Iron Mountain

Description 

Iron Mountain is a good place to go to escape crowds. There are several routes here (tend to be short), most of which are face climbing. Also, this is a good destination for fun granite bouldering. In fact, there is enough bouldering here to warrant leaving the rope at home.

Getting There 

From Keystone, drive towards Mt. Rushmore on highway 16a. Take a left on 16a when the road junctions with 244. Measure from here, and drive 3.1 miles and park. This spot is where a non-major paved road intersects with the main highway on its right. This intersection is about 1/4 mile after driving through the second tunnel. There is no official parking, so just squeeze on the shoulder.

There are two major areas here. The first is a short jaunt across the road to the east. Find a trail that heads steeply up the hill and quickly arrive at Rubik's Ridge. Identify this by the overhanging schist at the bottom of the cliff.

The main area involves walking diagonally away from the intersection to the southwest on a faint trail. Although this trail is often difficult to follow, if you continue in that direction you will find the area. Head up a hill on to slabby rocks, then at the top you will get to a viewpoint where you can see Turtle Rock to the left. Turtle Rock can be identified by its large slabby 3rd class rock on its north side. Hike down to this to find the main rocks and bouldering.

The Classics