The Citadel  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Page Views:  10,564. Good page?    Administrators:  Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  jason seaver on Feb 24, 2002 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri 52° | 32° 57° | 34° 66° | 41° 66° | 41° 75° | 41°

Season raptor closures MORE INFO >>> The following areas are closed from March 1-July 31 or until further notice: Twin Owls, Rock One, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sheep Mountain, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Lightning Rock and Checkerboard Rock are currently closed. The closures include the named rock formations and the areas extending 100 yards surrounding the base of the formation. This includes all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber's access trails to the formation. Alligator Rock is also closed. www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/area_closures.htm This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund, and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates. Keeping climbing areas open and conserving the climbing environment

From below the lower slabs.

Description 

The Citadel is the large, dome-shaped crag that sits above The Pear. It's most striking feature is a large, right-facing dihedral at two thirds height in approximately the center of the cliff. This corner is the second pitch of the crag's prize route: Heart Of Norway - 5.10c. It's a very rarely visited crag mostly because of its somewhat remote location and lack of 3-star routes, but I highly recommend the hike if only for the superb Heart Of Norway. This route crosses purely good stone although there is some decomposed rock in other areas on the cliff. Heart Of Norway ends before the summit and requires a rappel back to the base, but the other routes top out and a simple walk-off North, then East give the descent.

Getting There 

An excellent way to approach anything on The Citadel is to first climb a route on The Pear .If you go to the summit, rap 100 feet from the summit, off chain anchors, into a deep corridor. Scramble west, then north, then east toward the Citadel which is obvious at this point. Some low-angle slabs guard the start of most of the routes which require some 4th class scrambling to negotiate. If you do any of the routes on the right side of The Pear to approach (which don't reach the summit), scramble down and east to the easiest walk-off north, then hike northwest to the base of the slabs below the start of The Citadel routes. Finally, to approach The Citadel w/o a Pear route, hike up to The Bookend, continue beneath it and beneath Lens Rock as well, then hike up a gully on Lens Rock's west side to a west-running access ledge that takes you to the base of most of The Citadel's routes above the low-angle slabs mentioned above.

The Classics

Featured Route For The Citadel

Storming the Castle 5.11d  CO : Lumpy Ridge : The Citadel

This is one of the best crack pitches at Lumpy and well worth the approach. It is of Cookie Cliff quality with solid gear the entire pitch. This route starts just to the left of The Eliminator and a few feet left of the classic two pitch route, Heart of Norway which makes for a great warm-up.A thin crack/face crux leads to a roof which is bypassed on the left. After this, the route backs off to a 5.10 rating for the remaining 50 feet. There is a two bolt anchor at the top of this...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO

Photos of The Citadel Slideshow

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Jason cleaning gear on "Sanctuary" at The Citadel.

The Citadel and The Pear.