PRINT: Rock Climb Cleft Palate, Lumpy Ridge

Cleft Palate

5.11a R, Trad, 3 pitches,

Avg: 2 from 1 vote
FA: Scott Woodruff, Brad Gilbert, and Dan Hare, 1974
Colorado > Estes Park Valley > Lumpy Ridge > Crescent Wall

Access Issue: 2024 Partial Seasonal Raptor Closures lifted 7/21/24 Details

From the Denver Post 7/21/24: some of the raptor closures have been lifted, officials announced.

Upper & Lower Twin Owls, Rock One, The Book and access trail, Bookmark, and Left Book were opened based on a park new release.

Closures have been extended for Thunder Buttress, access trail, The Parish, Cathedral Wall.

Closures above the Loch Vale-Sky Pond trail have been extended.

Per Brent Frazier: the raptor closures have been lifted in the Lumpy Ridge and Loch Vale Areas ( nps.gov/romo/raptor-closure…)

Each year, Rocky Mountain National Park initiates temporary closures in certain areas of the park to ensure that birds of prey will be undisturbed during their breeding and nesting seasons. These closures begin on February 15 and continue through July 31, if appropriate. Monitoring by park staff and volunteers have determined that all remaining closures can be lifted on July 28, 2023.

Per Matt Coghill: the Golden eagle nesting activity has extended Lumpy closures through Aug. 15, 2022 on Sundance, Thunder Buttress, and Needle Summit!

Per A.Eaton: the raptor closures have been lifted as of 6/4/2022 at Lumpy for the following formations:

Twin Owls
Rock One
Batman Rock
Batman Pinnacle
Checkerboard
Lightning Rock

Per the Denver Post: as of Feb. 15, 2022, Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sundance, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Bookmark Pinnacle, The Left Book, Bookmark, Twin Owls, Rock One, and the Needle are closed for raptor nesting. These closures will continue through July 31, 2022 if needed.

All areas [were] OPEN to climbing for the 2021 post July season.

Closures ending July 31:
Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Lightning Rock, Checkerboard Rock - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Sundance - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
The Book Area: Left Book, The Bookmark, Bookmark Pinnacle, and the entire Book formation (including Renaissance Wall, Isis Buttress, Pages Wall Area, and J-Crack Slab Area)- nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Thunder Buttress and The Parish - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Twin Owls and Rock One - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…
Cathedral Wall - nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/…

When closed, the closures include the named rock formations and the areas surrounding the base of the formation. This includes all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes, and climber's access trails to the formation.

Areas not listed are presumed to be open. These closures will be lifted or extended as conditions dictate.

Description

Gillett's book describes this route as audacious. Climbing it proved to be quite serious and rewarding. Challenging climbing, runouts, and loads of dung add up to two stellar, type 2 fun, pitches. Plus one more relatively easy pitch to finish.

P1 - There are a few ways to do this pitch. Aim for the arching crack before the large and obvious, right-trending chimney/roof feature. This thin crack is a spicy traverse right to gain the namesake feature of the route. This is very poorly protected 5.7 to 5.8 climbing on knobs to the thin 5.10 traverse. Belay after the arching crack where there is a good stance and the chimney opens up.

P2- Grovel your way across the flaring chimney and try not to breath too hard. You might catch the La Junta virus from all the different poop deposited by several varieties of aerial creatures. With a good bath, this thing would be a Front Range classic. This pitch has good gear but is a burlfest. Belay at a stance where the difficulties end.

P3 - Find your way to the top on relatively easier ground.

Location

This is right of Root Canal.

Protection

Small gear for pitch one (RPs, Wired Bliss TCUs, Aliens). Small cams up to a #3 Camalot protects the sidewidthing on pitch two well.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

The nebulous terrain of pitch one on Cleft Palate.