Island Rock  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Elevation:  6,400' Lat, Long:  40.003, -105.3601 Map Page Views:  3,377. Good page?    Administrators:  Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Ivan Rezucha on Sep 18, 2005 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event

BETA PHOTO: Island Rock.

Photo by Vaino Kodas; used...

Description 

Island Rock is a prominent although obscure crag (deservedly so) on the south side of the creek. It faces northwest and so is usually shady. There are two old trad route, Cracks are for Kids, 5.8 and short, and the longer, decent-looking Lost Ring, 5.7, which I haven't done. Recently Vaino Kodas and Bob D'Antonio added the pretty good 11a sport climb No Man is an Island. There is room for more routes. The main face has a bunch of trad features, but it's pretty dirty. The (west-facing?) right face has some potential also, and there's another formation just up the hill.

L->R

A. Cracks are for Kids, 8-, 1p, 80', gear.
B. No Man is an Island, 11-, 1p, 70', bolts.
C. Lost Ring?, 7, 1p, gear.
D. Miss Mantle, 11, 1p, 50', bolts.

Getting There 

4.2 miles up Boulder Canyon (Rossiter's mileages), about 0.3 miles past the Sugarloaf turnoff, there is an "island" of rock with a dirt road going part way around it on its left side, between the rock and the creek. Park here. Island Rock is the rock across the creek. Brick Wall is about 0.4 miles beyond Island Rock. The creek is often high, so much of the year the crag is hard to access. Cross the creek where you can and move left or right until below the crag. Continue up hill, and you will come upon an open grassy slope that leads to the base. Scramble up left towards a steep gully in rock to access Cracks are for Kids and No Man is an Island. Lost Ring is on the right prow of the main face.

Glass 

Note, there is a fair amount of broken glass in this area, even going all the way up to the crag.

The Classics

Featured Route For Island Rock

No Man is an Island 5.11a  CO : Boulder Canyon : Island Rock

This has sustained climbing on decent rock, but perhaps not worth the trip. It seemed quite hard to me, harder than many of the recent 11a Boulder Canyon sport climbs.Approach: from left of center of the main face, scramble to a grassy ledge and then up left towards a steep gully just left of a bolted arete. The bolted arete is No Man is an Island, 11a. Cracks are for Kids is the obvious crack system to the left.The climb: The difficulties start with an interesting move off of a dia...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO