Horseshead Rock Climbing
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Elevation: | 7,607 ft |
GPS: |
40.43698, -105.31733 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 25,837 total · 151/month |
Shared By: | s.kimball on Mar 10, 2010 |
Admins: | Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC |
Access Issue: Access issue - Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc.?
Details
Per JF M: as of May 2022, there is no signage on-site, nor information on the USFS webpage for the Cameron Peak Fire (nor on their published map of closures) that indicates the area is closed.
Per Bruce Hildenbrand: it appears that the Forest Service has closed access to all the climbing areas accessed via Storm Mountain Road (Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc.) until they can clear all the dangerous dead trees from the Cameron Peak fire.
I worked this issue with Eric Murdock at the AF, and it looks like the Forest Service picked Devil's Gulch Road as the southern boundary even though all the climbing areas on MP.com were not burned.
Per Bruce Hildenbrand: it appears that the Forest Service has closed access to all the climbing areas accessed via Storm Mountain Road (Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc.) until they can clear all the dangerous dead trees from the Cameron Peak fire.
I worked this issue with Eric Murdock at the AF, and it looks like the Forest Service picked Devil's Gulch Road as the southern boundary even though all the climbing areas on MP.com were not burned.
Description
This prominent 250 foot spire on the west flank of the Palisades can be seen for miles from Drake and the eastern plains. It is quite an adventure just to arrive at its base. Best approach is from Cedar Park. Take FR128 past Combat Rock into Cedar Park proper, eventually making 2 rights onto Snowtop Dr. Park at an end pullout across from a Forest Service access with views of Cedar Park Slab to the north and within a few steps to the south, a stunning panorama of both the Front Range and the Big Thomson Canyon below.
Getting There
Get you bearings, where from the plateau top you can see the pyramidal Horseshead due east. No trail exists and it is very rugged, but one must walk east across the plateau, cross a deep draw (drop down) then negotiate a barrier of rock walls (some 4th class) before thromping up a steep gully that leads to a ramp at the west toe of the Horseshead. Allow 1 hour if the path of least resistance is followed.
Per climber76: Take Storm Mountain past past Combat Rock until the "T". Take a right. Drive about 1/4 mile, passing 2 bear statues on pedestals. Take a right on Snowtop Drive. On my odometer, I went between 1.0 and 1.1 miles to a left turnoff. It is marked by a prominent "No Trespassing" sign (every part of the road, parking, approach, and climb is unequivocally on public land). Drive up about 50 yards to the forest service entrance. Walk straight down the double track for perhaps 1/4 mile. Shortly after passing a 6 foot diameter boulder in the middle of the road, you will note a sapling with a large cairn. Walk straight east on a faint trail. The route finding crux is staying on the contour on slightly rocky ground. At the ridge, trend left on some rocky ground as you drop down the dirty hillside. Watch for cairns, and head somewhat left at the bottom before crossing the talus. Cross the talus, and find more cairns before proceeding across another patch of forest and rock rib. Head up the next gully. It is all marked by cairns. Any deviation from the trail will put you in 4th class hell. The elevation gain and loss is the same coming and going.
With the trail improvements, the approach may take as little as 30 minutes.
Per Nat T.: when you get to the little sapling that has a big cairn in front of it, go right down the hill in between two pine trees. DO NOT continue on the trail up the hill to your left. The trail is faint at times but is pretty well-marked with cairns
Per climber76: Take Storm Mountain past past Combat Rock until the "T". Take a right. Drive about 1/4 mile, passing 2 bear statues on pedestals. Take a right on Snowtop Drive. On my odometer, I went between 1.0 and 1.1 miles to a left turnoff. It is marked by a prominent "No Trespassing" sign (every part of the road, parking, approach, and climb is unequivocally on public land). Drive up about 50 yards to the forest service entrance. Walk straight down the double track for perhaps 1/4 mile. Shortly after passing a 6 foot diameter boulder in the middle of the road, you will note a sapling with a large cairn. Walk straight east on a faint trail. The route finding crux is staying on the contour on slightly rocky ground. At the ridge, trend left on some rocky ground as you drop down the dirty hillside. Watch for cairns, and head somewhat left at the bottom before crossing the talus. Cross the talus, and find more cairns before proceeding across another patch of forest and rock rib. Head up the next gully. It is all marked by cairns. Any deviation from the trail will put you in 4th class hell. The elevation gain and loss is the same coming and going.
With the trail improvements, the approach may take as little as 30 minutes.
Per Nat T.: when you get to the little sapling that has a big cairn in front of it, go right down the hill in between two pine trees. DO NOT continue on the trail up the hill to your left. The trail is faint at times but is pretty well-marked with cairns
Classic Climbing Routes at Horseshead
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
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