If you want to climb great cracks, then Turkey Rocks is the place to be. Without a doubt, it has one of the finest concentrations of crack climbs in Colorado with a friendly southerly aspect and a quick approach. It is often possible to climb here during the winter, although a four wheel drive vehicle can come in handy to negotiate the snow that is sometimes found on the road and the walk to the base of the crags.
Turkey Rocks is as its name suggest is a collection of rocks. These include the Leftovers, Rightovers, Turkey Rock, The Turkey Perch, and Turkey Tail.
Getting There
From Denver: Head south on US 285 to Pine Junction. Turn left at Pine Junction and follow the signs to Deckers. Approximately 9 miles after Deckers, turn right to the small town of Westcreek on SR68 which is about a mile off the highway. After about 1.5 miles, turn right onto Stump Road (left goes to the Turkey Rock Estates) and drive past Sheep's Nose and continue along this road passing the abandoned Big Turkey Campgound. You can either park here and walk about 15 to 20 minutes to Turkey Rocks or continue driving about another mile to an informal camping area and turnaround stop. The trail from here is good and takes about 10 minutes to reach the saddle between Turkey Rocks and Turkey Tail.
From Colorado Springs: Go west on US 24 to Woodland Park and then take a right on CO 67 towards Deckers. Approximately 14 miles from the turn ... left onto SR 68 and continue to the settlement of Westcreek. See Denver description for instructions once at Westcreek.
A varied climb of superb quality found on Turkey Rock's South Face. A fine introduction to South Platte offerings. From the Pass between Turkey Rocks and Turkey Perch, drop down and to the right, following the base of Turkey Rocks. The route starts on the West side of the South Face.P1: The traditional start is in a dark chimney on the West side (5.7) just past the lowest point of the face, but this chimney is better used to identify a hand cr...[more]
So, when was Big Turkey CG abandoned? I spent the night there last night and, though the gate was closed and there were no signs posted, it looked to be in pretty good shape. The privy was unlocked and even stocked with TP. Looks like they just haven't opened it for the season to me.
Unfortunately, my inaugural trip to South Platte didn't net any climbing. 'Twas mighty cold and snowing/y, and I am insufficiently manly. Oh well, still had a dandy time scrambling around and seeing the sights.
Has anyone been down to Turkey Rock in the last week or two? Are there still pilot cars driving on the even hour? What is the camping situation near the crag? Thanks for the help!
I was in the area about a month ago. The road should be fully open by now. When we were there, the road was complete but the ROAD CLOSED signs were up, and we basically just drove around. All the dirt roads were severely eroded but should be passable with moderate ground clearance.
Also, here is a link to a Google Maps route that takes you almost there. Simply turn left where the route stops. If you zoom in with 'Hybrid' view on Google Maps you can see the dirt road to camping and the rocks. The route starts at US 285, so Colospringers might want a different route. We drove from Boulder.
Turkey Rocks
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