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Observatory Rock
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99% Pure 
Double Vision 
Flop, The 
Glass Bead Game, The 
Jonah 
Mineral Secretion 
Original Route 
Punch Line 
Skin Mechanic 
Stargazing 
Telescoping Sum 
Will Chevy Slab 

Observatory Rock 


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Administrators: Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson
Submitted By: Richard M. Wright on Dec 31, 1969

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  Print a Mini-Guide with routes

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BETA PHOTO: Observatory Rock from the road.

Description 

Observatory Rock is composed of typical, and excellent, SSV granite. The crag faces South and South East providing cool climbing in the afternoon. It presently hosts fewer than a dozen described routes, and some combination of guides is probably useful for orientation. I have found the Falcon Guide by Peter Hubble to contain more route descriptions than other sources, however, much of this is misleading. For example, routes listed as 130 ft long have turned out to be more like 65 ft long (truly). Routes span the gamut in terms of difficulty with 5.7 and 5.8 trad or 5.12d sport, although there are not many at any grade. The crag is well worth a day's visit.


Getting There 

5.1 miles up the South Saint Vrain canyon, via highway 7, is a large pull-out on the right side of the road. This can be used for parking for Observatory Rock and the Narrows. Observatory Rock is directly above the parking and has a 5 minute approach.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Observatory Rock:
Stargazing   5.9+     Trad, 1 pitch, 100 feet   
Double Vision   5.11c     Trad, 1 pitch, 100 feet   
Browse More Classics in Observatory Rock

Featured Route For Observatory Rock
Kat A. follows up the powerful lieback on 'Punchline' (10a) in the SSV. Photo by Tony B, 6/08.

Punch Line 5.10-  CO : Lyons : ... : Observatory Rock
A good line that will clean up a little more with traffic.Climb up the bottom part on trad gear, which may be the crux for face climbers... continue up to a slab, where you step right, clip a bolt for protection, then step back left under the bolt again, and climb up on a powerful section of flake-pinching and small feet. Finish by trying to pull onto the summit slab gracefully, if you can....[more]   Browse More Classics in CO


Comments on Observatory Rock Add Comment
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By Anonymous Coward
Aug 2, 2004

Sport route right of "Original Route"?

There is a bolted line to the right of Original route. Perhaps 5 painted bolts with a tree at top behind a bolder for the anchor. Anyone known anything about this route? From the ground it looked like a 5.6 scramble. On the route it felt like a 5.11 frictionfest.

By Bernard Gillett
Aug 2, 2004

AC wants to know about the bolt line right of Orignal Route: it's called "Will Chevy Slab?", and we rated it 5.10d. 6 bolts, though you need small stoppers to get to the first bolt, and TCUs between bolts 1 and 2. Ends at tree of Original Route (75' rap). The name is a silly word play working off of Wilford Roof, the lefthand of three roof cracks through the big roof on the right (the other two roof cracks are also routes now, though the middle one has not been redpointed to my knowledge - it's quite difficult). Lots of new routes on that crag in the last couple years, mostly cracks with an odd bolt or two, and most of them high quality (the rock there is great). Still working on that SSV guide -- keeps getting bigger all the time, so it'll be a while before it's done.

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