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Early Access
Routes in The Needle
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Bustin' Move S 5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a |
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Damage Done, The S,TR 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c |
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Descent Route T,TR 5.2 3 8 II 8 D 2c R |
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Grommet, The S 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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Lessons Learned S 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b |
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Momentary Lapse of Ethics S,TR 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c |
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Needle TR wall aka Uphill Slab TR 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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North Lieback T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a PG13 |
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Patchwork S 5.10- 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a |
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South Face T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b |
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Stitches S 5.10a/b 6a+ 19 VI+ 19 E2 5b |
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Suburban Hangover S 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b |
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Temple of the Dog S 5.13b 8a 29 IX+ 30 E7 6c |
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Unknown 5.9 S 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a |
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Uphill Slab Direct S 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c |
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| Type: | Sport, 90 ft (27 m) |
| GPS: | 40.357, -105.5167 |
| FA: | Bob Siegrist, Rich Kelly, and Michele Throne, June 4, 2026 |
| Page Views: | 116 total · 28/month |
| Shared By: | Bob Siegrist on Jun 12, 2026 |
| Admins: | Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC |
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Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more.
Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.
Access Issue: Temporary trail closure & Thumb and Needle Closures - resolved with The Thumb Open Space creation
Details
Temporary trail closure at The Thumb Trailhead:
Beginning Jan. 19, 2024, and lasting no later than Feb. 9, 2024, the Town of Estes Park will be temporarily closing the trailhead access at the Thumb Open Space due to required construction activity. This area will be blocked off and not accessible during the closure period. There will no parking or public access from the trailhead.
Brian Berg
Park Supervisor
Town of Estes Park
The Thumb and Needle are prominent crags (previously on private property) that are now on The Thumb Open Space, established in 2022 by the Town of Ester Park. Access to the crags is gained from a signed trailhead and small parking lot on Peak View Drive just west of Curry Drive. Do not park on Curry Drive or access the crags from anywhere along Curry Drive. From the Peak View Drive trailhead, the trail is well marked and approximately 0.75 miles long with an elevation gain of about 400 feet. Expect about 20 to 30 minutes for the approach to reach the Thumb and the Needle.
The Town of Estes Park worked on purchasing the property with the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and The Estes Valley Land Trust. The goal is to keep this area public with climbing access, so please respect private property rights of adjacent landowners.
For any questions about The Thumb Open Space, please contact Brian Berg, Park Supervisor, Town of Estes Park, bberg@estes.org, (970) 577-3783.
During 2022, major efforts were expended by members of the Boulder Climbing Community and Estes Park volunteers to replace over 100 old protection bolts and anchors on many of the sport climbs on the Thumb and the Needle. Many of the routes now have clip and lower anchors, and there are also new rappel stations on top of both crags and also the Thimble.
Formerly: The Thumb and Needle were on private property and the gravel road part of Curry Dr. is a private road. There was no public access to the Thumb or Needle until the Thumb Open Space was created. The Town of Estes Park purchased the property with our partners the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and The Estes Valley Land Trust. The goal was to make this area public with climbing access...success.
Any questions? Please contact me directly.
Brian Berg
Town of Estes Park
Park Supervisor
bberg@estes.org
(970) 577-3783
Beginning Jan. 19, 2024, and lasting no later than Feb. 9, 2024, the Town of Estes Park will be temporarily closing the trailhead access at the Thumb Open Space due to required construction activity. This area will be blocked off and not accessible during the closure period. There will no parking or public access from the trailhead.
Brian Berg
Park Supervisor
Town of Estes Park
The Thumb and Needle are prominent crags (previously on private property) that are now on The Thumb Open Space, established in 2022 by the Town of Ester Park. Access to the crags is gained from a signed trailhead and small parking lot on Peak View Drive just west of Curry Drive. Do not park on Curry Drive or access the crags from anywhere along Curry Drive. From the Peak View Drive trailhead, the trail is well marked and approximately 0.75 miles long with an elevation gain of about 400 feet. Expect about 20 to 30 minutes for the approach to reach the Thumb and the Needle.
The Town of Estes Park worked on purchasing the property with the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and The Estes Valley Land Trust. The goal is to keep this area public with climbing access, so please respect private property rights of adjacent landowners.
For any questions about The Thumb Open Space, please contact Brian Berg, Park Supervisor, Town of Estes Park, bberg@estes.org, (970) 577-3783.
During 2022, major efforts were expended by members of the Boulder Climbing Community and Estes Park volunteers to replace over 100 old protection bolts and anchors on many of the sport climbs on the Thumb and the Needle. Many of the routes now have clip and lower anchors, and there are also new rappel stations on top of both crags and also the Thimble.
Formerly: The Thumb and Needle were on private property and the gravel road part of Curry Dr. is a private road. There was no public access to the Thumb or Needle until the Thumb Open Space was created. The Town of Estes Park purchased the property with our partners the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and The Estes Valley Land Trust. The goal was to make this area public with climbing access...success.
Any questions? Please contact me directly.
Brian Berg
Town of Estes Park
Park Supervisor
bberg@estes.org
(970) 577-3783
Description
Lessons Learned starts about 8 feet left of The Grommet. Climb over a bulge, and follow the bolt line above directly up to and through the hanging, shallow dihedral capped by a small roof. Climb up the bolt line through the dihedral and past the roof (crux), and avoid drifting out left, which can offer somewhat easier climbing but greatly increases the risk to the leader if they take a fall. Above the dihedral roof, continue straight up to reach the loweroff anchors. Note: Lessons Learned is a direct start to an old trad/sport route named History Lesson. All of the bolts on Lessons Learned are newly installed modern 1/2” stainless steel bolts.
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