The majority of these boulders are located within the Mt Evans Wilderness Area, which is regulated & patrolled by the US Forest Service. Climber MORE INFO >>>
The majority of these boulders are located within the Mt Evans Wilderness Area, which is regulated & patrolled by the US Forest Service. Climbers should be on their best behavior, practice Leave No Trace, and please abide by these requirements:
- Approach Areas A, B, & C via the Chicago Lakes trail (from Echo Lake).
- Wilderness Permits are required for all visitors to any federal Wilderness Area. Permits are free and self-issued. A kiosk is located at the point where the Chicago Lakes Trail departs from the reservoir, at the entrance to the Wilderness Area.
- Group size: travel in federal Wilderness Areas is limited to groups of 15 people or less. If you find yourself in an area, say around the Dali Boulder, where there are more than 15 people, please disperse. There are plenty of excellent boulders elsewhere.
- Minimize creation of social trails. None of the trails surrounding the bouldering area are officially maintained by the USFS. Ample access trails currently exist, please stay on the existing trails, and do not create any more trails.
- Do not destroy vegetation. This is a fragile alpine environment, with a short growing season. It can take vegetation decades to recover from damage. Place crash pads judiciously, and keep brushing to a minimum. Before adding new lines, considered the damage that may be caused by additional foot traffic, pad placement, etc.
- Chalk is un-sightly to non-climbers. Please avoid chalking up boulder problems that are visible from the Chicago Lakes Trail, and in general, keep chalk use to a minimum. Brush all tick marks off after every sesssion. Use containers that prevent chalk spills. If you do spill your chalk, clean it up.
- Stashing crash pads is expressly forbidden by the USFS. Any pads found by USFS personnel will be confiscated.
- Noise: This is a wilderness area (did I mention that?) that is enjoyed by many, mostly non-climbers. The last thing passing hikers want to hear are your self-indulgent f-bombs, I-Pod speakers, grunting, etc. In fact, most other CLIMBERS don't want to hear any of these things either. The easiest way for us to loose access is to elicit complaints from other user groups.
- Dogs must be leashed at all times. Consider others when deciding whether or not to bring your dog, specfically considering that dogs like to scare away wildlife, and most other users would prefer not to have the wildlife scared away. Obviously, clean up after your dog.
Remember that we are guests in this area. Be respectful of other users and the USFS Rangers that manage this area.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
The downtrail face of the Trailside Boulder ... 5 ...
Description
The Trailside Boulder, a glacial erratic sitting all by itself along the Chicago Lakes Trail, hosts a number of moderate to medium grade problems, a few of which are quite nice but don't get much attention because they are mostly moderates. This is an excellent place to warm up in the morning or to make one more stop in the afternoon.
Problems abound on all sides of this block, but, as yet, only one problem on it has an official name that I am aware of. If the remainder of the problems ever get official names from the developers, I'll be back to edit in that information.
Getting There
Park at the Echo Lake Picnic Area. Follow a nice gravel path to the west side of the lake, where a signed trail for the Chicago Lakes heads off to the southwest. Follow this trail for a few hundred yards over a ridge, into the Chicago Lakes Basin. The trail traverses along the valley wall for a while, and then drops steeply towards the valley floor, through a series of switchbacks. Once at the valley floor, the trail crosses a creek via a backcountry bridge, then joins an old dirt road.
Turn left at the road, and head STEEPLY uphill towards the Idaho Springs Reservoir. There are a few boulders along this road and out in the trees on the right. Once at the reservoir, the trail flattens somewhat and you can catch your breath while you continue to walk. Follow the road to the southwest corner of the reservoir, past two cabins, to a signed trailhead for the Chicago Lakes. STOP HERE AND FILL OUT YOUR FREE WILDERNESS PERMIT.
Follow the Chicago Lakes Trail through undulating terrain for about 8-10 minutes. About 5 minutes before you come to the trail that meanders left through the willows to access Areas A & B, you will come to a nice looking block on the right side of the trail. It is located in a wide-open old lightning-strike/burn area that is quite green and hosts wildflowers much of the bouldering season. You can't miss it.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Gateway Boulder:
Begin from a stand start and reach high above your head for a seam you can obviously match in just left of the black lichen. Pull on, maybe bump your RH slightly right, then violently throw 5 feet up and right to the top of the "black tornado" streak of lichen. A borderline-impossible-looking sit start on a jug below is obvious, but intermediates and feet to bridge the gap are sparse ... to put it mildly....[more]Browse More Classics in CO
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