River Wall Rock Climbing

A unique climbing area perched above Clear Creek. The setting is beautiful and there is essentially no approach; you just have to put up with the quarry trucks roaring through the tunnel. Tricky slab routes on the lower part of the wall, and more varied, powerful climbs on the upper half. There are a number of truly enjoyable climbs here. Most climbs are accessed via a large ledge split in two by a giant boulder (see picture). This ledge caps the lower series of climbs and forms the base of the upper set. There are two means of accessing this central area: The Put In (5.7) heads up from road level just a few yards away from the start of the bridge railing. From these anchors, you can climb Overflow or traverse right along the ledge (5.2) past a few bolts to reach the left side of the main ledge. Walk along the wall down to the river, where you can climb Bottom Side Down (5.10d) straight up to the left side of the main ledge. The right side of the belay ledge can be accessed by squeezing behind the boulder (take your pack off first!). River Wall requires a 60m rope and some forethought in rope management. A note on leading the lower climbs: rap down on one rope and carry a second to lead out on. Each of the lower climbs has a 2-bolt belay station just above the water where the belayer will have to mind the rope as much as the climber. (Dry treated rope will do no good if it's floating down the river.) Alternatively, on your way down you can hang draws and clip in one end of your rap line. At the bottom, pulling the rap line down through the draws should keep your rope from flying down into the drink.

This crag is generally in the shade.