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Ciao Bella!

Colorado > Durango > Junction Creek

Description

This was originally inspired by Julia, my ex-sweetheart, and then her amazingly intelligent & wonderful daughters, then by iconic beauties, e.g. more or less famous ladies of our times, later inspired by female names I liked, and now by the idea of the incredible importance of Woman as an Archetype.

Anyway, this scrappy 50 to 80 foot cliff is dedicated to them, & it commemorates that diversity....

Right next to Junction Creek and characterized by various beds of dirty rock, Ciao Bella has interesting climbing on pockets, fins, loafs, and edges.

For the lower Central Portion area of the cliff, the initial 30-40 foot band is a bit chalky but relatively solid, and it leads to a big ledge of crumbly, coal-like rock.

Above this ledge is a roof composed of quartz-ish rock with many solid fins and edges. This fun roof feature varies from 5 to 15 feet.

Above is 40 or 50-feet of nice sandstone with many pockets, corners, grooves, and bulges to the top.

The Far Left & Far Right area are on either side of the lower Central Portion and have climbs which start above or level with the crumbly coal-like rock.

As the cliff faces north and a bit east, summer is best, while fall and spring are cool but tolerable. In winter, it's frigid, the road is closed seasonally, and one can ski in.

Getting There

Take CR 204 to parking lot of the Colorado Trail up next to the big bend in the road. For the 5 minute approach, drop down to the creek and cross just below where the big slabs of rock nudge the edge of a nice pool. Early in the season, fording the creek is helpful with sandals. The cliff is clearly above. Find the trail that crosses the rocky meadow and ascends to the outcrop. The historic approach is a left rising obvious grade, which incidentally, connects to Lightner Creek.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Low water.
[Hide Photo] Low water.
Through the trees....
[Hide Photo] Through the trees....