Independence Pass  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Lat, Long:  39.1923, -106.8245 Map Page Views:  361,880. Good page? (1 like)    Administrators:  Alvaro Arnal, Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Pinklebear on Dec 15, 2001 Make this area a Favorite What's New Guidebooks (4)  Printer View Add Area  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event

Jensy McNamara following the classic 2nd pitch of ...

Description 

Unless you're a movie star, ski bum or coke addict, the best thing going in the Aspen area is definitely Independence Pass. An often overlooked, but ultra-worthy, granite area, East of town off the super-steep CO Highway 82. The area includes crags between Aspen & Twin Lakes.

The Pass is also historic, offering some of Colorado's earlier forays onto steep (5.7) rock, a handful of Henry Barber and Lynn Hill testpieces, from the Golden Era of free climbing, and some of Colorado's first rappel-bolted sport routes.

While route activity has dwindled as of late, the Pass continues to thrive as an adventure bouldering area, with plenty of potential for those willing to do a bit of exploring. The highway conveniently bisects most of the granite in the canyon, so most crags are never more than 1-20 minutes from the road.

The Grotto Wall with its landmark route Cryogenics Corner is a great place to get acquainted with Pass rock, a sometimes confounding mixture of compact granite and metamorphized gneiss. Because it's so featured, rock at the Pass lends itself to some very overhanging climbing not typically associated with granite, especially on the left side of the Grotto Wall and at Wild Rock.

Though the Pass is considered a summer area because of its elevation (9,000-11,000 feet), the walls mostly face south and can become blisteringly hot under the high-altitude sun. With some planning, you can stay in the shade all day; or if you're lucky, some clouds will roll in and cool things off.

The road is generally closed a few miles above Aspen from late October through mid-May due to heavy snows. If you think the rock might be dry, you can park down low at the gate and bike up the road, making for a true multi-sport experience.

The beauty of the Pass lies in its variety. I would say there is a nearly perfect 50/50 split between trad and sport climbing, and many of the "sport" climbs require that you place gear anyway. To boot, there is some great bouldering up here. John Sherman's "The Ineditable" being perhaps the most famous (and best) problem on the Pass.

While the Grotto Wall offers the highest concentration of routes, most of the crags are more modest in size, typically offering between 5-10 routes each. Thusly, you can visit two or three crags in one day and get tons of climbing in.

Addendum: Aspenclimbingguides.com may provide additional local info.

Getting There 

To access Independence Pass from the Aspen side: From I-70 take exit 116 (Glenwood Springs) onto Highway 82. Follow CO-82 for 42 miles into the town of Aspen. Stay on CO-82 through Aspen towards Independence Pass. The crags at Independence Pass are arrayed along CO-82 west of Aspen en route to the Pass itself at 12,000 feet. The lowest area is the Difficult Cliff while the highest area is Instant Karma Cliff, located near the summit of the divide.

To access Independence Pass from the Twin Lakes side: From I-70 take exit 195 (Copper Mountain/Leadville) onto CO-91 South. CO-91 becomes US-24 as you go through the town of Leadville. Follow US-24E out of Leadville for about 15 miles and turn left onto CO-82 towards Twin Lakes. Once you pass through Twin Lakes the first major crag you will arrive at is Monitor Rock; about 5 miles from Twin Lakes.

Most of the climbing on Independence Pass is found on the Aspen side. The vast majority of these crags are on the left (South) side of the road as you drive up the pass from Aspen, while Lincoln Creek, a valley branching off to the Southeast from the main highway, offers good climbing as well.

Camping 

There are a multitude of camping areas throughout the length of Independence Pass. Most of these are pay camping but there are a few free options as well. Visit the Forest Service webpage for more camping information.

Guidebook 

Independence Pass Rock Climbing II by Tom Perkins, 2006 provides good descriptions. $32.99.

Climbing Stores 

Ute Mountaineer
210 S. Galena St.
Aspen, CO
970.925.2849
www.utemountaineer.com

The Trailhead
707 Hwy 24 N
Buena Vista, CO
719.395.8001
www.thetrailheadco.com

The Classics

Featured Route For Independence Pass

Felix V6  CO : Independence Pass : ... : Lower Grotto Wall

SDS on the right hand side of boulder on two good holds. Traverse left on crimps, slopers and great heel hooks. Climbing straight up the blunt arete is easier (V4) and less memorable. ...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO

Photos of Independence Pass Slideshow

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Independence Pass. Photo by Blitzo.	Autumn color near Aspen. Photo by Blitzo.	Aspens near Aspen. Photo by Blitzo.
Independence Pass. Photo by Blitzo.	Independence Pass. Photo by Blitzo.	Steve on Thindependence, @ the cliff of the same n...
Instant Karma, June 2007.	Steve Mestdagh on Cryogenics, Independence Pass, p...	Summer, 2010.
Wild Rock.	Lynn on Turkey Rock.	Clay on Turkey Rock.
Lynn on Turkey Rock.	Summer, 2010.	CO Hwy 82 in the fall.
Looking toward Mt. Elbert and IP.	Twin Lakes, CO and Independence Pass.	Sunset at the top of Independence Pass August 8th,...
Nick on ICBJ.