Gilman Canyon Rock Climbing

Gilman Canyon has always left me a bit under-whelmed as a climbing destination, however, set at the foot of the Holy Cross Wilderness as it is, Gilman is worth an exploratory trip now and then. The crags are just off the RR tracks, on the right, with most of the approach entailing a hike along the tracks. The stone is a highly featured black colored granite that produces edge and pocket climbing on largely vertical walls. Most routes are between 40 and 80 ft in length, West facing, but low in the canyon. The individual crags hold only a few routes each but they are scattered along-side the tracks for half a mile. Most approaches from the tracks are under one minute in duration, although some crags higher up the canyon have been developed. Route development has followed a more or less reluctant acceptance of bolting and as a result many of the lines will use trad gear, pins, and bolts as needed. Many of the lines are pure trad, so don't forget to bring a rack with wires and a full set of camming units. This is an alpine setting and climbing won't really take off until the middle of April, and even then it can be chancy or cold. Mid-summer of course is a good time. For simplicity, numbering begins close to the parking and follows the right fork in the tracks. An additional crag sitting left of the second set of tracks has been climbed.