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Where to Climb in and around Colorado over Memorial Day Weekend

Original Post
Greeley · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 15

I am flying from the Midwest to Colorado for Memorial Day weekend to do some climbing, but the forecast looks like rain in most places. My flight is non-refundable, so I'm going regardless.

I could use some input from the locals: Where will I find the best chance for weather dry enough to climb this weekend? Anything within a 5- or 6-hour drive of Denver is fair game, including eastern Utah, northern New Mexico, and southern Wyoming. I know how to read a weather forecast, but your mountain weather patterns are confusing to us flatlanders. What looks like weekend-ruining thunderstorms to me could be just a typical afternoon shower to you.

My first choice of climbing would be moderate, multi-pitch trad (I was initially planning on Eldorado Canyon), but I'll take anything that'll be dry. Trad, sport, multi- or single-pitch from 5.easy up to about 5.10a/b.

If the entire Mountain Time Zone will be too soaked for climbing, how about suggestions for rad backpacking or hiking that might not be too wet. Again, anything within a half-day's drive of Denver.

Thanks!

Jeff G · · Colorado · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,098

Eldo will be good. Just go in the mornings

Darrin Stein · · Las Vegas · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 365

Eldonis nice. Some decent granite multi-pitch up Boulder Canyon. Lovers Leap is fun just up Highway 285, 450 feet.

Adrian Hill · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2002 · Points: 15

If the weather is poor around Boulder etc., take a look at Shelf Road (near Canon City). It's mostly sport climbing, but south facing and invariably warmer that Eldo etc. Dries fast after rain too.

This is the wettest May in CO in a long time.

Good luck!

aikibujin · · Castle Rock, CO · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 300

Maybe Eldo is nice if you live 30 minutes away and can bail off to your house when it rains. But if you're flying all the way to Denver to climb, I wouldn't want to squeeze in a couple of pitches in the morning and then sit in the hotel the rest of the day. The easier stuff at Eldo is greasy and sandbaggy too, so if it's your first time at Eldo and you're not used to the rock and the grade, chance of epic-ing is pretty high when you throw rain into the mix.

Best to go where the chance of rain is low, so if you're lucky you can climb the whole day. I've been looking at the weather forecast up and down the Front Range too, right now the best weather forecast is at Shelf Road. Partly sunny on Saturday, 20% chance of rain on Sunday, and 20% chance of rain on Monday. It's single-pitch sport climbing, but beats epic-ing on wet greasy rock.

Don Ferris III · · Boulder, CO · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 186

Everywhere will be packed, remember that. You could try less populated areas in the south platte. The farther south the better.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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