Boudler, CO sport climbing?

If you had a week right now, where would be the best place in CO to visit for 5.10 - 5.11 sport climbing?

eldo, but bring a rack

If you want SPORT. It would be Clear Creek Canyon, Check out wall of the 90's

mountainproject.com/v/wall-…

Trad: Eldo no question, but pretty sure you said sport.

I don't think Boulder has any good climbing.

Avalon bc

Travel from CA to go to CCC!?!
If its under 90, Shelf but you still need to chase shade. If above 90 at Shelf, Rifle. Devils Head's in there too, but its seeming like a bad year for flies there.

Shelf Road forecast

Edit- Since you refer to Boulder in the title, then yeah, CCC if you're staying close.

Dream Canyon

How about the Monestary? Or Jurasssic Park? Maybe I'm just partial to the Estes Park Valley.

Are you in Colorado specifically to climb or are you here on business or something and looking to get in some sport climbing?

But since you asked about sport climbing in the Boulder area...

In Boulder/Denver there are a few areas with some nice 5.10-5.11 lines, but nothing I would fly half way across the country for... they are the type of things you take a friend on that has come to visit to do a big climb and you have an afternoon to kill. Clear Creek, as some people have mentioned, has some nice lines, but you are directly above a loud road.

For Clear Creek I would go to Wall of the 90s in the morning when it is in the shade, or Little Eiger all day. Both have a decent concentration of good 5.10-5.11 routes (bring a 70m rope!). They have practically no approach, but the downside of that is they are loud and next to the road.

In Boulder Canyon, I would go to Avalon and hit up some nice lines like Dominator, Lust, Strange Science and random others for a day. Animal World has some fun 11s as well, if you go late in the afternoon (morning, to mid afternoon sun). Sherwood forest is also shady and has climbs in your range, but nothing special.

Shelf... ehh... Shelf is awesome in the winter. It can be snowing in Denver and you can climb there in a t-shirt in the sun. Right now you will be chasing shade and boiling hot every time you get in to the sun. It is also 2.5 hours from Boulder.

Rifle is better known for 5.12 and harder climbs... If you will be in Boulder, it doesn't seem like it would be worth driving 4 hours if you aren't looking for 12s.

The Monastery outside of Estes has some nice 5.11 lines in a beautiful setting and the weather would be great this time of year. Most of the cool looking lines there are 12+ and almost everything under 5.10 is slabby, pebble pinching (I don't like that style, but some might). However, there are enough 5.11s to keep busy for a couple of days and it is a very pretty place.

Do you have a car? If you are going to spend a week, I would consider driving up to Ten Sleep, WY if all you want is sport.

As others have said, the Boulder area has a lifetime worth of classic trad lines. According to your profile you should be able to lead hard enough trad to never run out of things to do here. Eldo in Boulder (flatirons and the few classic trad lines in Boulder Canyon are fun), Lumpy an hour away, South Platte and RMNP alpine within 1.5 hours (RMNP still has quite a bit of snow though...)

Bring your rack and you will have a much better time.

Shumin Wu wrote: Are you really going to recommend places that have at most a few good routes at each grade to someone traveling for 1 week from out of town?

Kinda looks like I did right? Or where you being rhetorical?

Jurassic is a nice place to climb...amazing views, not alot of people. I'd rather climb there than CCC, sucking diesel over a loud road.

for 5.10 to 5.11 sport climbing, shelf or devils head are your best options. if you stay in the shade at shelf, you should be ok. should be pretty quiet during the week too.

boulder canyon has some mediocre sport climbing. dream canyon is pretty decent. camping will be near impossible though.

I am not sure where "BOUDLER, CO" is? But if you are coming to Boulder, CO - Then Boulder Canyon has all you need if you are rackless.

Toby B wrote:I don't think Boulder has any good climbing.

You're absolutely right, Tony.

Rifle, Independence Pass, or Boulder Canyon. Or rent a car and drive to Ten Sleep.

If your looking for good sport climbing + camping (free) go to Devil's Head it's great for 5.10, 5.11 climbing and the LWS is the place to go ,get the guide if your going though!

I concur with sport climbing at Devil's Head. Best granite clip-up routes I've done. Bring a love of chicken heads. Find "fire on the mountain" Climb it.

I think Boulder Canyon has some great sport routes too. Check out Plotinus wall and Tonerre Tower. Either will probably boost your ego.

CCC is great if you don't want an approach at all, but damn, it's getting busy up there. Make sure you tie a knot in the end of your rope. Bring a 70m.

Eleven mile is good if you want slab.

The monestary is awesome for climbing cobble.

Gosh, a week of in CO? Probably I wouldn't spend the whole time climbing ;-).

Julius Beres wrote:Are you in Colorado specifically to climb or are you here on business or something and looking to get in some sport climbing? But since you asked about sport climbing in the Boulder area... In Boulder/Denver there are a few areas with some nice 5.10-5.11 lines, but nothing I would fly half way across the country for... they are the type of things you take a friend on that has come to visit to do a big climb and you have an afternoon to kill. Clear Creek, as some people have mentioned, has some nice lines, but you are directly above a loud road. For Clear Creek I would go to Wall of the 90s in the morning when it is in the shade, or Little Eiger all day. Both have a decent concentration of good 5.10-5.11 routes (bring a 70m rope!). They have practically no approach, but the downside of that is they are loud and next to the road. In Boulder Canyon, I would go to Avalon and hit up some nice lines like Dominator, Lust, Strange Science and random others for a day. Animal World has some fun 11s as well, if you go late in the afternoon (morning, to mid afternoon sun). Sherwood forest is also shady and has climbs in your range, but nothing special. Shelf... ehh... Shelf is awesome in the winter. It can be snowing in Denver and you can climb there in a t-shirt in the sun. Right now you will be chasing shade and boiling hot every time you get in to the sun. It is also 2.5 hours from Boulder. Rifle is better known for 5.12 and harder climbs... If you will be in Boulder, it doesn't seem like it would be worth driving 4 hours if you aren't looking for 12s. The Monastery outside of Estes has some nice 5.11 lines in a beautiful setting and the weather would be great this time of year. Most of the cool looking lines there are 12+ and almost everything under 5.10 is slabby, pebble pinching (I don't like that style, but some might). However, there are enough 5.11s to keep busy for a couple of days and it is a very pretty place. Do you have a car? If you are going to spend a week, I would consider driving up to Ten Sleep, WY if all you want is sport. As others have said, the Boulder area has a lifetime worth of classic trad lines. According to your profile you should be able to lead hard enough trad to never run out of things to do here. Eldo in Boulder (flatirons and the few classic trad lines in Boulder Canyon are fun), Lumpy an hour away, South Platte and RMNP alpine within 1.5 hours (RMNP still has quite a bit of snow though...) Bring your rack and you will have a much better time.

I am in the middle of a nine month climbing trip, so I would be going for the climbing. I am in Red Rocks right now and plan to be in Canada within three weeks. Before I visit Canada I will visit Spearfish, SD. So basically I am looking for any sport climbing between Las Vegas, NV and western South Dakota. I have been looking at Ten Sleep, WY but the weather forecast has been shit for weeks now, everyday I check it says thunderstorms across the board.

If you can get up hard 5.11 sport climbing, then there are several days worth of 3-4 star, multi-pich sport routes at Ra and the ?Halidome?.

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If you don't climb hard 11 and easy 11 is it, then it is only worth a day or two, because not so many of the lines are going to me attractive to you.
This is some of Colorado's nicest sport climbing for the summer months. It's pretty alpine, so don't go up there in a thunderstorm expecting to come back.

Scott McMahon wrote: Jurassic is a nice place to climb...amazing views, not alot of people. I'd rather climb there than CCC, sucking diesel over a loud road.

I agree, but I probably wouldn't suggest he plan it for multiple days in a row.

If you have a few days, do a day at each of these:

* Jurassic Park, Lily Lake - there are a few nice routes in the 10-11 range, and one excellent 11/12)
* The Monastery - it's a 45min hike in and out (up-hill both ways).00 Get on Groom for a 5.9 warm-up, and Bear Hug (11a) for sure. Most everything else in the 10-11 range is slabby. Tabula Rasa is a good example of a classic route there.
* Mary's Bust - Brown Palace is a beautiful 6 pitch sport line to the top of the crag, and some other good single pitch lines.
* Boulder Canyon - could play here for multiple days at various crags. The river noise right now is louder than the road noise.