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Mt. Thorodin

Colorado > Golden > Golden Gate Canyon SP
Warning Access Issue: State Park - Fee Required. DetailsDrop down

Description

This is likely the best of the climbing at Golden Gate State Park. There are at least 3 crags here. All are visible from the Panorama Point. These crags are up to 450 feet in height. The rock is decent to excellent granite, generally less than vertical, filled with many cracks. Access is via faint trails or bushwhacking from Panorama Point with hikes to 1+ hours. These are generally west-facing, so you can generally watch the weather come in. The views are pleasant.

This is a sub-alpine climbing area at an elevation of ~10,000'.

For now, the crowds are not here.

Getting There

From Golden, head North on CO Hwy 93, head West up Golden Gate Canyon Rd to the park, turn right up the road past Kriley Pond ,and switchback to a gravel road. Follow the signs to Panorama Point. Hike. FWIW, we used to leave some adventure in these sub-alpine climbs & approaches.

Per Lee Smith: instead of hiking directly from Panorama Point, head down the road (east) for about 1/10th of a mile until the crag is due north and then head into the woods. It is much faster than starting right at Panorama Point.

Per Tim Stich: from Panorama Point, take the Raccoon Trail north along the road. It will then curve left towards the crags into the woods. Hike along pleasant meadows, and cross a small brook. Into the aspens you'll go, and then you'll notice the trail sharply turn left and down by a large, fallen tree. Go right around this dead tree's roots, and you'll see what looks like a faint road heading off north again. It's so old that trees now grow in the ruts. Walk along this path until you see tree branches laid down on the ground on both sides of a trail. This will head uphill to your right. Follow this until you meet a boulderfield. You are now just below the First Buttress. Look for a series of cairns, and try hard to follow them across the bottom of the First Buttress, which will then come into view. Keep following the cairns, and they will head uphill. You'll end up at the lower edge of the boulderfield for the Second Buttress, which is where most of the good routes are.

Per Klaw Klimbs: the dead tree is harder to see coming to the climber's trail and easier to see heading back. The aspen grove starts on your right, while you have a good view of the first buttress. You continue down the trail for a while, as the aspen grove thickens and moves over to the left side of the path as well. You are going slowly downhill. Eventually the trail enters some easy switchbacks. You'll see another Raccoon Trail trail marker, and then the trail takes a sharp, right turn (see my photo). This is your cue to begin looking for the cairn on the right marking the climber's trail, as well as the harder-to-see dead tree/root ball on the left. I don't think the trail resembles a road much anymore now in June 2019. Pine needles have thoroughly carpeted the forest floor, and there is now plenty of vegetation growing in the first part of the climber's trail, making it indistinct, especially seen from the Raccoon Trail. There is a cairn marking the beginning of the trail, and while the trail doesn't appear well-traveled, you can see the trees that are beginning to line both sides of the faint path (see my photo). Trees lining the path were added to/replaced today, June 29, 2019. Cairns up to the boulderfield below the first buttress/slab have also been rebuilt. There are still some large trees you have to step over, but we removed all fallen trees that were too high to step over. This trail would be difficult to follow if there were snow. 

Regulations

Mt. Thoridin is partly on Golden Gate Canyon SP land. Any new fixed hardware requires park approval on GGCSP land. Thank you.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

A CMC Route topo with route overview and approach information.
[Hide Photo] A CMC Route topo with route overview and approach information.
Mt. Thorodin via Google Earth.
[Hide Photo] Mt. Thorodin via Google Earth.
Doing the dog scramble with a leash on in the state park... view looking north from the first buttress with the SW side of the second buttress in the background.
[Hide Photo] Doing the dog scramble with a leash on in the state park... view looking north from the first buttress with the SW side of the second buttress in the background.
Mt. Thoridin's 1st, 2nd, & 3rd buttresses.
[Hide Photo] Mt. Thoridin's 1st, 2nd, & 3rd buttresses.
July 3rd walking on the road view.
[Hide Photo] July 3rd walking on the road view.
Second Buttress of Mt. Thorodin. Note, the dark crack to the left of center. This is the CMC route.
[Hide Photo] Second Buttress of Mt. Thorodin. Note, the dark crack to the left of center. This is the CMC route.
The 5.5 to 5.7 ramp just right of the start of CMC route.
[Hide Photo] The 5.5 to 5.7 ramp just right of the start of CMC route.
Mt. Thorodin contour terrain map.
[Hide Photo] Mt. Thorodin contour terrain map.
Storms moving in around Mt. Thorodin.
[Hide Photo] Storms moving in around Mt. Thorodin.
The grand sweep of Thorodins 2nd buttress from the saddle between 1 & 2 looking NW.
[Hide Photo] The grand sweep of Thorodins 2nd buttress from the saddle between 1 & 2 looking NW.
Looking East from P2 of a route on Second Buttress.
[Hide Photo] Looking East from P2 of a route on Second Buttress.
Second Buttress right side.
[Hide Photo] Second Buttress right side.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] RE: the approach; instead of bee-lining, use contouring and target yourself to move around the base of the lower slab (as seen in the above-pic) moving from south to north (the rock-climbing is west aspect) to enter the boulder field; see the cairn fairy appear (we actually did pick up the faint trail). Use countouring to get back to Panorama Point, I found the hike an enjoyable short wilderness experience and free of loose scree/talus. Jun 19, 2006
Tim Stich
Colorado Springs, Colorado
[Hide Comment] From right to left in the beta photo you have the First Buttress, Second Buttress, and Third Buttress. The formation between and in front of the First and Second Buttress is Thorodin Slab. Jul 16, 2007
[Hide Comment] Instead of hiking directly from Panorama Point, head down the road (east) for about 1/10th of a mile until the crag is due north and then head into the woods. It is much faster than starting right at Panorama Point.
We had the whole place to ourselves all day on a Saturday. This is really a great and lonesome crag. I will be back. Sep 9, 2007
Jason Haas
Broomfield, CO
[Hide Comment] I climbed several routes on the first buttress, roughly 150ft right of Twin Cracks in a left-facing alcove. Hubbel refers to this on p.94 of his Front Range Crags book as "steep, hard cracks in west-facing alcove" but didn't say if they had been done before or not. Anyone climb them before me? There's a pic above which lists all three routes, which go from left to right at 5.9, 5.10b, 5.10c Jun 21, 2008
Tim Stich
Colorado Springs, Colorado
[Hide Comment] Did either a link-up or a new route last Saturday combining the obvious ramp to the right of the start of the CMC route and then found features that led back to the left to a narrow walkway just before the summit ride I named The Paso Del Muerte (always loved that name in Mexican caves). I made a hand-drawn topo but would like to overlay it on a better photo sometime. Jul 5, 2010
Klaw Klimbs
Boulder, CO
[Hide Comment] Tim's comments were helpful, but we met climbers on the trail who told us we could find cairns about 50ft after a wooden bridge over a seasonal creek. We never made it to the actual trail as a result and ended up bushwhacking for fucking ever. It was maddening. Found the trail on the way down, but we were so annoyed with the bushwhack that we took it upon ourselves to improve the trail by building up existing cairns, added cairns when needed, removing downed trees blocking the path, and adding downed trees and branches (mostly aspen) along both sides of the path. It's faint but MUCH easier to find and follow now. There are consistently trees/branches lining the path, as well as cairns. The trail gets fainter at the top as you start navigating through more rocks, but the cairns increase in frequency there. Don't just go off trail! It sucks! Find the climber's trail! (It's still a good slog uphill though). Jun 29, 2019
Sam Rumel
Denver, CO
[Hide Comment] A 70-80m rope is recommended for rapping down the routes on the right side of the Second Buttress (CMC and rightward). A 60m will get you down but with some longer downclimbing on easy slabs. Jul 12, 2020
Rhonda Bowen
Golden, CO
[Hide Comment] I just want to shout out to Klaw Klimbs for all the hard work that he did on the trail up to Thorodin. Amazing! Thank you so much. We went out there today and hiked straight to the crag. Jul 8, 2022