Some crags in this area are closed 1 February to 31 July: MORE INFO >>>
The following crags are closed 1 February to 31 July: First Pinnacle (Gregory Canyon) Second Pinnacle (Gregory Canyon) Third Pinnacle (Gregory Canyon) Third Flatiron Queen Anne's Head WC Fields Pinnacle The Ghetto East Ironing Board West Ironing Board The Fin Green Thumb Jaws
The Cuban Tower is the southernmost formation in the group of formations known as the Sacred Cliffs and is host to two routes of high quality: Cetacean Mating Grotto (9), and Bay of Pigs (10+). The former route is north-facing the latter west-facing. The cliff is high on the southwest aspect of Green Mountain therefore the west face gets winter sun from about noon until sunset. When many other routes in the Boulder area are in the shade, Bay of Pigs can be pretty toasty. The rock is the standard conglomerate sandstone all Boulder climbers are familiar with, grainier than Eldo, but on par with many other Flatirons formations. The descent off Bay of Pigs can be done in one 140 foot rappel therefore requiring a second rope or one can climb over to the single bolt anchor atop Cetacean Mating Grotto and rap that route and downclimb a funky 4th class gully back to the base of the west face. Perhaps an intermediate fixed anchor could be established on "Pigs" to make this descent a little easier and safer. There is already a bolt and piton at the end of the first pitch, maybe somebody could bring some webbing up there and fix a rap station. This is a good crag to visit when you want to escape the crowds and don't mind a little hiking. Bay of Pigs is the route "to do" and requires a small rack and some draws for the fixed pro, and Cetacean Mating Grotto makes for a fun four bolt pitch.
Getting There
From Boulder drive west on baseline road up Flagstaff mountain to the Green Mountain West Ridge trailhead. The trail is approximately 1 mile beyond the Lost Gulch overlook on the left. Hike the west ridge trail past its junction with the Ranger Trail to the first sharp switchback (app. 1.4 miles). From here a faint trail leads south. It can be really easy to lose the trail due to its "faint" nature, but as long as one heads south and tends toward the ridge the other Sacred Cliffs and some cool looking boulders ought soon appear. There are three major cliffs that will be passed en route to the Cuban tower: Pebble Beach, Main Cliff and Moby Dick. The CT is the last, southernmost of the group. Total hiking time is approximately 1 hour.
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