim6565 wrote:No mention of Boulder Canyon yet? It's close to Boulder (5 to 25 min), cool in the summer, many hundreds of sport routes, good guide books, and good camping close by. Negatives are: -that some areas get crowded ( arrive before 9), -you may get wet crossing the stream.Where's the good camping? |
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PRRose wrote: Where's the good camping?Yeah, that puzzled me too. I think the James Peak area is the *closest* good camping |