Mountain Project Logo
To save paper & ink, use the [Hide] controls next to photos and comments so you only print what you need.

CM: Devils Elbow

Missouri

Description

Small crag with not much development near Rolla. Good place if you're local, and for beginners. Cliff catches the afternoon sun, so early morning climbs are best here. Access is good, and crag is mostly maintained/developed by the Missouri S&T Climbing Club under agreement with the Forest Service.

A fair number of bolted routes, but bring some webbing for making TR anchors.

Don't park on top of the cliffs by the apartments. The bluff is on public property, but certain individuals have been upset by climbers leaving vehicles at the top. Park on the side of the road at the bottom. Please be conscious of the locals traveling the road. Pull over as far as possible off the road.

Under the agreement with the forest service, no cutting of vegetation, trail work, or route development can be done without prior approval. To seek this approval or ask any related questions, you can email the advisor to the S & T climbing club, Devin Burns: burnsde@mst.edu

Climbing is a high-risk sport, and climbers are solely responsible for their own safety. Climbing involves exposure to hazardous terrain and conditions. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is not obligated to assess or mitigate these hazards, nor is it responsible for assessing or maintaining the safety of climbing resources which include but are not limited to; approach/descent paths, climbing routes, fixed anchors or fixed equipment.

Getting There

Take exit 169 on I-44, and then head south. Take the first left onto Highway Z/Old Route 66. Follow this road for 3 miles, then turn left onto Teardrop Rd. As you pass the Elbow Inn, bear left onto the dirt road. Do not cross the bridge. The approach trail is about a half mile down the dirt road, marked by a green spray painted rock. If you hit a right hand curve and a jeep trail, you've gone too far. Parking along the dirt road is limited, but there's space for a few cars. A new approach trail with switchbacks put in fall of 2018, so be sure to use the switchbacks, not the scramble up the gulley. GPS Coordinates:  37.84828, -92.05812

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Sunset at Delbow
[Hide Photo] Sunset at Delbow
Looking at the headwalls from the bridge
[Hide Photo] Looking at the headwalls from the bridge
Approach Trail
[Hide Photo] Approach Trail

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Brennan VanDyke
Edmond, OK
[Hide Comment] Great job, developers! Fun local routes with great work done on the trail system! Thanks for the hard work, it was a fun place to stop for an hour or two on my drive down 44 Nov 30, 2019
Greg Gamble
St. Louis, MO
[Hide Comment] I have a link to a scanned copy of a guide book for devil's elbow that was authored in the 1980's. Available upon request. Oct 6, 2022