Climbing At Mt. Evans Guidelines

Hello All,

Given the increase in popularity of bouldering at the Mt. Evans Wilderness Area, I would like to post some concerns and guidelines the US Forest Service has raised regarding climbers as a user group. There has been a lot of debate about stashed pads lately on the public forums, but I would like to highlight some other issues as well that should be voiced in order to preserve access to such a wonderful climbing area. The message below comes directly from conversations with USFS rangers.

Access:
Access to the Chicago Lakes bouldering (Areas A, B, etc) must be approached via the Chicago Lakes trail from Echo Lake. Climbers using the private access road to reach the bouldering areas has become a serious problem and measures are being taken to stop illegal traffic; violators will be ticketed and/or towed. Legitimate users of the road must have a valid permit displayed in their vehicle at all times.

Permits:
Any climbing at Mt. Evans is considered to fall within the Wilderness Area boundary. As a result, all climbers/boulderers must fill out a mandatory permit before entering the area. The permit box for the Chicago Lakes bouldering may be found just above the reservoir on the trail just after the road ends. The permits are to gather information about which areas are seeing the most traffic so they may be addressed with highest priority in the future for things like designating an official trail to bouldering areas, etc. Any visitor without a permit may be subject to a fine if stopped by a ranger, so please take a few seconds to fill one out.

Trails
Make sure to stay on the existing trails. The Chicago Lakes trail is an officially designated, USFS maintained trail. However, the trails that lead to the bouldering are considered to be essentially social trails and are not officially recognized by the FS. Help keep access open by minimizing vegetation destruction and excessive social trails. If a web of foot paths appear to every boulder, the USFS is very likely to restrict or prohibit climbing in order to preserve environmental resources. Exploring for unfound rock is certainly an allure…be respectful of vegetation and stick to rock hopping whenever possible.

Group Size:
Wilderness Areas also differ from other public use areas in that they limit group size to 15 people. The purpose of this is to minimize environmental and wildlife disturbance. Bouldering is inherently social and a big squad of buddies is always nice, especially on a highball, but please be respectful and keep the numbers and noise levels down. If you find yourself surrounded by a crowd, break into a couple of groups, there is no shortage of amazing problems to be had.

Vegetation
Destruction of vegetation is always a concern regarding bouldering areas. Be respectful with where you place you pads and where you decide to hang out while waiting for your next burn. Try to stick to hard surfaces whenever possible. Also, the USFS asks that you don’t cut or prune trees or alter landing zones.

Pads
The USFS is clearly against the practice of stashing pads. Any stashed pads are considered trash and will be carried out by rangers. If you have recently found that your stashed pad has been confiscated, you may ask a ranger to return it and will face a fine for leaving it in the Wilderness Area.

Dogs and Wildlife
Mt. Evans boasts an incredible array of wildlife. Be respectful by not approaching, feeding, petting, or harassing the animals. Dogs are permitted in the Wilderness Area (as opposed to RMNP where they are completely prohibited) but must be on a leash at all times. Owners with dogs that chase wildlife or are off leash are subject to ticketing.

In addition, the Upper Chicago Lakes basin is a designated kidding and lambing area for mountain goats. There is a closure of the area surrounding the Black Wall to all climbing until July 1st every year.

Leave no trace
Always practice ‘leave no trace’ ethics whenever bouldering, but especially at Mt. Evans. Chalk is an eyesore to non-climbers…if you need a tick to find a microscopic Evans dime edge, make sure you brush it off before you leave and try to use minimal chalk in areas that are visible from the main trail. Also, if your chalk pot spills, make sure to clean it up. Any garbage found lying around should be collected and given a free trip down to the receptacles at Echo Lake.

The USFS also recommends ‘leave no trace’ ethics for human waste…that means you pack EVERYTHING out! If you can’t talk yourself into pooping into a nalgene and carrying it around all day, make sure you find a place that is at least 200ft from water to do your business. Dig a cat hole at least 6 inches deep, put the cat in the hole then cover it up. Make sure to pack out the TP! No one wants to go looking for boulders and stumble upon your dirty litmus paper.

If there are any questions regarding the above guidelines or other issues at Mt. Evans, please feel free to contact me directly at horsetoothhang@yahoo.com. I am happy to address any questions or concerns you might have. Thanks for helping preserve access to such a wonderful climbing area and resource by adhering to the guidelines.
Cameron Cross

Very informative, thanks

stupid evans way too much hype. and there are hardly any cracks to send.... I haven't been back yet this year and I don't really care. South Platte is way better in my opinion you can find crack bouldering without the 4-6 hour drive to vedauwoo on rock that is granite just like evans. But then again you have to find it all on your own and probly clean the line you want to send, and there are no whordes of crowds or tick marks.

Evans isn't that great, go somewhere else if you want to pretend it's the spot, It was alot better when there weren't people on every rock.

Thanks for the information, Cameron. The climbing community needs more ambassadors like you.

thanks again, cam.

Jason Kaplan wrote:stupid evans way too much hype. and there are hardly any cracks to send.... I haven't been back yet this year and I don't really care. South Platte is way better in my opinion you can find crack bouldering without the 4-6 hour drive to vedauwoo on rock that is granite just like evans. But then again you have to find it all on your own and probly clean the line you want to send, and there are no whordes of crowds or tick marks. Evans isn't that great, go somewhere else if you want to pretend it's the spot, It was alot better when there weren't people on every rock.

south platte. bwahahahahhaahahaha

though i agree re: crowds and the south is nice to just get away from the scene.

off any semblance of topic question: why do folks have their climbing grades all over their profiles. clicked on your photo to see if the picture would enlargen and bam, assaulted with your 'lead' grades and such. very strange to me.

because people also use MP.com for networking to find people to rope climb with. With the lead grades and such you can find people to show you areas, or people on the same level to swap leads or someone who is eager to learn and will be happy to follow you up something they couldn't lead them selves. Sorry to "assault" you.

Cameron,
Where do you get a permit if parking near summit lake for a run up the Black Wall?

Kevin, you don't need any permit to park at the Summit lake PL to access the black wall, all you "need" is to pay the entrance fee at the ranger station at the bottom of the road. I believe its $11.

Wayne

Any time you are accessing the wilderness area (beyond a casual stroll from Summit lake to the edge, etc) you need a backcountry permit. I will post one online that you can download and take with you when you are planning on climbing the Black Wall. You can return it to the District Office they're open 7 days a week, 8-4:30, put it attention to Patti Turecek. If you return after the office is closed, you may also mail it to the following address:

Patti Turecek, Recreation Planner
USFS, Clear Creek Ranger District
101 Chicago Creek Road
PO Box 3307
Idaho Springs, CO 80452

I will post on here when the permit is up online.
Cameron

Just up the trail from Summit Lake is a self registration box with permits. You can use that to obtain a permit for the Black Wall area, if your approaching from the Summit Lake lot.

Thanks Mike, I had forgotten about that box.

I also forgot to note that any video taping for commercial purposes must be approved by the USFS and a permit must be obtained PRIOR to any taping. The fine for taping footage and commercially releasing it to the public is hefty and applies to any National Forest, not just Mt. Evans Wilderness.

Jason, maybe there is too much hype. Glad you are having fun in the South Platte now. As more people have finally gotten up to Evans, seen what there is to see and gotten on the well-known 3, 4 and 5 star problems within their ability-levels, more people have become more interested in other areas. I've noticed a lot of this the last few years.

Cam, as stated earlier, thanks for being a true ambassador for boulderers. It is my hope that the more information all of us have available to us as a user group, the less likely issues like pad-stashing will arise in the future.

sorry about the profile assult jaeger, I mostly use those features to keep directed mostly as far as the to do list goes, I just like to keep track of what I have done too, I think the application could be great for people working toward being a guide and keeping track of a route resume so to speak.

Anyway I am really pretty bummed cause I used to have fun at area A and didn't really get to know B but as far as I am concerned I am not worried about getting back out there to see a bunch of people everywhere, and possibly having to wait in line to climb a rock. When I start climbing evans again it's gonna be on the aprons or a more secluded area with no hype and crowds. All I can say is I hope a bunch of idiots don't get it shut down or locked down with a ton of restrictions as someday when the hype fades I will probly climb there again.

Untill then I will have to embrace my crack addiction at the voo and the platte.

Be aware that the ten dollar toll to head up the road is OPTIONAL they will present it to you that it is required but it is actually not legal for them to charge you to use that road since they do not own it, they will claim it is for use of picnic tables etc but the bottom line is you do not have to pay that fee! I believe(not positive)that it is owned by the city of Denver and you have already payed for its construction and ongoing care through road and property taxes REFUSE THIS FEE! (unless you are intending to use forest service facilities) Search Denver Post Mt Evans road controversy for more details

Jason Kaplan wrote:stupid evans way too much hype. and there are hardly any cracks to send.... I haven't been back yet this year and I don't really care. South Platte is way better in my opinion you can find crack bouldering without the 4-6 hour drive to vedauwoo on rock that is granite just like evans. But then again you have to find it all on your own and probly clean the line you want to send, and there are no whordes of crowds or tick marks. Evans isn't that great, go somewhere else if you want to pretend it's the spot, It was alot better when there weren't people on every rock.

I would just like to point out that your profile picture is of a boulder at Lincoln Lake.

I wonder if some of this is now outdated.