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Emerald Lake / Tyndall Gorge Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Emerald Lake / Tyndall Gorge

Emerald Canyon 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0

Emerald Lake & vicinity 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 0 / 1 / 1 / 1

Flattop Mountain - S side 8 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3 / 0 / 9 / 9 / 9

Hallett Peak - ice/mixed/snow 14 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 3 / 0 / 23 / 26 / 26

Nymph Lake 8 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 7 / 0 / 7 / 8 / 8

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Elevation:	10,100 ft	3,078 m
GPS:	40.30996, -105.66821 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	130,854 total · 425/month
Shared By:	ClimbandMine on Nov 29, 1999
Admins:	Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Regulations Details

General NPS climbing regulations for RMNP posted here.

Description

Tyndall Gorge is comprised of the alpine rock routes on Hallett Peak, rock and alpine routes on the south face of Flattop Mountain (The Dragon's Tail), and Emerald Lake bouldering. Easy access from Bear Lake increases its popularity (let's play Dodge the Tourist!), not to mention some stellar routes. The area has something for everyone - easy alpine cruises, long trad routes, hard ice climbing, and boulders.

[Eds. for this section, it seems reasonable to split this into Bear Lake & vicinity, Nymph Lake & vicinity 0.5mi, Emerald Lake & vicinity 1.8mi, Flattop Mt 2.5mi, and Hallett Peak, 2.5mi. You're unlikely to need GPS in this area.]

Getting There

From the Bear Lake Trailhead, follow signs to Dream Lake and Emerald Lake. A 45 minute hike up the canyon on good trails gets you to the upper-most lake - Emerald Lake. The alpine routes and rock climbs on Flattop Mtn. are accesses by rock hopping around the north side of the lake. Hallet Peak is reached by traversing the slope above the south shore. Allow an hour to the base of Dragon's Tail Couloir (in the summer) and an hour and a half or more to the base of Hallett.

44 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Emerald Lake / Tyndall Gorge

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

WI1 M1 Mod. Snow 119 ● Dragon's Tail Couloir Trad, Mixed, Ice, Snow, Alpine Flattop Mtn - S side
M2- Mod. Snow 19 ● Dragon's Tooth (aka Dead Elk Cou… Trad, Mixed, Snow, Alpine Flattop Mtn - S side
WI3+ M6 23 ● Bullett Trad, Mixed, Ice, Alpine Hallett Peak -… > NE Buttress Hallett P…
WI5-6 M6-7 16 ● The Squid Mixed, Ice, Alpine 2 pitches Emerald Lake & vicinity
WI5+ M5-6 Steep Snow 30 ● Hallett Chimney, AI5 M5 Trad, Mixed, Ice, Snow, Alpine Hallett Peak -… > NE Buttress Hallett P…
Mod. Snow 9 ● Tyndall Gully Snow, Alpine Hallett Peak -… > NE Buttress Hallett P…
M5- 31 ● Great Dihedral to Upper Buttress Mixed, Alpine 5 pitches Hallett Peak -… > NE Buttress Hallett P…
M1-2 Steep Snow PG13 8 ● Southeast Face Couloir aka S-Cou… Trad, Mixed, Snow, Alpine 5 pitches Flattop Mtn - S side
M5-6 7 ● The Slit Trad, Mixed, Alpine 5 pitches Hallett Peak -… > NE Buttress Hallett P…
M5-6 6 ● Englishman's Route Mixed, Alpine 6 pitches Hallett Peak -… > NE Buttress Hallett P…
WI4 M4 4 ● Dodging the Bullet Trad, Mixed, Ice, Alpine Hallett Peak -… > NE Buttress Hallett P…
WI2 M2 Mod. Snow 12 ● Smoke and Dragons Couloir Mixed, Ice, Snow, Alpine Flattop Mtn - S side
4th 1 2 I 2 M 1b Mod. Snow 6 ● East Ridge Snow, Alpine Hallett Peak -… > E Buttress
Easy 5th 1+ 3 I 5 M 1c WI2+ M1 Mod. Snow 8 ● Southeast Face Trad, Mixed, Ice, Snow, Alpine 2 pitches Flattop Mtn - S side
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b M4 Steep Snow 21 ● Enter The Dragon (aka Old Route) Trad, Mixed, Snow, Alpine 6 pitches Flattop Mtn - S side