Located just outside of town, East Animas is the local sandstone trad climbing crag. There are also a few bolted climbs, but not many. Most of the routes are one pitch, with a few that are a little longer. Routes range from 5.6 to 5.12. Most of the highest quality routes are on the Watch Crystal, but there are some other scattered quality lines.
Most of the walls are shady in the morning and get sun in the afternoon. Best seasons are Spring and Fall, but it is possible to climb here year-round.
Getting There
The area is located on the east side of the Animas Valley. You can see the rock when driving north out of town. Take County Road 250 north from Durango for a couple of miles and locate a dirt parking lot on the east side of the road. It is just past a large barn. There is a sign for East Animas Climbing in the parking lot. The surrounding land is private so respect the locals.
Climb the start up to the belay ledge, for some fun funky moves stay in the crack, for some fun face climbing on trad gear go right. At the belay ledge climb the bolted route in front of you to finish the classic climb....[more]
One comment regarding access. I climbed often at East Animas between 2002 and 2005. At the time you had to cross a bit of private property to access the cliff. The landowner was extremely sensitive about having climbers' dogs cross his property. I know a separate parking area has been built since, but be sensitive to the residents living literally a stone's throw from the lower part of the access trail.
East Animas
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