Monument Canyon  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Page Views:  35,716. Good page?    Administrators:  Jesse Zacher, Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Ben Mottinger on Nov 11, 2001 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed 88° | 59° 88° | 57° 88° | 61° 86° | 54° 77° | 48°

BETA PHOTO

Description 

This is the description for all the one-two pitch routes along the Monument Trail leading to Independence Monument. There are some nice moderate (5.8-9) trad routes here, as well as some more difficult face climbs (sport), and even some multi-pitch hand cracks. They are nice routes to finish up a day after climbing the monument.

Getting There 

First Area: As the Monument Trail leaves the fence and starts following the creek bed up the canyon, many one-pitch lines will come into view on the right side of the canyon. Look for a prominent right-facing dihedral and 40ft to its right, a left-facing dihedral. In between these routes are several bolted climbs. All have fixed rap anchors.

Second Area: Around the first bend, up the hill and past the first area, look again to the right side for some obvious cracks. Here you'll find an attempted aid line with a fixed pin 10ft. off the deck. Another route starts 10ft. left of the aid route, which is finger/offwidth for 80ft.

Third Area: In the last recess of the canyon before you turn the corner and Ind. Mon. comes into view, look for a tall pillar against the back wall of the canyon. A two (maybe three) pitch nice hand crack goes up the left side of the pillar to fixed anchors at each belay.

The Classics

Featured Route For Monument Canyon

Get A Life 5.12  CO : Grand Junction area : ... : Monument Canyon

Climbers frequently become obsessed with their new route projects. Be it a Flatirons boulder problem, a sport route in Clear Creek, or, as in this case, a multi-pitch desert spire, sometimes the climb will get the better of the climber.Such was the case with Get A Life, one of the finest climbs in the desert region. Bret Ruckman, one of the many unsung talents in Colorado (and Utah) climbing, discovered this imposing crack line on an obscure pillar in upper Monument Canyon, and became...obsess...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO

Photos of Monument Canyon Slideshow

Add Photo

Snake Eyes? Joseffa Meir has found the tipped dice...

Looking back into Monument Canyon from the base of...