Mountain Project: Climbing South Platte

This is yet another set of beautiful, rounded, granite domes in the South Platte. These domes have 1-2 pitch slab routes with mostly spartan, bolt protection. This area lies just E of the road towards Deckers, alongside a popular kayaking area. A gorgeous area to soak up southern rays during the fall. Can be too toasty on the S faces in the summer. Note the parking signage (it is different than in the guidebook).

There can be unpleasant, poison ivy here.

Getting There

From Denver, go West on US Hwy 285, go South (left) on Foxton Rd just past Conifer, this Ts at the South Platte River, head East (left) to South Platte (96) towards Deckers, then it curves South, go 3 miles. There is a prominent, large boulder across the South Platte River just North of the parking area. Park where legal. You may have to walk along the road a bit to the trailheads. 2 drainages can be hiked up. The North one has Atlantis Slab a short way up. Approach takes ~10 minutes.

The Classics

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By Joe Huggins
From: 666 Rue le Jour-Edge City
Aug 26, 2002

The majority of these routes were put in by Marc Hirt, Tim Hudgel and John McMullen in the early to mid 80s. The bolts were drilled from stances on lead, which may explain why they seem scary by modern standards. Take some time in Tuolumne, come back and then see what you think.

By Brian Milhaupt
From: Golden, CO
Apr 13, 2003

The location is 5 miles south of the town of Domerock (signed), not 3 miles south of the junction of Foxton and 96. Directly below the south drainage leading to Bali dome is a small, narrow rapid with a Denver Water sign "no swimming, jumping, having fun".

By Anonymous Coward
Sep 1, 2004

Be warned, these domes are high overhead, low return.

By John McMullen
From: Carbondale
Apr 25, 2009

Didn't someone chop all the bolts here a long, long time ago. Pretty sure these routes are toast ... and most distastefully ugly bolt studs riddle the walls now. A lot of HATE WORK went into removing them, that is easy to see.

I'm sure it's a lot better, more often climbed and loved now right?

We did have some good fun ... and that's what I remember most.

By Allen Hill
From: FIve Points, Colorado and Pine
Dec 24, 2010

They all got chopped not long after you guys put them up. I think Charlie directed me to the routes the Summer of '86. We did all of them, and they were good routes. Hard as I recall. "This Bolt's for You" I remember being scary. Went back a maybe two years later, and the bolts were gone.

By ssp
Apr 3, 2012

And so with this knowledge of chopped bolts:
What would it take to redo the old routes and possibly put a few other routes in then?

By Ralph Kolva
From: Evergreen, CO
Apr 7, 2012

Walked past today on the way to N. Java and there are some nice shiny bolts on Atlantis, certainly a few routes appeared well bolted, remember this is S. Platte. Given that we didn't spend much time looking at the routes, have to go back sometime and see what has bolts now.

By mlauwers
Mar 24, 2013

The new guidebook for South Platte that came out in 2012 states that the bolts were updated in 2011 by Matt Clark....

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Atlantis Dome

Description

Getting There

The Classics