Mount Sanitas Bouldering

Jay-dog you are the man for hookin me up with this cool new place to climb, people like you is what makes this my fav climbin site! Yep i agree with you buddy not only is the slope of the rock grueling(i nearly lost my footing once-good thing i didn't fall too cause i would have really put a gash in my knee that probably would have hurt in the morning :) ), but that harsh five minutes can really kick some ass for lazy folks like myself. It took me a good couple of seconds to recover when i got to the bouldering site, but enough said it is truly a great place to climb. thanks bud for letting all of us climbers know about another great area around boulder! Feb 26, 2002

Good place to take the pup! Feb 27, 2002

I am not sure that I agree with you man...Mount Sanitas' only good thing going for it is the hot babes who jog around the area. I personally think it's pretty small, lame, and the problems are easy as hell. Try Flagstaff instead! Feb 28, 2002

if you are going to disagree with me about something you might want to try disagreeing with something i actually said.

Mar 4, 2002

For more information on Mt. Sanitas, I found a fair amount in the best of Boulder Bouldering, right at the beginning of the book. I actually discovered this place today, and I don't think that it is that bad. Not many people venture this far north to climb, so it is a good time. Mar 11, 2002

Sanitas is a great place to boulder on a cold sunny day. The rocks stay in the light till almost sundown and as such are warm. Just stay away from the dakota ridge bouldering, really bad rock that comes off in huge sections. Mar 26, 2002

Chill site to boulder where you won't need to take shoes, chalk or crash pad. There are some cute chicas running around as well so head up in your tennies and get ready to swing from buckets and jugs for about 40 minutes worth of quality fun!!!... Aug 10, 2002

MT. Sanitas is a good place to go for a quick boulder session. It is close in, right past pearl street. The rock is pretty good, and it gets good expoposure throughout the day. If you are a begging climber and feel intimadated by elitists in other areas this is a good place to be. the rock is also easy on the hands which is nice for beginners. Also I read your comment on eldo Jay, your the shit man. Apr 3, 2003

Yes yesterday, my buddies and i went there- climb. the rock looks nice and clean. also nice problem. like another people said about warm and cold area. it s fun to climb. Aug 4, 2003

The site won't allow access to the Turd boulder. Just thought I'd let you know. Aug 19, 2004

I stink. I am a total beginner and couldn't tackle any of the V0-2 climbs here :( They all overhang slightly and I had trouble holding on. I had to go over the rock ridge to the east side and do some nice "climbing/scrambling" with great views down to Boulder. But....the rumor is true - HOT women jogging and walking up the Mt. Sanitas Trail along the boulders!!! Sep 21, 2005

I know it's not just the climbers dogs, but the amount of dog s#!t is not acceptable! I pick up a full bag every time I go here. And just try jogging this trail on a warm day, the stench will gag you. Tell people to pick up their dog's s*&t if you see them leaving it behind, most of them readily doo. Nov 6, 2005

I have enjoyed this area ever since my brother and I moved to Boulder. We liked Mt. Sanitas, but find that almost every time we are there someone walks up and starts traversing back and forth rendering the area useless to anyone else. So don't get overly comfortable with one area. Solution. We now like the Dakota Ridge side a lot as well. I read a comment about the rock not being very good on the ridge. There is plenty of great bouldering problems to be found here and there usually is no one else around climbing. Just our opinion. See ya out there.

Ian Jul 14, 2007

Mt. Sanitas is great. Anyone know about the Red Rock spur area to the SW of Mt. Sanitas? May 21, 2009

Red Rocks in Boulder is extra soft Fountain sandstone which doesn't climb well at all. Mt Sanitas is Dakota sandstone. May 22, 2009

Any info on the "Dakota Range," the hogback area to the east of Sanitas, across the canyon? May 22, 2009

First of all, Red Rocks does have a decent section of solid stone to the south east of the main formations. Off the main trail look for a wall of light beige colored stone, this is "white rocks at red rocks," and has some moderately challenging traversing and some cool up-problems. Just uphill (further south east) from there is a block called "the cobbler," it looks like it will crumble in your hands, but it's solid and very interesting pinchy climbing, but almost never touched by anyone. Just bring a few pads, the landing slopes off pretty good. As far as Dakota Ridge, there are a few exceptional spots, I like them more than anything on Sanitas proper to be honest. "The Sanitarium" is most easily reached by the upper hospital parking lot (past the smoke stack), or the trail head off of 4th Street. It is just north west of the stone shack on the crest of that little hill there. It is mildly overhanging super solid sandstone with unlimited possibilities for eliminates, world class traverse workouts, and an up problem that goes at V-hard or a big dyno. There is also another chunk of rock 20 feet south of it with some lower to the ground and harder problems. Farther north on the ridge, if you follow the trail on the east side of the ridge you will reach the crest and find "The Cabana." This is an immaculate piece of unique rock with lots of cool huecos and weird little ridge features, it's all about the eliminates on the traverse here, the up problems aren't that great. Tread lightly here, it sees little to no traffic because of the hike and it would be great if people kept it clean and serene like it is right now. There is one more gem on dakota, it is, I believe, called "Mickey's Fin," but I could be totally wrong. It is on the steep connector trail that comes up from the hawthorn trailhead. It is a little overhanging with killer underclings, pockets, pinches, and possibilities for some decently hard problems up the face and NW arete. There are lots of west facing faces all along Dakota Ridge that have lots of potential, but I have found a lot of the rock on these walls to be a little soft and crumbly, just not that particularly great, but feel free to explore. I was going to add all these areas with photos this summer, but I broke my ankle and can't walk or climb for a while, by next fall I should have them all documented. Good luck till then. Jun 28, 2009

Evan, thanks for all the valuable info re: Red Rocks and the Dakota Range. Honestly, the Sanitas area is one of my favorite areas to climb for the calm, chill atmosphere, and the great views of Boulder. Bummer about your ankle. Would love to spend some time climbing and developing these areas this summer. May 17, 2010

I wrote up a short "guide" that includes some of the Dakota Ridge formations and some additional boulders/problems that aren't mentioned here: whenindoubtrunitout.com/blo….

I'd be happy to add some of these to the site, but for some reason it won't let me? Maybe I'm just doing it wrong.... Dec 13, 2013

Great trail for hiking...my daughter was attacked by an unleashed dog and I almost got of the trail when unleashed dog jumped on me. I hope hikers are careful in handling dogs.... Other than dogs traffic, it is an exciting trail short and quick test of endurance. Apr 5, 2015