Stepping Stones is the crag at the west end of Nip and Tuck. It has a cobblestoned southwest face with one old route, also called Stepping Stones. The East Tower is inconspicuous, barely noticeable from the road, but harbors two nice routes on granite with great friction. El Barrio is a good bouldering area.
It's 10.5 miles from the start of the canyon, on the right side in the middle of a turn to the right. Parking is limited directly underneath, but there is parking further along. This picture is looking East.
You can also park and Nip and Tuck and walk up the road to the guard rail, and cross the guard rail to get to the crag.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Stepping Stones:
The start is bouldery in nature. Although rock quality is questionable, this route offers nice powerful and sustained face moves all the way up to the crux at 4th and 5th bolt. Worth 3 stars but deserves only 2 stars due to rock quality. Body positioning and precise slopy smearing is key to a successful ascent....[more]Browse More Classics in CO
Rossiter mentions a "stepping stones" path to the crag, implying that the crag is named after this path. If you cross the road about dead center in the photo above you will find a path to the crag with stones embedded in the ground. I thought the crag was named "Stepping Stones" due to its corrugated look.
Rock is not as solid here compared to many other crags in Boulder Canyon. (I think this is why it forms the 'stepping stones' look.) Just be careful and check holds, even larger blocks. I pulled out a football-sized chunk low on Controtionist's/Unknown (won't change the route, though), and some nice boulders cushioned my fall. There was loose stuff at the top, too. The holds can seem solid, because all wedged in the rough granite grit, but sometimes it's just the gritty crystals and some mud keeping them in place.
Maybe come here when you have climbed out Boulder Canyon to death and have no new routes to climb. Thankfully I did every route on the wall, so I don't have to come back. Sorry, guys. It's just not that great of a crag....
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