The first crag on the left heading up Clear Creek always caught the eye but was a pain to access. This all changed when JCOS put in a new foot bridge. With surprisingly excellent CCC rock, the crag holds the shade through the mornings until around 2:00 in the summer and stays shady all day in the fall. The Canal Zone is somewhat slabby in nature so I'm hoping the routes that go in here provide some consolation for the loss of Catslab. For steeper, more challenging routes check out The Twilight Zone just past The Canal Zone, perched on the hill above.
Getting There
Park in the first pullout on the left, right after you enter the canyon. Pick one of the gullies beyond the parking lot and descend to the foot bridge. Cross the bridge, head up river on the trail and ascend steep switchbacks to the canal. Follow the canal trail up river ~1/4 mi to the crag. A longer but more enjoyable approach can be had by parking next to the pedestrian crossing at the end of Eighth Street in Golden and walking the river path, under the highway, up river to the foot bridge.
Pull the bouldery start to the first clip and reach left to a huge bucket for the second clip. Follow the seam on the left or cut right to layback cool side pulls, wild turkey style....[more]
Great area, loved the 3 routes I did, can't wait to get back to do some more!! Watch out for rattlesnakes, they don't seem to be too afraid of us up there, but don't take your chance. I had one slither by us less than 3 feet away from me and some other climbers. He just went into a corner and watched us, not rattling or anything, but still I would be very watchful of these dangerous guys!!
Every one of these routes has something to offer in the way of fun climbing. Well-protected crux moves make it a good place to push one's level on lead. I think it will be interesting to see what the consensus for route grades become after they clean up a bit more with increased traffic. All-in-all, another great addition to CCC.
The Canal Zone
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