Devils Head Closed until December

J. Albers wrote:

If it its private, you have avenues to pursue access?!?! What planet do you live on? Your statements are so unbelievably misguided its hard to know where to start. US public lands are one of the most wonderful gifts that we collectively have as Americans. If you don't like it how it is, go try living in Europe where all the land is in private hands and see how you like. Yeesh.

US public lands are indeed a wonderful gift. However your assertion about Europe is equally misguided. The legal "Right to roam" exists in Scotland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland. This means total freedom to wander at will on private and public lands, as long as no damage is caused. In the rest of the UK such laws apply to most uncultivated land i.e. all the mountains. Similar laws apply in Germany.

Jonathan Lagoe wrote:

US public lands are indeed a wonderful gift. However your assertion about Europe is equally misguided. The legal "Right to roam" exists in Scotland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland. This means total freedom to wander at will on private and public lands, as long as no damage is caused. In the rest of the UK such laws apply to most uncultivated land i.e. all the mountains. Similar laws apply in Germany.

Not misguided at all actually (I lived in Germany and climbed ice and rock so I have some perspective). You are correct about the freedom to roam part, but that freedom is limited in many deeply important  (to me at least) ways. For example, you can’t just drive your truck down a dirt road, park it, and camp. You also can’t walk  onto someone’s property, drop a fixed line and start establishing route. The list goes on. A lot of this is not their fault, they just don’t have any free land left that isn’t owned. FS and BLM/BRM land here in the US allows for great freedoms that are simply impossible in Europe. 

The issue we are seeing now is that those freedoms also come with responsibility, and many people are incapable or unwilling to exercise that responsibility. And this is why I don’t exactly blame the forest service for closing the Devils Head trail. If it’s open, it’s pretty obvious to me what’s going to happen. Tons of people are going to come and none of those people are going to distance which would be hard anyway because of the trail. And truth be told, the forest service doesn’t have the resources to manage that aspect of public usage (or even to keep the bathroom clean adequately given how often they would need to be sanitized during a pandemic). So they did the obvious thing which is to close it down. And they didn’t close down the whole national forest, just the part that would need management. Bummer? Of course. Reasonable. Yeah probably.

I'm from the UK - also lived in France and Switzerland  10 years now in Colorado.

It sounds like you had bad experiences - and I don't know much about Germany. It does vary from country to country for sure. In Switzerland you'll get ticket for camping almost anywhere, but you can climb and put up routes at will. In Scotland you can camp by the road in the Highlands anywhere - and in Norway camp anywhere at all in the country - as long as you are 150m from, and out of sight of, a house.

The Queen owns all the land in the UK (as well as Canada & Australia amongst others) anyway and it's moot whether that's public or private!

Bottom line is that it's not as simple as US access = good, Europe= bad as you seemed to be implying. The jury is out for me. I can see quite a few good looking front range crags from my window right now that I can't get near..

Big Dick Johnson wrote:

Devils Head is closed off this year. You can bet they will gate off Jackson Creek too.

Mike, Devils Head is NOT closed.  Just the sh&t show that is the main lot and fire tower trail.  Frankly I liked the lack of tourist traffic this past weekend...

slim wrote:

seems like you are still exaggerating a bit...

Or slow down and read... the parts of Rampart Range Road used to access Devil’s Head Parking lot are closed. Go back to law school, pass the bar and people might actually *pay* you to nitpick. Going back to crag development now...

“No. I'm saying everyone who thinks Public Lands belong to us and that guarentees access is misinformed. If the land is private, you at least have avenues to pursue access. When the State dictates land off limits, there is zero negotiation.  Because the State is never held accountable, ever, for its actions.”

This is why:
1. Disputes between climbers need to be handled between climbers *Not* by notifying the land manager
2. Climbers need to be buying land with cliffs and/or access to cliffs.

Think it’s not possible? Message me. 

so what was the scene like this weekend?  other parts of the Splatte were a big enough shit show for us to pull the plug early before this rain event...

Derek Lawrence wrote:

Mike, Devils Head is NOT closed.  Just the sh&t show that is the main lot and fire tower trail.  Frankly I liked the lack of tourist traffic this past weekend...

So it's not closed to climbing? Please elaborate.

Matt Strader wrote:

So it's not closed to climbing? Please elaborate.

Look at the map. Apparently maps are not part of the bar exam. 

Does anyone know about Elven Mile Canyon?

Jenssend wrote: Does anyone know about Elven Mile Canyon?

The county has a ‘county residents only’ order in effect til June 4.

Sarah Zubrin wrote:

Sorry not going to stay home gain 100lbs and kill myself from isolation and permanent seasonal affective disorder. Life goes on. Be safe, use caution, wash your hands

Right on.

Lauren D Hollingsworth wrote:

Or slow down and read... the parts of Rampart Range Road used to access Devil’s Head Parking lot are closed. Go back to law school, pass the bar and people might actually *pay* you to nitpick. Going back to crag development now...

LOLZ, you can call it nitpicking, but i am sure most of the people on this thread would agree that you were exaggerating.  slow clap on passing the bar though (nice subtle spray!), how many times did it take?

slim wrote:

LOLZ, you can call it nitpicking, but i am sure most of the people on this thread would agree that you were exaggerating.  slow clap on passing the bar though (nice subtle spray!), how many times did it take?

LOL I’m not an attorney, I know a few, worked for them, and have never met a happy one. I have no desire to be one, never went to law school, and don’t plan on it. 

Jenssend wrote: Does anyone know about Elven Mile Canyon?

Its open for day use, but all facilities are closed. Per the manager camping should open with county timeline on June 5th.

Phil Christian wrote:

Its open for day use, but all facilities are closed. Per the manager camping should open with county timeline on June 5th.

This means using the restroom in the great wilds, but nothing else. No running water there as it is.

Hey, MP. Looking to check out DH for the first time this weekend. Just spoke with FS and the gentleman I spoke with said that climbing access is open as is dispersed camping. Can anyone give me some info on where I could camp with my 4x4 truck that is near the crag? Appreciate it in advance.

Damon Ehrett wrote: Hey, MP. Looking to check out DH for the first time this weekend. Just spoke with FS and the gentleman I spoke with said that climbing access is open as is dispersed camping. Can anyone give me some info on where I could camp with my 4x4 truck that is near the crag? Appreciate it in advance.

Camping spots are present all along Rampart Range Road leading to Devil's Head. It's pretty tricky getting a spot though since it's the biggest habitat for rednecks in the Front Range. Approach them with caution. They usually can be spotted by their snake flags or a trail of litter behind their trucks.

Any advice on camping near/accessing the Waffle House and/or Training Grounds crags? I see that the Devil's Head trailhead is closed off and that seems to be the easiest way to access most of the crags. Again, thanks in advance for any advice.