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.
Help preserve the excellent bouldering in this bea...
Description
The Mt Evans areas are quickly gaining recognition as some of the best bouldering in the country. Numerous world-class blocks litter the sprawling slopes of Colorado’s most accessible 14-er, and if not for a grueling, ‘never-again’ approach, this would be one of the most popular boulder fields in Colorado. The rock is stellar, highly featured granite, with excellent, rough texture, numerous incut edges, and the odd Tuolumne-esque knob.
Though the quality of the climbing is undeniable, there are numerous drawbacks. The approach is truly heinous for the most accessible boulders, and gets worse for the more remote areas. All of the blocks are situated over 10’000 feet (some higher), which makes the climbing season tragically short. Even during the peak summer season, days are often cut short by sudden thunderstorms, high winds, and snowfall. The sun is intense and the air is thin. Any injury is potentially serious as help is far away and retreat is long & involved. Mosquitoes and other pests are ubiquitous.
There are numerous distinct bouldering areas scattered across the slopes of the mountain, with the most popular being those along the Chicago Lakes Basin, a beautiful glacial valley northeast of the summit. Creatively named Area A, Area B, Area C & Area D, these areas are the most accessible and offer the bulk of the developed boulders. Most of the well-known problems, such as the Dali, Gorillas in the Mist, All Dogs Go to Evans, and Timeline, are found in Areas A & B. Excellent problems can also be found at Lincoln Lake, which is south of the paved highway CO-5.
The vast majority of the boulders are located within the Mount Evans Wilderness Area. Please read the access bulletin and abide by the instructions. This is an alpine environment! Inclement weather moves in fast, and approaching storm systems are often hidden behind the mountain until they are right on top of you. Be prepared for any conditions, to include snow & lightning. Dehydration occurs more quickly at higher altitudes; bring twice as much water as you think you’ll need.
Getting There
Mt Evans is located ~30 miles west of downtown Denver. Take I-70 to the town of Idaho Springs, then follow CO-103 towards Mt Evans. For Areas A – C, park at the Echo Lake Picnic area, just west of mile marker 13. For Area D, follow the summit road (CO-5, $10/vehicle entrance fee may apply)to Summit Lake.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Mt. Evans Bouldering:
Climb the obvious seam/finger crack on the east side of the Seurat Boulder. Start more or less standing and work up the crack on terrible foot smears and sidepulls to where the crack makes a dogleg and opens up. If you can climb cracks, this could feel pretty easy but it can be very frustrating....[more]Browse More Classics in CO
I'm shocked! I thought everyone and their mom was against letting information leak in this area. That's why I never put it up. People seemed to be vexed even when you mentioned the area a few years ago when it was first blowing up in popularity. We should tell everyone about areas B, C, D, the Arials, and Lincolin park too while we're at it maybe then we can stash enough pads to get Mt. Evans closed to climbing all together! I was personally asked to keep my mouth shut about the area a few years ago, by people associated with the NFS.
Don't get me wrong, I love documenting areas and making great finds accessable to other people. I'm just really surprised I guess, considering I stopped going to the area when all the commotion was going on just to try to prevent it from getting restricted or shut down. I've not been back in over 2 years and I live less then 1/2 an hour away! Now everyone and their mother will be there impacting it....
Thoughts? Have things changed that much in a few years?
BTW Timeline is classic for the grade IMO get on it!
I think the consensus has changed towards providing accurate helpful information, especially after the Horan guide was published. I agree that the impact was substantial enough with just word of mouth, but I don't see the traffic really getting much worse with MP's info being added. Both Evans and RMNP (which I wrote up) are now pretty much out of fashion at this point, and I am fairly sure that nobody approves of pad stashing anywhere anymore. I think now it's better to have accurate descriptions of boulders and ample explanations of acceptable and unacceptable user practices provided along with that.
I've got no problems with putting it up as stated before, I was just surprised at the change in attitude I guess since I hadn't been back in so long as I figured it was already getting over run.
Went here last summer, hoping for a quiet day of bouldering in a nice setting. I was greeted by several dogs and big, loud "elite" crews that didn't seem to mind painting huge tick marks, shouting beta, and throwing cigarette butts on the ground. Is an area "pristine" if everyone and their brother knows about it? I think not.
Boulderers' conduct off the boulders will become an increasingly important issue for land managers, that's for sure. I agree it is hard to call people out on their conduct since nobody wants to be accused of being a dick. But it's definitely coming to that. There are respectful ways to boulder and disrespectful ways, and I hope a consensus is emerging, just like with pad stashing, that certain kinds of conduct are just not acceptable anymore. Dogs, noise, trash, excessive chalk use, and crowds are just a few of these habits. Being a "good" boulderer justifies nothing that disrespects the environment, the rock, or the people around you.
Jamie Emerson's new bouldering guide to RMNP and Mt.Evans is at the printer. We are air freighting some advance copies for pre-purchases. If you order now, you can get a free printable eBook and get an early copy in about three weeks. Supplies will be limited. The bulk shipment will follow by a few weeks. www.sharpendbooks.com
Joe, the snow is not a problem but the trail is kind of a pain owing to blown down trees. It's not a big deal. Area A is going to be too hot soon though.
Please consider not using chalk on the boulders that are near the trail or lakes. Other wilderness users may find the chalk marks distasteful, which can lead to complaints and regulations on climbers. Despite getting a good amount of traffic, the Chicago Lakes area still has a sense of pristine, alpine beauty. And yes, I'm a climber and boulderer, but I don't like to see these boulders chalked. Most climbers wouldn't want to see a hiker spray paint his name on a boulder, so perhaps boulderers might consider whether chalking the boulders is similarly offensive.
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