Climbing Near Dinosaur, Colorado

Large SSE facing flatirons of Weber Sandstone visible from Hwy. 40 as you come into Utah from the east. A mix of older and newer routes with very little information spread across a pretty large area. Older routes are 1/4" button heads which still "look" pretty bomber because of the desert climate. Two old guidebooks, Desert Rock IV and Rock 'n Road Atlas, mention climbs in the area, but don't have a lot of specifics. Potential for really classic 2-5 pitch slab climbs with amazing views! Turn north off of Hwy 40 at Davis Spring Rd. (22.7 miles from downtown Vernal, 11 miles from Dinosaur, CO). You're aiming for the smaller (from this distance at least) red rock formation that you can see at the base of the mountain. First 0.5 mile can be rough and muddy as a lot of folks camp with RV's and ATV's in this area. After this you drop into a wide wash with a small mudhole. Still okay for most cars at this point. After this wash the road actually tends to be a little sandy and smoother. At 2.1 miles from the road there is a fork. To go to the Amphitheater area turn left onto Cliff Creek Rd., for the Hidden Wall area continue on straight. We have always continued straight for all climbs and parked and hiked from the large red rock formation. There are a few washes that would require high clearance vehicles, although 4wd isn't necessarily needed. You'll have to be the judge of your driving limits. This isn't a place you would want to get stuck though!

This area includes both the Hidden Wall proper, and an older route that is just to the east.  We called it the Hidden Wall because it was tucked in behind the main flatirons that you see when driving up to the formation.  It looked really good from far away so we hiked up to check it out.  The hidden wall gets early sun, but the bottom goes in to the shade by 1-2pm. Both climbs are on lower angle flatirons of grey-stained Weber Sandstone, some with really cool crystal-filled pockets. The rock is generally really good quality, but there are pockets of choss here and there. They are pretty easy to spot. The friction is insanely good, so the climbs are steeper for the grade than you would find in other slab areas like Tuolumne. The Hidden wall was bolted with newer 1/2" stainless steel hardware and went for 2 pitches at around 220'. There is another 400' of rock above it on the wall but no clear sign of the route continuing. The other route was 1/4" buttonheads and also appeared to go on for at least two pitches. We didn't climb it due to the older hardware. I've always parked at the large red rock formation at the base of Blue Mountain, visible from Hwy. 40 when you turn onto Davis Spring Rd (40.2993, -109.191) so directions are from there. If you can't make it that far, just park as far as you can drive and follow Davis Spring Rd. to the red rock formation, and then the below directions from there. Wrap around the eastern side of the red rock formation and drop into the wash headed north. From there depending on which route you are going to, you follow the wash until it gets a bit difficult and then jump up onto one of the small ridges, still headed north. For the Hidden wall you wrap around behind the main flatirons in front. Follow the ridge up the last steep area to the base of the climb at 40.3399, -109.1626. It's a bit of a bushwhack so best to check it out on google maps or a gps before you head in. It's right at 0.8 miles from the parking area and takes 30-40 minutes once you know where you are going. For the older route, follow the wash for about 1/4 mile and then bump up to the east onto one of the low ridges. Follow the ridge NE to 40.3394, -109.1579. The last bit you will have to do some scrambling up some chossy/slabby areas to get to the base of the climb.

This is an obvious formation just right off the auto tour road. It is a large dome shaped rock with four boulders (the toes) at its base. On the auto tour, this is stop 12, or 10.3 miles from the entrance to the monument. Park at a pull out shortly past the formation, cross the creek, and head straight towards the formation.