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Cracked Canyon
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Routes Sorted
L to R R to L Alpha
Air Arete 
Algebra 
Attica 
Bat Splat 
Cello 
Chewbacca 
Come On Sun 
Crack of Mind 
Dog Leg 
Easy Money 
Exodus 
Free Box 
Froggy Bottoms 
Icy Fingers 
Javelin 
Lago 
Margin 
Orange Peel 
Othello 
Pirouette 
Reptilicus (The Crock) 
Round The Corner 
Salvation 
Summertime 
Superfresh 
Thor 
Tick Fever 
Tobacco Road 
Where Eagles Dare 
Unsorted Routes:

Cracked Canyon 


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Administrators: Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson
Submitted By: Guy H. on Nov 27, 2005

Make this area a Favorite
What's New
  Print a Mini-Guide with routes

Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event 

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The view from Cracked Canyon....

Description 

Cracked Canyon is the place to go for a high concentration of quality routes. There is a good selection of routes in the 5.6 to 5.11 range. Out of the 80 routes in the canyon, there are classic routes at every grade. Pirouette 5.7, Chewbacca 5.8, Summertime 5.9+, Orange Peel 5.10, Javelin 5.11... Most of the routes are around 80ft long. Pick up a copy of Telluride Rocks at a local climbing shop for route descriptions and maps.


Getting There 

Park 100 yards past the Post Office and find a climbers trail that leads to the talus. Follow the talus up the steep slope towards the obvious canyon to the right of the main wall. Be careful on the loose rock in the canyon, it is probably best to leave Spot at home.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Cracked Canyon:
Easy Money   5.6     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   
Pirouette   5.7     Trad, 1 pitch, 70 feet   
Dog Leg   5.7+     Trad, 1 pitch, 90 feet   
Round The Corner   5.7+     Trad, 1 pitch, 90 feet   
Crack of Mind   5.8     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   
Lago   5.8     Trad, 1 pitch, 100 feet   
Chewbacca   5.8     Trad, 1 pitch, 90 feet   
Tobacco Road   5.9 R     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   
Attica   5.9     Trad, 1 pitch   
Summertime   5.9+     Trad, 1 pitch, 150 feet   
Air Arete   5.10 X     TR, 1 pitch, 70 feet   
Orange Peel   5.10     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   
Free Box   5.10     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   
Reptilicus (The Crock)   5.10+     Trad, 1 pitch, 120 feet   
Javelin   5.10+     Trad, 1 pitch, 65 feet   
Cello   5.10d     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   
Superfresh   5.11-     Trad, 1 pitch, 90 feet   
Salvation   5.11     Trad, 1 pitch, 75 feet   
Where Eagles Dare   5.11+     Trad, 1 pitch, 90 feet   
Tick Fever   5.11+ PG13     Trad, Sport, 1 pitch, 60 feet   
Browse More Classics in Cracked Canyon

Featured Route For Cracked Canyon
Dave Svilar sets up a toprope on Chewbacca (in the corner). An excellent crack!

Chewbacca 5.8  CO : Telluride/Norwood area : ... : Cracked Canyon
Classic 5.8 - A beautiful, left-facing corner a few hundred feet up from the mouth of the canyon on the right hand side. Directly across from Orange Peel. Climb the obvious corner via both face and crack. There is an awkward section down low but many consider the roof up high to be the crux. There are bolts on top that can be used to belay your second up, but the descent is from a tree about 15 ft. right. You will be rapping over Dog Leg and Come On Sun....[more]   Browse More Classics in CO


Photos of Cracked Canyon Slideshow Add Photo
Emily rappelling at Crack Canyon, 9-2009.

Emily rappelling at Crack Canyon, 9-2009.

Wishing for a breeze in the C.C.!

Wishing for a breeze in the C.C.!

The wrong way to spend your time in Cracked Canyon.

The wrong way to spend your time in Cracked Canyon...

Ophir Wall and Cracked Canyon on the right in the shade. The approach is straight up the scree.

Ophir Wall and Cracked Canyon on the right in the ...


Comments on Cracked Canyon Add Comment
Show which comments —
By Victor McConnell
Oct 20, 2007

One of Colorado's hidden gems for sure - both the Ophir Wall and Cracked Canyon....

By JoshOrin
From: Telluride, CO
Oct 12, 2010

There has been significant rock-fall relatively recently where It Gets Harder, Johnny Be Good, Power Lounger, and Susan's Arete are/used to be. A 30' column has exfoliated from the wall negating some or all of the above routes. The rock-fall appears to have happened within the past few years as there is still dead brush among the debris. I noticed this yesterday while approaching Superfresh during my first visit to the area. This event is very concerning since it would have proven fatal for anyone in the area while the rock fall occurred. Please be aware of this when in the area as part of the column still stands and could be unstable, especially the freeze/thaw months.