Kim, CO advice

I've had success in the past asking for advice on MP so I thought I'd try it again.

I'm driving my Grandfather out to Kim, CO (very southeast corner) by way of Denver for a hunting trip immediately following Thanksgiving. Could you guys recommend any mountainous activities that would be in season? I haven't really kept up on the ice threads and don't really have a sense for the amount of snow in the mountains in late November/early December for skiing or climbing. Maybe something around Colorado Springs? Or would Great Sand Dunes be fun that time of year?

Or maybe just fun things to do to occupy myself around Kim while he hunts for several days? This area is all grassland but I'm open to ideas.

I'd hate to waste a trip to Colorado by not getting outdoors.

Cheers and thanks for advice.
Jason

So far the early season snow looks pretty good but this is not the prime time to ski in Colorado.

The SandDunes are in the coldest valley in Colorado after the Gunnison Valley. But this time of year the weather is like a yo yo. Could be beautiful, warm, could be brutally cold. Since you are so far South, Telluride might be your best bet for skiing.

This thread will be fun to see if anyone here has actually been to Kim Colorado.

Wolf Creek Pass will be your closest bet for snow, they already have a lot of double diamond terrain open at the area and the BC should be loaded up. It looks like another storm is coming in later this week too. It should be about a 4 hour drive from Kim, I would guess.

How about spending some quality time with your Grandfather? I'm not a hunter, but have been pheasant hunting a few times and it's a blast.

I could understand if hunting isn't your thing, but if you've never tried it, you could have an awesome opportunity to see a different side of the CO outdoors.

Mitch Hoffman wrote:How about spending some quality time with your Grandfather? I'm not a hunter, but have been pheasant hunting a few times and it's a blast. I could understand if hunting isn't your thing, but if you've never tried it, you could have an awesome opportunity to see a different side of the CO outdoors.

And, a different side of your Grandfather. . . (not trying to sound pretentious, you probably know him very well).

Okay, so you've received advise for the "other than Kim" areas. If you wanted to stay in the grasslands, and closer to basecamp, there is a lot of good bouldering in the area, and a lot of good history and historical artifacts to see. Heck there's even some good TR'ing and short trad routes near Kim.
I'll sugest Picture Canyon: petroglyphs/pictographs, springs and old homesteads, as well as excellent bouldering and some good TR'ing and short trad leads. Great rock. Take the narrative trail heading south. As it turns to the west (and begins to head back to the parking area) trek across the grasslands on an old ranchers road until you come to a fenceline with a sign "Welcome to Oklahoma". Notice the boulders and cliffs to the south, and proceed to them (don't know if this is private or not, but no signs reflect that it is).
Also, the TR wall is right there in the parkign lot/picnic area. There are some exisitng TR anchors and some neat trad lines too.
Also recommend Corrizo Canyon for some of the same, though not as much or of the same quality.
I love the grasslands for tinkering around for a few days.

You can check out Black Mesa, it's the highest point in the state of Oklahoma, located about an hour and a half south east of Kim.

+1 for what The Ascender noted.

That whole area is great... Purgatory is killer as well. And for an actual climbing area Sugarite is not far. Of course with the time of year it can be really cold or really nice.

Love exploring the canyons down there.
springfieldcolorado.com/can…

there is a small basalt tower down in that area with a 5.9 route on it, if i remember right. i think maybe russ holcombe, or somebody with a similar route did the FA. also, there are some canyons down in that general area that supposedly have some good bouldering. possibly in the commanche/grasslands NF or preserve.

I saw some bolted routes in Picture Canyon. I have no info on them, I just know they were put up by a former Comanche Grasslands employee.

Thanks for all the replies.

I've been hunting with him in the past. It was fun, but not really my thing. I much prefer watching/observing animals rather than stalking them for the sake of killing them. Don't get me wrong, I'll eat anything my Grandpa brings back.

I've been doing some thinking the past few days and as interesting as it would be to hang around the grasslands near Kim, it just doesn't seem feasible. My Grandpa is traveling to Texas after his hunting trip and would leave me in a tight spot for flying back to Chicago. I'd rather fly back out of Denver.

Maybe I'll stick around Colorado Springs? Fun things to do there in the late fall? Shelf Road? Easy to find partners? I'll be solo.

Actually I'm really dreaming about ice climbing though. How are the ice/mixed lines around Vail in early December?

Or other easily accessible (and easy to find partners) ice in the Front Range in season by then?