March 1st-July 31st: Devil's Head Rock, Sin City, & Recovery Wall are closed for raptor protection. The vast majority of the other crags are unaffected by the closure. Please visit: fs.usda.gov/alerts/psicc/al… for additional information and maps.
Description
For those that missed the Rock and Ice mini-guide for Devil's Head(issue 223), Devil's Gate is a new addition to the already impressive swath of climbing at Devil's Head. There is a wide variety of climbing from highly featured slabs to slightly overhanging burliness on "too good to be true," patina edges. The difficulty of the routes span from 5.8 to 5.13 with the majority of the goodies falling in the 5.12 region. The setting of the crag offers amazing views of the sprawling South Platte capped by Pike's Peak on the horizon. Great trails, excellent bolting, and nice belay platforms make Devil's Gate a true gem.
Getting There
The hike's about 45 minutes, approaching from the old 1800s trail to the watchtower off Jackson Creek Road. It is best if you purchase the digital guidebook, unless you like bushwhacking among other shenanigans. If you wish to venture off without the guide, the best way is to follow Rampart Range Road, continuing right past the main Devil's Head parking lot all the way down to Jackson Creek Road. Follow Jackson Creek until you reach the second campsite on the right side of the road. There is a faint trail leading uphill across the road. There is quiet a bit of development going on, and it's fairly easy to mistake Devil's Gate for many of the other craggy spires.
[Hide Photo] Access trail from Jackson Creek Road. Look for a faint trail through the field where there is a break in the fence. Once in the tree line, the trail is obvious and well-marked with cairns. Nice wor…
[Hide Comment] This page has a fairly vague approach description. Perhaps add a more accurate approach description so it doesn't appear that you are simply trying to advertise Tod Anderson's Rakkup guide.
Sep 7, 2017
[Hide Comment] Hmmm, there really isn't too much routefinding on the approach. You just hike the trail up the hill, and it dumps you at the base of Devil's Gate.
Sep 7, 2017
[Hide Comment] Slim, you are correct. After going to Devil's Gate this past weekend, the trail to Devil's Gate was pretty straightforward without the digital guide.
Tod, I appreciate the enormous amount of time and effort you and your friends put into developing these routes and improving the trails (which are fantastic). With that said, nobody is paying you to do this. If this is not purely a labor of love, then you might be doing it for the wrong reasons. There are many prolific route developers out there who are not looking to recoup costs or looking for recognition for their work.
I won't say much on this matter, but the route development would certainly have been less expensive if some of the routes were more thoughtfully and tastefully bolted.
There will always be another motivated person who will climb what you don't. Please keep in mind future climbers when you drill holes into the rock.
Sep 11, 2017
[Hide Comment] It's not so much that he is recouping costs, but rather that the proceeds go towards hardware for future routes. I think there are other folks (along with Tod) that use these bolts on new routes.
Sep 11, 2017
[Hide Comment] Tod, in all honesty, I think it's simply folks not knowing or not seeing the big picture. You've definitely put in tons of hardware paid for from your own personal funds. Many of us don't have that as much in our day-to-day consciousness. So, on behalf of all us average climbers, pardon us and thank you!
Sep 17, 2017
[Hide Comment] The Devil's Gate Sector is not inside the raptor closure. The only crags affected by the closure are Devils Head Rock, Recovery Wall, and the Underworld.
Jun 4, 2019
[Hide Comment] Tod, with all due respect, there are limitations to any website structure, but a climber only has to click on "Details" to read what specific crags may be involved with raptor closures. Some insight and responsibility is left up to the user/climber to find details. In fact, this page and the area page have links for more information.
Jun 11, 2019
[Hide Comment] Additional climber parking at the former Jackson Creek Campground is now open. This is located just past the Devil's Gate trailhead and past a cabin on the right. The permitted parking spots are marked with a "P". Please follow the rules, park where designated, and DO NOT camp there. It took a lot to get this parking opened, let's keep it that way.
Sep 18, 2021
[Hide Comment] See the parking map in the photos above to avoid getting a ticket. The parking has changed and there is now ample free parking available,. It's just not obvious exactly where to go.
Sep 30, 2021
[Hide Comment] We just went out here to try to find Slabulous and ended up hiking for about 4 hours with full packs and never climbed a thing. Even with the signs out there now on the trees and Tod's "Devil's Head Climbing" full color guidebook, we never found the Slabulous crag. We found some routes that looked like 5.11-5.12s in what might have been Devil's Gate, but they didn't align with any of the pics in the guidebook. I know now why we didn't see a soul out there on a Saturday during peak season when not only are most other places are closed for raptor nesting, but everything at the Devil's Head trailhead was closed as well. It was a disappointing day to say the least.
Jun 15, 2022
Access Issue: Raptor Closures
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Tod, I appreciate the enormous amount of time and effort you and your friends put into developing these routes and improving the trails (which are fantastic).
With that said, nobody is paying you to do this. If this is not purely a labor of love, then you might be doing it for the wrong reasons. There are many prolific route developers out there who are not looking to recoup costs or looking for recognition for their work.
I won't say much on this matter, but the route development would certainly have been less expensive if some of the routes were more thoughtfully and tastefully bolted.
There will always be another motivated person who will climb what you don't. Please keep in mind future climbers when you drill holes into the rock. Sep 11, 2017
Westminster, Colorado
Westminster, Colorado
somewhere, USA