Camp Bird Mine Rd/Mountain Rescue Cache Crag

BETA PHOTO: Instant Crusher, 5.11a/b Ouray, CO

Description 

Upper Camp Bird Road:
This is a gorgeous area of sub-alpine with terrific ice/mixed climbing and tremendous potential for sport & adventure climbing. Higher up, the alpine flowers can be sublime. The rock, however, lacks abundance of natural protection opportunities.
There are a number of bolted routes right off the road in the Skylight Area. Some were intended as rock climbs and some as drytooling/mixed climbing routes. The rock (volcanic ash) is on the crumbly side for sport climbing (kind of an understatement). This would be a good area to keep your drytooling skills up during the summer and to show off for the jeepers/tourists who will stare in amazement from the comfort of their vehicles.

Road Side Attraction Crag:
The south facing part of this rock has easy slab routes, while the north side features routes in the 10+ range and up. There are some big bolts in the top of the rock you can use for top rope anchors (on either side of the crag). You will likely want some cord to extend the rope close to the edge. The rock is solid quartzite.

Other Stuff:
Nearby is some bouldering, and sport climbs in the Rock Park (the south side of the canyon across from the Schoolroom in the Ice Park). Both are on pretty solid quartzite.

Getting There 

From Ouray, drive S on US 550. Go to the Ice Park, turn west on Camp Bird Mine Rd, and park at the first major switchback past the Mountain Rescue Cache on the right and the CDOT building on the left. Follow the chain link fence to the right of the powder house to the south (uphill) and follow a trail to the left where the fence ends to a rhodenite outcrop about 20m from the fence. The climb faces north and begins near a low-angled slab to the left of the climb.