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The Palace


4 people found this page useful
Submitted By: Dylan Kuhn on Oct 16, 2006
Administrators: Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac
Latitude: 40.6923  Longitude: -105.379 
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BETA PHOTO: See comment 'description of beta shot'.


Description 

A grotto of featured granite, some steep and overhanging, with mostly sport and a few mixed routes. There are walls facing all directions, so there will usually be both sun or shade available. Rock quality varies - having a helmet on for the occasional falling rock is not a bad idea.


Getting There 

It's about 15 miles up the canyon from Ted's Place (where CO Highway 14 turns off of CO 287), just past Mishawaka and the tunnel.

Parking


After the tunnel, park in the second pullout on the right (the first is immediately after the tunnel). It's important that the parking area can still be used as a slow-vehicle turnout. This pretty much requires parallel parking around the edge, even though diagonal parking might accomodate more vehicles. If there isn't room, please park in the first pullout next to the tunnel. A highway accident due to an overfilled pullout would not be good for the Palace.

River Crossing


The river crossing may be dangerous or impossible in high water - don't underestimate it. In low water, a series of rocks that heads downriver to an island, then across, can be navigated carefully.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Palace:
Sunday Times (aka Sunday Paper)   5.9     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   The Palace Pages
Churchill Rejects   5.9+     Sport, 1 pitch, 55 feet   The Chamber
Cheerleaders Gone Hippie   5.9+     Sport, 1 pitch, 70 feet   The Poudre Face
The Scepter   5.10a     Sport, 1 pitch, 75 feet   The Scepter
Rapunzel, Rapunzel   5.10a     Sport, 1 pitch, 60 feet   The Citadel
Let Down Your Hair   5.10b     Sport, 1 pitch, 65 feet   The Citadel
Palace Guard   5.10b     Trad, Sport, 1 pitch, 55 feet   The Poudre Face
Jestor   5.10b     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   The Chamber
Monstrosity   5.10b     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Mineshaft Wall
Check Your Head   5.10b/c     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   The Poudre Face
Route with a View   5.10b/c     Sport, 1 pitch, 65 feet   Wall With a View
Gossip Column   5.11a     Sport, 1 pitch, 50 feet   The Palace Pages
Ghost of Cedar Creek   5.11a     Sport, 1 pitch, 40 feet   Vatoville
Dear Slabby   5.11b     Sport, 1 pitch, 50 feet   The Palace Pages
Check Your Six   5.11b     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   The Poudre Face
Citadel   5.11b     Sport, 1 pitch, 95 feet   The Citadel
Armor Plated   5.11c     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Mineshaft Wall
Death and Disfiguration   5.11c     Sport, 1 pitch, 55 feet   Mineshaft Wall
Sporting Green   5.12a     Sport, 1 pitch, 50 feet   The Palace Pages
Small Fry   5.12a     Sport, 1 pitch, 45 feet   The Chamber
Browse More Classics in The Palace

Featured Route For The Palace
Sporting Green.

Sporting Green 5.12a  CO : Fort Collins : ... : The Palace Pages
Fun consistent route with just about everything you can ask for: jams, crimps, pinches, laybacks, underclings. Rest where you can on this thing. Crack skills, especially foot jams and layback, help to tame this steep route. The whole route is the crux, but the hardest move comes near the top when moving on laybacks to an interesting pinch/undercling. Belay spot is fairly lame, the scramble to the base is a little annoying. The fixed chain for the...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO


Photos of The Palace Slideshow Add Photo
Art on Rapunzel at the Citadel, the Palace.

Art on Rapunzel at the Citadel, the Palace.

Good view of the Scepter and the Citadel.

Good view of the Scepter and the Citadel.

Mineshaft Wall.

Mineshaft Wall.

Leaving The Palace on a snowy February evening.

Leaving The Palace on a snowy February evening.


Comments on The Palace Add Comment
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Comments displayed oldest to newest — Skip Ahead to the Most Recent Dated Jan 29, 2010
By Adam B
From: Eldorado Springs, CO
Dec 26, 2007

Check out Sam Shannon's Palace Rock Guide, intermittently available at Jax and REI.

By desbien
From: denver,co
May 6, 2008

Anyone know if the river is crossable right now?

By Swiss
From: Loveland/Estes, Colorado
May 16, 2008

I heard of a 13a somewhere. Beta anyone? Is it worth working?

By Curt Nelson
From: Fort Collins, CO
Sep 15, 2008

To whomever wrote 'Danger Do Not Touch' on two sides of the big split rock by Monstrosity with a black marker no less... what were you thinking? Leaving graffiti on a rock is disgusting, does not present a good image for climbers and is illegal on public land. It took about thirty seconds to lean the block over so that it was safe but will take much longer to remove the words that you wrote. We as climbers definitely do not want to do anything that would have a negative impact on the area and start giving reasons to land managers to close an area to us. Please keep a low profile and 'leave no trace'.

By Dusty
From: Fort Collins
Oct 20, 2009

Does anyone know anything about the climb immediately to the left Sporting Green? I climbed this the other day and was curious about the name, grade, FA, etc.

By Spencer Anderson
From: Fort Collins, CO
Dec 3, 2009

Dusty, in the last guide book it was still listed as a project, 13?

By beavs
From: Ft. Collins, CO
Dec 18, 2009

The route is called Obituary, 13a (FA-Derek Peavey).

By Dusty
From: Fort Collins
Jan 11, 2010

Great. Thanks, Beavs.

By beavs
From: Ft. Collins, CO
Jan 15, 2010

Anytime. By the way, did you come away with a bloody finger?

By Dusty
From: Fort Collins
Jan 22, 2010

Bloodied up the left index finger on the first attempt, so I taped it on subsequent attempts.

By Spencer Anderson
From: Fort Collins, CO
Jan 22, 2010

Hey Dusty and Beavs, how fun is Obituary? I need a new project closer to home.

By beavs
From: Ft. Collins, CO
Jan 25, 2010

I honestly can't remember much about it (it's been years now and I have a bad memory!). There aren't a lot of routes that hard around here to choose from, so I would say it's worth working. It has a definite crux fingerlockish move, bring tape. Good luck!

By Dusty
From: Fort Collins
Jan 29, 2010

Spencer, Obituary is great, one of the best at the Palace. It has cool movement: it starts with finger locks and liebacks and moves into big moves on good holds. There is a definite crux but it does stay with you beyond the crux. I would recommend it. There are also several worthy .12/.13 climbs at upper echelon if you haven't scoped that out.