Lower Blair I, II, III, and vicinity Rock Climbing
Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.
Elevation: | 8,000 ft |
GPS: |
41.18961, -105.39001 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 168,783 total · 679/month |
Shared By: | Old Fart aka Dave Bohn on Oct 13, 2003 · Updates |
Admins: | Mike Snyder, Taylor Spiegelberg, Jake Dickerson, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Aeon Aki |
Description
This little visited area, West of "The Main Mobscene", harbors the 2 best moderate "sport bolted" faces at the "Woo" plus some awesome cracks, lots of trees, shade (and no people, shhhhh!).
Eds. Initially this was a combined area. With time, the MP.com community has indicated it would be more helpful to subdivide this area for easier use.
This area includes Lower Blair I, Lower Blair II, Lower Blair III, The Vulture, Goldirocks, and miscellaneous bits of rock nearby.
Thus, we reorganize!
Eds. Initially this was a combined area. With time, the MP.com community has indicated it would be more helpful to subdivide this area for easier use.
This area includes Lower Blair I, Lower Blair II, Lower Blair III, The Vulture, Goldirocks, and miscellaneous bits of rock nearby.
Thus, we reorganize!
Getting There
Follow the general directions to Vedauwoo from Cheyenne, but then turn South and then West on the South frontage road. Cross North under the Interstate on Blair Road and drive N on FS 705 to a picnic/parking area (FS 705e) just after crossing Crow Creek (~2.5 miles), it is a fee area. Closest to the parking to the Northeast are the Adam's Ribs. A well used mountain bike/horse trail leads east from the parking area and a few hundred yard east, turn North and head up to the main rock masses. "Heel and Toe" labels these as Blair III, II, and I heading West to East.
Per Skip Harper: you just can't miss Lower Blair. Driving down (basically east) Road #707 from the 'Blair Underpass', three closely situated monoliths begin appearing ahead of you. At first they seem rather unsubstantial against the background of the Sherman Mountains, but they continue to grow larger as you get closer. These are the Three Blairs (#s 1, 2, and 3) upon which most of the climbs are located and can be seen on the topo as well as in other photos. As you leave the parking lot and hike towards them, they simply continue to get even larger. By the time you are at their base, they are massive, an alluring feature that catches almost everyone by surprise. These formidable structures were named for Chuck Van Blair, one of many members of the University of Wyoming Outing Club who climbed to their summits in the mid 1900s. In fact, Blair himself is the namesake for the entire area known today as ... "Blair".
Because of the rather ordered nature of Lower Blair, it's not nearly as difficult to navigate as Upper Blair. Moreover, it is a fascinating place, generally so quiet the distant hum of traffic on I-80 seems intrusive. In counterpoint to the overbearing rock formations, it is highly forested, wildflowers bloom throughout the climbing season and the light fragrance of sage is pervasive, creating the illusion of a magical refuge. Within this context, it is surprisingly full of climbs for everyone. You will find daring runouts (Arete Already), exciting trads (A Thing of Beauty), huge flaring offwidths (The Putter), perfect hands (Le Petit Arbre) as well as challenging mixed (trad+sport) climbs (Deadman's Glove). There are fanatical contortions almost beyond imagination (The Wing) as well as some of the best climbs at the lower and intermediate grades found throughout Greater Vedauwoo.
There are several lesser formations closely associated with the 3 Blairs, Little Blair, Goldirocks, and Adam's Ribs. All formations are relatively linear and have a northeast to southwest bearing. Thus most have a 'southeast face' and a 'northwest face', although most simply refer to the north or south faces rather than adhering to the mind bending insistence of being exact.
Per Skip Harper: you just can't miss Lower Blair. Driving down (basically east) Road #707 from the 'Blair Underpass', three closely situated monoliths begin appearing ahead of you. At first they seem rather unsubstantial against the background of the Sherman Mountains, but they continue to grow larger as you get closer. These are the Three Blairs (#s 1, 2, and 3) upon which most of the climbs are located and can be seen on the topo as well as in other photos. As you leave the parking lot and hike towards them, they simply continue to get even larger. By the time you are at their base, they are massive, an alluring feature that catches almost everyone by surprise. These formidable structures were named for Chuck Van Blair, one of many members of the University of Wyoming Outing Club who climbed to their summits in the mid 1900s. In fact, Blair himself is the namesake for the entire area known today as ... "Blair".
Because of the rather ordered nature of Lower Blair, it's not nearly as difficult to navigate as Upper Blair. Moreover, it is a fascinating place, generally so quiet the distant hum of traffic on I-80 seems intrusive. In counterpoint to the overbearing rock formations, it is highly forested, wildflowers bloom throughout the climbing season and the light fragrance of sage is pervasive, creating the illusion of a magical refuge. Within this context, it is surprisingly full of climbs for everyone. You will find daring runouts (Arete Already), exciting trads (A Thing of Beauty), huge flaring offwidths (The Putter), perfect hands (Le Petit Arbre) as well as challenging mixed (trad+sport) climbs (Deadman's Glove). There are fanatical contortions almost beyond imagination (The Wing) as well as some of the best climbs at the lower and intermediate grades found throughout Greater Vedauwoo.
There are several lesser formations closely associated with the 3 Blairs, Little Blair, Goldirocks, and Adam's Ribs. All formations are relatively linear and have a northeast to southwest bearing. Thus most have a 'southeast face' and a 'northwest face', although most simply refer to the north or south faces rather than adhering to the mind bending insistence of being exact.
Classic Climbing Routes at Lower Blair I, II, III, and vicinity
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
Weather Averages
High
|
Low
|
Precip
|
Days w Precip
|
Prime Climbing Season
J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
Photos
All Photos Within Lower Blair I, II, III, and vicinity
Most Popular · Newest · RandomMore About Lower Blair I, II, III, and vicinity
Printer-FriendlyWhat's New
Guidebooks (2)
7 Comments