Table Mountain 

thanks for taking the time to post info of this area, it is something that i had been planning to do for 12 yrs, but never got around to it. the few climbers that appreciate the adventure, exposure, and full body workout gained by backcountry climbing will certainly enjoy this area.

i am surprised by the lack of info or comments about this area, i will share some info at this time with more to come.

cherry jam turns 40 this Oct.

crescent crack is also a great route, but i have only done the variation not the squeeze.

there are many equestrian trails on that side of the pusch ridge wilderness that see year round use by hunters with and without permits, guided horse rides and hikers with dogs. climbers are the only user group that stills respects the closure. there have been no sheep sightings since 95 unless you count the bronze statue. there are only 2 rangers in the state that have the authority to ticket you. the state park rangers cannot. user groups are not the reason for the disappearance of the big horn sheep, development is.

the season is when the temps are below 92.

the approach beta has changed a little over the years, but basically park at Rams Canyon, i will provide some detailed info later.

scout the approach before you go if you can, and get an early start.

here is the specific approach beta, but first a general description.

the drainage that is formed by the gully and right side of table mtn, cuts thru rams canyon subdivision before draining into the cdo wash. there is an old road cut that makes the east property boundary of la reserve. it stays up on the ridge west of the drainage. we used to walk this road (and you still can) for 25min, all the way to an old stage coach road which is now a horse trail that traverses the back side of the front range. this is the birding loop that joins romero canyon. recent development in la reserve has resulted in some new trails that stay down in the drainage and link up with the well established trail higher up. now we use the road cut to avoid the lower portion of the canyon then drop down into the drainages to avoid the construction.
about half way to table mtn there is a spring with a pipe that fills a tank. there are trails to this point, then it becomes a cairned route which stays left of some cliffs. there are many trails used by hikers and equestrians. if you miss any of the specific turns, just head up this drainage toward table, and look for the pipe leading to the spring.

the unofficial and not marked, trail head is a small picnic area located at 2436 E Skipping Rock Way. if the couple of parking spots are full and theye usually are, try the 3 spots at end of Rams Field Pass Rd, or the empty lot next to the Public Storage.

hike up the old road cut for 15 min. turn left onto a new trail that joins the trail in the creek bottom in 3 min. turn right heading up canyon. after 7 min. stay right on the main trail, in 2 min. take the left fork. in 8 min. you will join the old well established trail then cross thru the opening in the fence(wilderness boundary). go 50 feet then turn right on to the small trail that follows the pipe and leads to the spring. 35min to this point. then about 20 min to the spring. if you end up at the large concrete tank, follow the pipe.

from the spring, the route heads left and climbs up to a saddle, then right to a gully and up toward tables main buttress. the spring may be half the distance, but it is only about 1/3 of the time required.

a reasonable time is 3 hrs. that is if you eat, drink and smoke while you walk, and don't stop to rest. it is ideal to walk for 30 min in the dark to beat the heat. an average day takes 12 hrs.

MDW is not pg 13, unless you forgot your rack.
you need a large rack of doubles, wires are optional.

H and I took 4:45 to reach the top of Table mt via the relentless slog up the ridge in Pima w/ 55lbs. Would probably recommend do the opposite and suffer up the gully farther up canyon instead (down in 3:30). Haven't done the west approach yet, guess that is next. Camped 50yds from the topout at an amazing spot. All around, worth the pain of getting up and down.

Is it pretty obvious where to leave the Pima Canyon trail if you're approaching from that side? Can anyone give more details on that approach?

Edit: answering my own question: approach beta here.

Took us 3 hours to get to the top of Table Mountain, then another 30 or 45 minutes to the base of Crescent Crack (left) via the rappel route. The gully from the Pima Canyon trail wasn't bad-we found a decent trail through. After the gully, it takes a lot longer than you would think to get to the summit. Though, despite what we'd heard, the shin-daggers were really not an issue.

This approach might be longer than the north side, but possibly the advantage is that it's more straightforward if you've never been up there before-less chance of getting lost. You can easily do the first hour or so in the dark on the Pima Canyon trail.

nice job Charles on the pima canyon side beta, your the man.

i have done the shin-dagger ridge as have many 1st timers. definitely do not recommend it.

we did the proper approach, with full packs, in 2 hrs once, but i was much younger then.

there is a huge tank on the slabs up there, but it is in a state of disrepair. there is no water.

you can sometimes get water out of the decent gully or out of many wacos on the top after a rain.

this water is NOT reliable so bring plenty.

I would only recommend approaching from the Pima Canyon side if you are wanting to camp on top. if you want to do a climb in a day, approach from the north. it is nicer because you can see what you are wanting to do as you walk up to it.

last week we did a hike up to the spring ( on the back-side ) to see what piping repairs are needed.

we then continued up and found that someone has build a really nice trail from the spring to the saddle. about a 30 min. section of trail, that probably saves 10 min off the old route.

i think it may be hunters that did the work, but it sure does help climbers. the trail to Table is basically complete now.

I sure would like to thank the persons responsible.

we did see large mountain lion scat. don't let it sneak up on you.

there is water in the spring, and it is Table Mountain season.

go get it boys!