Denver Climbing City?

Hey all,

I'm considering moving to Denver for work soon. I've seen Table Mountain and Castle rock park have a pretty good amount of climbing close to Denver, but I've never been to CO. I wanted to hear people's thoughts on the city overall, the strength of climbing/outdoors community, and the availability of crags within 1 hour drive time. Also, how are the opportunities for mountaineering in CO?

There is a shit ton of climbing within 1ish hour of Denver. Look into the South Platte, Clear Creek, Eldo, Boulder Canyon plus all the crags in-between. The climbing area map is your friend. CO definitely has mountains too, people like to tick all the fourteeners and if you want more of a mountaineering challenge, you can do them in winter or via more technical routes.

As far as Denver as a city, I'm not very impressed compared to other cities I've been to and lived but people seem to like it and I haven't been to every neighborhood so ymmv. If you want more specifics from other people, you'll probably have to divulge where in the city your work would be.

What is Denver lacking that other cities have from your experience? I’m genuinely curious 

From my perspective it is mostly a diversity/food/density/art comparison with cities like NYC, Boston, Chicago. Being a newer city, it also doesn't have a lot of historic buildings or diverse architecture that makes walking around cities visually stimulating. Comparisons with Austin and Seattle are probably much fairer but I still think those cities have a bit more going on. I will give credit to Denver for bike infrastructure and transit which are probably above average for America but that is a low bar. If it weren't for the absolutely amazing climbing access, I don't think the Denver Metro would be on my radar as a place to live.

Take this all with a grain of salt, I haven't been to a lot of places in Denver and every city has lots of different neighborhoods with different character. These are just my ~vibes~.

I've lived in central Denver for 35 years, and I'm a bit tiresome in my enthusiasm for this place. However, there are a few realities that should start any conversation about moving here now. First, how much money are you going to be making? At this point you need to be making a high 5 figure income at the minimum, but you'd be better off at $100k per year. Are you bringing a family? What kind of neighborhood are you interested in? Will you have work flexibility that would allow you to recreate during the week?

First the negatives. If you're from Grass Valley, just think of I-70 here as the same as I-80 going to Tahoe. Weekends are awful, and that includes Friday. That's true year round. If the job is in any of the suburbs, driving will be unpleasant. Be sure to evaluate the proximity of your job to our light rail system. We also have a problem with unhoused people, though it has improved since the pandemic. While we are not a big city, people here really like to have fun, so anything that could possibly be sold out, frequently is. Planning for recreation is now fairly mandatory. Think campsites, dinner, theater, events. Homes and rent are high. Not Bay Area high, but definitely kinda shocking.

Now the positives. There IS a lot of climbing within an hour. I remember a factoid that said there are 10,000 routes within two hours of Denver. While it may not be the best (see any discussion on MP about our crags), it is definitely good enough. There is so much, that it is not hard to get away from others, if that's your thing. The weather is beautiful. While the summers are hot, they are not as hot as Grass Valley. The food scene is pretty amazing for a town this size. There are tons of young people, and it simply feels lively. You can buy a one bedroom condo in Capitol Hill (where I live) for $250,000 or so.

I think Denver is best for people who want urban living. I live about a mile from downtown, and spent my working life either walking or riding a bike to work. It was absolutely wonderful. Our extensive trail network is outstanding. Lastly, Colorado participates in the big lottery games, but unlike California, the proceeds are used for the improvement of our recreational facilities. So every year, there is new stuff to enjoy.

Victor K wrote:

I've lived in central Denver for 35 years, and I'm a bit tiresome in my enthusiasm for this place. However, there are a few realities that should start any conversation about moving here now. First, how much money are you going to be making? At this point you need to be making a high 5 figure income at the minimum, but you'd be better off at $100k per year. Are you bringing a family? What kind of neighborhood are you interested in? Will you have work flexibility that would allow you to recreate during the week?

First the negatives. If you're from Grass Valley, just think of I-70 here as the same as I-80 going to Tahoe. Weekends are awful, and that includes Friday. That's true year round. If the job is in any of the suburbs, driving will be unpleasant. Be sure to evaluate the proximity of your job to our light rail system. We also have a problem with unhoused people, though it has improved since the pandemic. While we are not a big city, people here really like to have fun, so anything that could possibly be sold out, frequently is. Planning for recreation is now fairly mandatory. Think campsites, dinner, theater, events. Homes and rent are high. Not Bay Area high, but definitely kinda shocking.

Now the positives. There IS a lot of climbing within an hour. I remember a factoid that said there are 10,000 routes within two hours of Denver. While it may not be the best (see any discussion on MP about our crags), it is definitely good enough. There is so much, that it is not hard to get away from others, if that's your thing. The weather is beautiful. While the summers are hot, they are not as hot as Grass Valley. The food scene is pretty amazing for a town this size. There are tons of young people, and it simply feels lively. You can buy a one bedroom condo in Capitol Hill (where I live) for $250,000 or so.

I think Denver is best for people who want urban living. I live about a mile from downtown, and spent my working life either walking or riding a bike to work. It was absolutely wonderful. Our extensive trail network is outstanding. Lastly, Colorado participates in the big lottery games, but unlike California, the proceeds are used for the improvement of our recreational facilities. So every year, there is new stuff to enjoy.

Thanks for the in depth response! Unfortunately, with my job which would be in the Aurora area, I'll be commuting into a suburb, so I'm assuming that I won't be able to use transit/bike infrastructure. I am expecting to have slightly higher cost of living, but it seems like there is way more housing inventory and the only options for insurance aren't an insurer of last resort that is one big fire away from failure. Are there any neighborhoods to stay away from? Are there any that would be affordable to buy a condo/house in for someone earning ~$100k/yr that aren't dangerous? I've heard Aurora is pretty bad, but I don't know much besides that. I would like to be able to bike/walk to groceries, parks/trails, and the gym if that's attainable.

Also, if you know, is CO Springs any good? That's the other place I'm looking at, and I've heard good things from a climbing partner that grew up in Manitou Springs about it.

Since you're in Grass Valley, the city of Sacramento is actually a pretty good comparison point for Denver. Both are spread-out western cities near mountains. Denver is a bigger city and feels more sprawling. Denver is closer to mountains and climbing, but has worse weekend mountain traffic (I-70 near Denver is for sure worse than I-80 to Tahoe). Denver  has a greater quantity and variety of nearby climbing, but arguably lower average quality. The climbing scene is way bigger in Denver (more climbers, more gyms). Denver's climate is of course different from Sac, but quite similar climate to Reno, and still offers a fairly/nearly year-round climbing season. Cost of living is quite similar between Denver and Sacramento. While Sac has the Bay Area nearby for other amenities, Denver is kind of off by itself.

Controversial yet honest opinion:

Denver is a great city for REI people and casuals. Its good for dabblers and instagrammers. It has great blue ski runs and 2 star crags.

If you are serious about climbing/skiing/biking Denver is not the place. 

SLC isn't that much different on the 2 star crags. Yes, the skiing is closer to SLC, but the city lacks in many ways compared to Denver. There are many people who are serious about their climbing, skiing, biking, kayaking, etc. that live in Denver and love it

Dane B wrote:

SLC isn't that much different on the 2 star crags. Yes, the skiing is closer to SLC, but the city lacks in many ways compared to Denver. There are many people who are serious about their climbing, skiing, biking, kayaking, etc. that live in Denver and love it

Oh yes thats very true! You should all move to Denver - it has the BEST activities in Colorado, the US, and the world!!

Henry, I grew up in Littleton and my parents still live in Parker. Here are my thoughts without diving into the climbing scene, which is a widely known and easily researched topic.
Aurora objectively sucks. It is a soul sucking sprawl and one cannot be further from the foothills. However, it is cheap (relatively) and it is not dangerous (despite what our future glorious leader claimed on the campaign trail).
Denver Metro as a whole is very pricey, but if working in Aurora and keeping the housing cost reasonable, I’d look into Parker, Highland Ranch and Castle Rock. Parker and Castle Rock do have walkable centers. Highland Ranch not so much. Denver proper is also an option if you don’t mind being more urban.

grug g wrote:

Oh yes thats very true! You should all move to Denver - it has the BEST activities in Colorado, the US, and the world!!

Solid rebuttal

Aurora has really transformed over the last decade. It is not dangerous. It’s also the most culturally diverse community in Colorado, with people, and food, from all over the world. The community has a lot of pride. There is excellent cycling infrastructure there, and I’d gently argue for living as close to work as possible. Check out Stanley Market, Central Park and Eastbridge to get an idea of some of the better places. It’s very true that Aurora is sprawl.

It is definitely further from the mountains, but if you’re not commuting to work, it’s easier to take the extra 20 minutes for recreation. The idea of bad neighborhoods is tricky. There are certainly places you might not want to live, but there aren’t any neighborhoods that are real no go areas. Because real estate is high in general, young folks are moving in everywhere. If you can spend $2000 a month (+/-), you can buy a condo.

You could probably afford a low end condo. I’d look at the walk score while you’re shopping. That will tell you a lot.

I can’t offer much on Colorado Springs. It’s a nice town, very conservative, with the Air Force Academy, Fort Carson, and Focus on the Family. Great scenery, nice amenities. It’s much closer to the mountains.

grug g wrote:

Controversial yet honest opinion:

Denver is a great city for REI people and casuals. Its good for dabblers and instagrammers. It has great blue ski runs and 2 star crags.

If you are serious about climbing/skiing/biking Denver is not the place. 

SLC seems sick! Unfortunately, it's not on the table for me. There is some top notch crags within a long weekend trip away like Rifle, right?

grug g wrote:

Controversial yet honest opinion:

Denver is a great city for REI people and casuals. Its good for dabblers and instagrammers. It has great blue ski runs and 2 star crags.

If you are serious about climbing/skiing/biking Denver is not the place. 

Gotta disagree.  Skiing is world class.  Epic steeps at A Basin, amazing moguls and trees at Winter Park, and Breck has all of it. 

As for crags,  Eldo is world class and stunningly beautiful.  There's also Estes and amazing alpine rock in RMNP within 90 minutes, and I love the Platte for granite domes and some crack climbing

Denver is the place. If you want access to the mountains while still having a solid career / good schools / opportunities for family, there is simply no better option. 

I moved here 5 years ago and it was the best thing I ever did. 

Israel R wrote:

There is a shit ton of climbing within 1ish hour of Denver. Look into the South Platte, Clear Creek, Eldo, Boulder Canyon plus all the crags in-between. The climbing area map is your friend. CO definitely has mountains too, people like to tick all the fourteeners and if you want more of a mountaineering challenge, you can do them in winter or via more technical routes.

As far as Denver as a city, I'm not very impressed compared to other cities I've been to and lived but people seem to like it and I haven't been to every neighborhood so ymmv. If you want more specifics from other people, you'll probably have to divulge where in the city your work would be.

and anything within an hour of Denver will be crazy crowded with ungodly traffic.

The traffic in I-70 heading west will be an apocalyptic nightmare every Friday - Saturday. On Sunday the apocalypse heads east back to Denver  

Regardless of what people say Denver is a big city, to me anything over 50,000 is a big city so all the headaches of a big city are there. I am in Denver today for ankle surgery, big cities do offer better medical services and there was a several mile long parking lot on I- 25 north at 1:00 pm far no apparent reason so figure that in. I grew up in Colo springs and it is very conservative and always has been. Not as many people but still sprawl and traffic. Salt lake may be ok if you like 81 miles of I-15 and bad air in the winter. If not for my surgeon and my daughter living here I would never come here. She did buy a two bedroom 900 square foot condo in September for 300,000 dollars in south Denver so some housing is available but I had to help her out with the purchase price. Loveland and A- basin have real good skiing. Breckenridge is a shit show. 

Why everyone talkin' skiin' and traffic? Isn't this supposed to be a website for climbing? So, here's the deal. Colorado has two nicknames in the climbing community: "Crowderado" and "Chossorado". If it ain't crowded, it's chossy. If it ain't chossy, it's crowded.

Imagine access to thousands of climbing routes within an hour drive of downtown and 3 "world class" areas within an hour (Eldo, Flatirons, BoCan); big mountain alpine stuff is within 2 hours (Estes) as well as another top tier destination with crack climbing (SPlatte). Denver rocks for the outdoor lifestyle. The food scene is not great for a city, although it is getting better. The beer scene is legendary. Access to mountains and open space is superb in Denver. Trail running is superb.  

Also imagine two very congested interstates with Denver at the focal point. I25 SUCKS. I70 SUCKS. Driving to crags on Saturday usually sucks - you will need to get used to getting up early in the morning to do weekend stuff if you want to avoid traffic. Everyone and their mother climbs, hikes and skis in Denver. If solitude is your thing but you still want to hit tried and true "classic" climbs in the front range, you will want to go out on weekdays, and chances are you will still be sharing belay ledges with others.

Most of the entire state's relatively tiny but growing population lives in the Denver metro area, so you will contend with traffic and crowds of people loving the same resources at the same time with you every weekend. If you are blessed with a job where you can take your weekends on week days, then that eliminates the sucky traffic consideration (in my opinion). 

FWIW The Flatirons contains some of the best sport climbing in the front range. I live in Aurora, and I'm over it but it has never stopped me from climbing there or anywhere else.