All Locations > Colorado > Estes Park Valley > Big Thompson Ca… > Monastery

Outer Gates Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Outer Gates

L › R R › L A › Z

	Abbot Arete S 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Altered Boy S 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	CCD S 5.2 3 8 II 8 D 2c
	Cloister Frock S 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Crucifix S 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Crystal Staircase S 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R
	Dale's Downpulling Digits Decadent Donjon S 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Fin Du Monde S 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a
	Going to the Chapel S 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Hog Heaven S 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Jesus on a Stick S 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Kohlmann's Complex S 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	La Maudite S 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a
	Monastic Groove S 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Moving to Montana S 5.10c/d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
	Mystery Route S 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	No Mystery Here S 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Pandora's Pebble Pinching Party Palace S 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Simplexity S 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a
	Southern Hospitality S 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Steeple, The S 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Stone Smoked Porter S 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
	Table Wine S 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Trois Pistoles S 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Two Buck Chuck S 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b

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Elevation:	7,762 ft	2,366 m
GPS:	40.45293, -105.369 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
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Shared By:	Jesse Ryan on Jan 28, 2002 · Updates
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See Weather Forecast

Access Issue: Area closure - now lifted. Previously: Storm Mt./Cedar Park road is reopened to all Details

Per Kurtz: The Monastery is open again! fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO….

Per Julie Nelson: the forest is closed due to after fire concerns in this area until June 30, 2021. There is a sign at the trailhead about the closure. See the US Forest Service website for further updates.

Previously: per Bruce Hildenbrand: Storm Mountain Road is open to all.

Per Hank C: the Storm Mt./Cedar Park area is closed to locals-only traffic for the time being due to wildfire concerns. We were turned away by a park ranger this morning (9/12/2020).

Access Issue: Access issue - Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc. - open since 2023 Details

Update: per Bruce Hildenbrand: the area has been open since 2023.

Per JF M: as of May 2022, there is no signage on-site, nor information on the USFS webpage for the Cameron Peak Fire (nor on their published map of closures) that indicates the area is closed.

Per Bruce Hildenbrand: it appears that the Forest Service has closed access to all the climbing areas accessed via Storm Mountain Road (Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc.) until they can clear all the dangerous dead trees from the Cameron Peak fire.

I worked this issue with Eric Murdock at the AF, and it looks like the Forest Service picked Devil's Gulch Road as the southern boundary even though all the climbing areas on MP.com were not burned.

Description

Home to many many moderate (5.7 - 5.10a) well-bolted sport routes, this is rightly one of the more popular destinations at the Monastery. One finds such highly featured rock the crux is often in hanging out long enough to decide which holds to use. Classics include No Mystery Here (5.7), The Steeple (5.8), and Monastic Groove (5.8).

[Eds. Going NW from the Outer Gates are narrow subcorridors, with routes inside, separating some of these southern-most Outer Gates SE faces of these crags. Some of these subcorridors have separate names. These subcorridors are: unnamed, unnamed, The Balcony, Hallowed Hall, & Inner Sanctum. For the purposes of organization, routes within this subcorridors will be organized in the The Vestibule section.]

Getting There

Just before the Guardian, head downhill, basically skirting around the left side of the main towers of the Monastery. You will pass just below the two bolted routes on the Not So Hairy Pin (5.8+ and 5.11d). Just past these routes take a right turn down the hill and you will begin passing alonside the Outer Gates. You will pass Harley Davidson (5.12c) up high then Simplexity (5.9+) and Going to the Chapel (5.8) at the Balcony. Finally one reaches the high density collection of routes on the Steeple, Vestry and Wine Cellar.

25 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Outer Gates

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b 70 ● Pandora's Pebble Pinching Party… Sport
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b 56 ● Abbot Arete Sport
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b 69 ● No Mystery Here Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 119 ● The Steeple Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 31 ● Crucifix Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 150 ● Monastic Groove Sport
5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 8 ● Dale's Downpulling Digits Decade… Sport
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a 65 ● Simplexity Sport
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a 93 ● La Maudite Sport
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a 52 ● Fin Du Monde Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 34 ● Hog Heaven Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 27 ● Stone Smoked Porter Sport