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There are various approaches to this climb that have been used, including the Spanish Creek, Willow Lakes, and South Colony Lakes trailheads.
Crestone Mountain Zen Center (formerly Spanish Creek Trailhead) - recommended for The Prow and possibly South Couloir.
Per Brian DeCamp 1: peak mosquito season is typically mid-June to the end of July, and it can be intense, particularly at the bottom of Spanish Creek. BRING BUG SPRAY!
The Spanish Creek approach crosses private property of the Crestone Mountain Zen Center. Please register for a Wilderness Access Permit at least 24-hours before arrival. Although we can not take responsibility for cars parked in our parking lot, your car is probably safer inside the monastery grounds than parked on the side of the road. We also have primitive campsites if you need a rest up before the approach. Please call for details. All the monks are climber-friendly; we just want to know who is using our land.
Per Tim Stich & lordokol (with an edit 7/2/21 by Brian DeCamp 1):
Going south on US 285 in the San Luis Valley, turn left on CO 17 (near Joyful Journey Hot Springs) toward Moffat. From Moffat, head east on T Road for 12 miles to the entrance of Baca Grande Chalets Grants. This is Camino Baca Grande Road. Turn right, and follow this paved road until it turns to dirt 2.5 miles from the Baca Grande Entrance. Continue on the dirt road for 1.5 miles to Crestone Mountain Zen Center. Follow signs to the Upper Parking Lot, and leave your parking permit clearly visible in your vehicle.
The trail follows the creek, crossing back and forth six times. Your first crossing is a wooden plank. Cross, then go back to the right and up the embankment. Pass a steel pipeline and a half-buried structure. Walk along the creek, and keep an eye out for cairns and more foot bridges made from logs. BRING BUG SPRAY!
You'll cross left and right over the creek five more times with the final crossing leaving you on the left side of the creek. At this last crossing, you'll see a feeder creek coming down a slope and a path going back the way you came. Take this path, and it will turn back uphill in the right direction. If you miss it, climb uphill until you find the main trail again.
Anytime you find yourself bushwhacking, zig-zag back and forth uphill until you find the path. Cairns will occur frequently along the trail. It is best to hike it during the light, as the subtle trail is difficult to see in poor light.
You'll start to leave the creek and be up high to the left of it. Eventually you'll come to a brighter area and get your first glimpse of The Prow. This is the start of the blow down area where hundreds of trees were felled in a strong wind event years ago. Rocks sitting on the trees show where to cross the easiest.
When you get almost directly below The Prow's lower buttress, you'll see cairns leading steeply uphill and also continuing to follow Spanish Creek. Camp in this area if you intend to bivy. There are many nice, grassy meadows within the pines here. From treeline, it's a simple line to the base of the Prow.
Willow Creek Trailhead - not recommended for The (South) Prow, only for The North Ridge or Outward Bound Couloir
Per Todd Bauck: the approach may be the crux. South of Salida and North of Monte Vista, along US 285, head south on CO 17. Go east on 1 Rd to the town of Crestone. From the town of Crestone, drive south for 3.5 miles on Camino Baca Granda. Park close to the ashram (solar powered, ~9100') which is just north of Willow Creek. The approach follows Willow Creek on a trail that is faint at times. Start on the south side of the creek for the first 1/4 mile. Plan on fording the creek a few times. It would be hard to do this climb in a day from the road due to the approach (5+ miles). Basically, the trail follows the creek for a few miles until the trail leaves the creek and follows an old road (North of the creek). Camp near treeline at approximately 11,000' directly below The Prow. Note: Some of the approach is on private property. Please be a courteous visitor.
A single set of nuts and cams up to a #3 Friend. Narrow profile cams like Aliens work best.
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Estes Park
Spanish Creek Trail is more like 3.5 miles rather than the 5 stated above. After reading all kinds of bad stuff about the approach we were bracing for the worst time of our lives. It is true that it is a rough hike from an aerobic standpoint gaining over 3,000 vert in about three miles (from 8.5 K to 11.5 K ft).
The trail however is not a bushwack at all. We started up the HUA temple footpath sign passing some shrines to our left and following this old road. After a while it narrows but it is cairned ALL the way to Kit Carson. The stream is crossed a few times as stated above and the trail does thin out a few time. Use this simle rule which worked for us: if you lose the trail or your are bushwhacking. STOP, Retrace and you will soon enough find cairns.
The single most excrutiating part besides the butt kicking elevation gain with full packs was the "Old Burn" area starting at 9,500FT and lasting till 10,500. This is an old forest fire section that left large dead trees scattered like match sticks. Here you will have to skip, strattle and go under 316 tree trunks. Yes I counted them on the way back. Obviously this makes for slow going but cairns sit atop tree trunks to guide you through the maze.
There are great camping spots just below tree line and North of the creek. Above tree line boulders abound and marmots await your pack and tent... Sep 9, 2002
Approach: Follow the Hua Footpath, past the Hua Temple onto a faint road heading up the drainage just on the N. side of Spanish Creek. The "road" peters out at a narrow footbridge. Cross the bridge, and follow the faint trail up and a bit left through the rose bushes to another "road". Exit onto the road and look left, you should see the creek. Cross the creek to its S. side and continue up the trail, crossing the creek several times. After 6 or so crossings (and when you are one the N. side of the creek), look for the trail to take a hard left away from the creek. After this the trail is easy to follow.. Do not bushwack. If you do, back up, and look to the left or right for the trail. I have done this 3 times and finally have it dialed, but it is a bit tricky. Crossing the old burn is not that bad, and judicious cairn-following from this point on will be to your advantage.
The Climb: We started at the point on the ridge (looking from the east) where the talus is interrupted by steeper, more solid rock right on the skyline. Two pitches of easy climbing will also bring you to the "official" 5.8 start.
We did the climb to Kit Carson Ave. in 9 pitches (200 m rope), with some simulclimbing on easier upper pitches. Lots of solid but spooky climbing on this route.
Finish: Guidebooks suggest a number of possible finishes, but I HIGHLY recommend just continuing straight up the distinct, S. facing buttress/fin that is right in your face as you exit the Prow on KCA. Do not miss this pitch! It provides 200 more feet of excellent climbing and offers more pro than the lower pitches...a welcomed change! After this pitch (5.5ish), 200 feet of 4th class brings you to a 20' knife edge traverse to the small, spectacular summit.
Descent: We downclimbed the E. gully and S. couloir (mid June). Very straightforward descent. This couloir never exceeds 30 degrees or so.
Random notes: Some of the published descriptions of this route may be misleading. For example, Roach describes a "bulge dodge" that one must avoid to the right. Careful, I never found this, and an attempt to move right down low may get you off route, or worse (see comments of M. S. above). The best advice I can give is to bust the 5.8 move, and follow your nose right up the face of the Prow to the top. Jun 19, 2004
Very cool route. The descriptions above were pretty much on target. A couple of comments:
- The 5.8 start is at 13,000 ft. For some reason even though I knew the Prow came close to the summit I never did the math to the start... So as you ponder your capabilities to do this route remember that the whole affair will take place between 13K-14K ft.
- It is mentioned in the above comments that the route is run out. Now, I am used to Flatiron run outs and I have to say that the Prow run outs, particularly the first two 60m pitches, make climbing in the Flatirons feel over protected. We experienced 40-50 foot run outs sometimes on questionable gear (#2 RP). After the crux of pitch two there is a fixed cam on the left side of the arete under a flake. I was very thankful for this. As mentioned, the rock is good and the climbing reasonable (5.6-5.7) but it also assumes that you find the correct line which is not obvious.
- This is one of those climbs where it is terrifying as you're in it and exhilirating when you are done. Great alpine adventure on an awesome looking remote rock.
WT Aug 9, 2004
Boulder, CO
Santa Fe, NM
Boulder, CO
Normally there would be a lot of snow on the approach but I guess not this year so far. If you just want to avoid thunderstorms, I'd choose September or October, maybe even May after a dry winter. Jan 14, 2006
Okanogan Valley, WA
Note that this is well past the temple foot path which is private but has never been posted as no access. The sign is large but kind of eco-colored so it is not totally obvious. The name of the owner (another temple) was on the sign but I can't remember it.
If this access stays closed my thought is that South Colony is probably the next best bet short of climbing in from Willow lake.
Hunter Jul 10, 2008
Los Alamos, NM
Taos, NM
I am wondering if this is an issue the Access Fund is aware of, or if it is of little importance to most people who frequent this drainage, in other words, if it is just a question of being stealth and ignoring these obnoxious signs? I am putting this out there to maybe start a dialogue with like minded folks who have always gone in from the Crestone side. I find it insulting that someone could get away with blocking access to one of my favorite trails in Colorado.
Any responses would be appreciated.
vampyreworks@gmail.com Oct 12, 2009
The CMC has engaged in discussions for the past couple years about access to Cottonwood. We hope to have another meeting this fall with the owners and with Saguache County government.
For the October 12 poster, it's not a matter of being "stealth" nor should it be considered an "insult" that some people are protecting their private property rights. It is a matter of respecting private property rights and engaging in courteous dialogue with the owners.
For Spanish Creek in particular, the trail is no longer signed by the road and there is no parking available along the road. My understanding is that the road itself is private and is not a county road. Aug 11, 2010
Loveland, CO
On the first pitch, after the first pocket, the second pro placement slot went like a stack of coffee table sized books on ballbearings. It was so loose the rope drag pulled it off. So, now it's just a bit more spicy. They may have knocked off a loose hold on the last 4th class move at the end of the approach ramp (recommended) that comes in from the right. Later on I used a BD #3 micro stopper twice and was glad to have it in a couple of perfect slots above long runouts. The rock is composed of an incrediblely wide variety of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary cobblestones bound together by extemely solid sandstone. We descended the South (Cole's) Couloir with no snow, which is loose scree and talus with a handfull of steep drops which didn't require rappels. Did not see one mosquito. Sep 12, 2010
Santa Fe
J C Wylks wrote: "On the first pitch, after the first pocket, the second pro placement slot went like a stack of coffee table sized books on ballbearings. It was so loose the rope drag pulled it off. So, now it's just a bit more spicy."
I thought the first moves off the deck were really tough for 5.8. I think I saw the pile of rock that fell off; I thought someone had built up a pile of cheater rocks at the base. Did those rocks come off the very start of the route, in the first moves right off the ground? If so, I'd be curious if someone who has previously climbed it thinks that the start has changed significantly now. Sep 13, 2010
Loveland, CO
The Spanish Creek access is through private land belonging to both the ashram and Crestone Mountain Zen Center, and the access situation is tenuous. Please be respectful and understand that this is their watershed and a kindness that they allow de-facto access through their land. Don't camp at least until you hit Forest Service land (marked) a fair distance up the canyon.
To say that this is a reasonable car-to-car climb is a stretch. The trail is horrific, and you should expect swarms of mosquitoes even in drought conditions. The approach is fairly easy to find and the climb generally easy for the grade though the R rating might also be a stretch. R/X would be more appropriate for the crux pitch. The largest piece I used was a #2 and the majority small to medium nuts and TCUs. Jul 4, 2011
Boulder, CO
The first pitch "5.8R" seemed to consist of pulling on jugs through an overhang with not much feet and then making a rather awkward mantle. It felt a bit stiff for 5.8. Definitely old school. As everyone else said, the rest of the climb is easy but not well protected. I definitely encountered 40 run outs on 5.6 terrain where you are well out of the "R" rating into "R/X".
These are all reasons why you should get off your ass and go climb it. Aug 1, 2011
I did the crux with a good size pack on, and I would say it is 5.8, no harder. Once past the initial moves, go left to easier climbing. After this pitch (I ran out the full 60m), the climbing is pretty easy; no harder than 5.6, and usually easier. Stay on the arete. When you reach Kit Carson Ave., a large ramp, definitely do the "headwall" to the summit. Easy climbing, spectacular, well protected compared to the rest of the route.
I had a set of Camalots #0.3 to #2, and used one RP and small/medium stoppers up to 1/2". Aug 20, 2011
Regarding pro, I found sizes #0.5, 0.75, and 1 BD Camalots to be the pieces I used the most.
Also, I lost a 0.75 (green) Omega Pacific Linkcam somewhere between the third and fourth pitches. I know it's a long shot, but if someone happens to find it (marked with red and black tape), I'd really appreciate getting it returned to me and would happily offer cash in exchange. Thanks. Aug 29, 2011
Denver, CO
1. Can someone provide a little more information on the descent?
2. Would you recommend boots or shoes for the descent? I usually do routes that you can rap off of (the Petit Grepon).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you. Sep 9, 2013
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, Colorado
Vansion
Also, +1 for not moving too far right for the "bulge dodge." It's runout. It's scary. It's not 5.8, but it is still rather wonderful climbing. So maybe DO move right... definitely adds some spice! Jul 29, 2015
Aspen, CO
South Fork
Colorado Springs, CO
Montrose, CO
Denver Colorado
Kearney, NE
Upon breaking camp and heading down Spanish Creek, we endured several hours of rain and hail. After crossing the highest of several log bridges, quickly rising waters forced a hasty, brutal bushwhack over the ridge to the south. From partway up the slope, we watched the next log bridge get swept away. We then descended the adjacent drainage back to the Monastery.
I have to assume all of the log creek crossings are gone at this point. Despite that, the trail up is fairly well cairned but very overgrown. Mosquitoes were incredibly bad. Bring the bug spray. Jul 26, 2021
Perryton, TX
Perryton, TX