I'm curious if anyone has tried to get to Big Rock Candy Mtn recently. If so, how were the road conditions? I went down Cedar Mtn Road to Turkey Rocks last week, but didn't attempt to go any futher as I've heard this road has some bad washouts. I'm particularly curious if anyone has made the drive up Cedar Mtn Road (FR 360) from Divide to Metberry Gulch Road. How was this section? Also, how was Metberry Gulch road itself?

I'm itching to get to the Rock, but have never tried this early in the year. Hoping to go in late March. Is it climbable then?

Thanks
Cody

It's definitely climbable, if you can get to it. I climbed it in January once.

You can definitely get there if you're willing to hike far enough through the snow. I would guess you'll have better road conditions coming in from the West side, but possibly a longer hike.

Thanks Mike. How was the river crossing that time of year?

There is a very easy crossing utilizing large boulders approximately 1/4 mile upstream of the the Big Rock. From the gate at the junction of the Matakat Road [FS211], walk along the old Corral Creek Road [FS540] about 1.5 miles to the old Wildcat Burn scar [the open area that affords the first really good view of the Big Rock]. From here, continue down hill along the road until it turns sharply to the south and drops steeply towards Corral Creek and the South Platte River. At this point, there is an old, closed and ripped road leading out to a granite knoll to the east. Don't follow the road, but drop into the drainage to the north, and follow this 1/2 mile down to the the river. At the river, go left along the stream bank until the slope begins to steepen and become slabby. At this point you will see two enormous boulders that have fallen into the river, forming a debris dam constriction across the entire channel. You can scramble across the boulders and debris dam, even at high water, without ever getting your feet wet. I recommend putting on your rock shoes for the crossing, as there are a couple of very easy 5th class moves along the way, but a fall into the river would have dire consequences.

This is the route Pete and I used for all of our climbs at the Big Rock in the late '70's and early '80's. Niether one of us had a 4x4 vehicle, so this was the preferred route for my explodeable Ford Pinto and Pete's VW Dasher [without a doubt, the two worst "climber" cars ever made]. I might also mention that it is highly unlikely that you are going to be able to drive the Matakat Road this time of year. If you are lucky, you may get as far as the Topaz mine, but it is still a 7.5 mile walk from that point just to get to the start of the Corral Creek Road. Same goes for the eastern approach. It is not likely that you will get more than about 1 mile in along the Cedar Mtn Road from 4 Corners, leaving a good 9 or 10 mile march to the base of the Big Rock. The northern part of the Cedar Mountain Rd [FS360] was severely damaged by flooding after the Hayman Fire. I don't think it has been repaired yet, but I'm not sure.

Thanks Pete. The access was my greatest concern. I've only been down Cedar Mtn Road as far as Turkey Rocks, and have never made the drive up from Divide. Also, I've never traveled Matakat Rd, so I wasn't sure how easily this could be driven this time of year as well. I'm planning on taking a scouting trip in a couple of weeks to see if I can get up Matakat to Corral Creek Rd.

Is the gate always closed at Corral Creek Rd? I was under the impression that this was now open and one could drive the 1.5 miles before hiking north down to the river.

I appreciate you jumping in this discussion, because I know that few people know the area better than you. Hope to meet at a local rock someday.

Call the South Platte Ranger District at 303-275-5610. They can give you the current conditions and status the Corral Creek Road [and the Matakat Road as well].

FYI - I called and they stated that the gate at Corrall Creek Rd was closed and there is no plan to reopen it.

after climbing at helen's dome on saturday i drove south on 211 towards big rock. the road had quite a few deep spots of snow, but there were a couple tracks to follow until just after the goose creek campground. about a mile south of the GC CG, the tracks came to a dead halt at a point where the road was pretty much buried in snow. it will probably be at least a few weeks with some decent warmth.

also, thanks pete for the info, as always.

Looks like the SPlatters are tired of ice and getting the itch. Thanks for doing the dirty work Slim. I was planning on exploring Matakat road from the south, but I think I'll wait on that.

Ice? I've been climbing on dry warm S. Platte granite all winter!

(edit: OK I admit there were a few butt cold days in January, but so far this year has been great Platte weather)

I am guessing you may get farther on Matakat road from the South, as it probably gets less wind load and is more S facing.

Let us know how it goes!