Approach map for Becker, Ivy League Rocks, and Nan...
Description
Palisade Mountain is the same mountain that Nancy's Rock (a.k.a. Rio Bravo and Cyclop's Slab), Becker Wall, and Skull Rock are located on. This is a huge mountain with some established routes and possibilities for 100s of other routes. Many slabs and crack systems exist. With the exception of Nancy's Rock, everything requires steep approaches and navigating through difficult rock bands, pine needles, and vegetation. The rock here is however very solid and potential for multi-pitch routes exist. There are some brief descriptions in the Estes Park Valley Guide by Bernard Gillett, but locating these routes is difficult in reality and even more difficult to explain.
Getting There
Palisade Mountain is located on US Highway 34 west of Loveland. From the Beige Siphon tube in the Narrows it is 6 miles, just a mile short of the town of Drake. The mountain is the obvious rocky crag hundreds of feet up the north side of the road. Park in the paved lot at Nancy's Rock and start on that trail. After 100 feet break off right and trail blaze up and right. I recently discovered some quartz cairns midway marking a pseudo trail.
Poison Ivy Alert
Eds. Note, there is much poison ivy for the sensitive.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Palisade Mountain:
In 1965, Kenyon King and I climbed a distinctive ridge or arete from the road to the summit of Pallisade. We stayed on or near the arete as much as possible to make it interesting. I do remember having to get off the ridge a little and go up a chimney of sorts. At the time we graded it II 5.6. You can probably make it as easy or hard as you want. The rock wasn't bad.
Note 'vegetation' involves forests of poison ivy. Can't really speak for quality of rock towards the top, but we encountered a lot of loose rock and decomposing granite on the approach up from Idlewilde Dam (on Hwy 34).
Stay high (out of the valley) and it'll be alright. Denise is right with the poor quality of rock where we were. The actual location in reference to Palisade was the false summit face right of Palisade. We were there for a different type of climbing. From the dam, it's a long venture to get to the actual possibility of route climbing. I agree Allen. There is an extreme amount of ivy in the Big T.
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