This area has access issues. Please read the note available on the Cathedral Spires Area page.
BETA PHOTO: View from Cynical Pinnacle area.
Description
High on the hillside and nearly facing Cynical Pinnacle and The Sunshine Wall is the stunning yellow East face of The Bishop. From a distance, this gorgeous face appears to be nearly featureless, but for a single wide crack that cleaves the rock in two. In fact, The Bishop is host to several routes, including what may well be the best single pitch 5.11 crack in the state, hell, anywhere.
Getting There
Approach The Bishop as you would for Cyical Pinnacle. Parking can be had off Jefco 96, 3.8 miles from the intersection with road 97 and the South Platte river. Hike up the mining road past the cutoff for the Dome. You can bush-whack a ridge line that provides line of sight guidance to The Bishop, in the past a cairn trail takes off from the drainage heading West. The hiking takes about 60 minutes, and it is indeed all uphill.
This climb has so much history! It was first climbed in 1924, which made it the hardest climb in the country at the time. As you climb this you are so inspired by how much of a climbing pioneer Ellingwood was.This climb is located on the west face of Bishop Rock. The rock is a little crumbly primarily in the first 50 ft of the climb.P1 - Climb the chimney and use some slings around a chock stone to protect your moves. This climb is definitely ...[more]
Although the sign at the road along the river says that the Bishop ( and all of the land behind the sign - up to the North Pole ??)is closed for raptor nesting from February to July it cannot technically be closed by any government agency. The Bishop is on private land and the landowners, the Priests from back east have granted permission to climb on their land. The State wildlife department and Jefferson county officials do not have jurisdiction on private land for non-endangered species. Depending on the way you approach the cliff you may be crossing public and and be violating rules for which certain land managers do have jurisdiction. Regardless, it is important to avoid disturbing nesting raptors and they usually let you know when you get too close to a nest. Hopefully the land management agencies who have responsibility for the public lands in the area, including Cynacle Pinnacle and The Dome will someday take a more reasonable approach to closing this several square mile area. I know of at least one individual who was improperly given a _300 ticket. So, if you get into trouble, you may want to do some research before coughing up_____
The Bishop
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