Local Climbing

Colorado Springs has a lot to offer, and there are many obscure areas that will not be mentioned here. But here is a good selection.

 

Garden of The Gods

Need we say more?

Well, actually, we probably should or this wouldnt be to useful of a guide.

The Garden of the Gods is the closest climbing area to campus. It can be reached in under 10 minutes by car. The majority of the routes are sport with a distinctively trad flavor. The most common form of protection is fixed pitons which are used instead of bolts on the soft sandstone.

It would be a big undertaking to talk about every climb at the garden, but here are a few classics:

Red Twin spire (obvious spire in the middle of the walking path between north and south gateway rock)- nice warmup on huge potholes 5.8

Motezuma's tower. An airy fin 140 feet high. It either a very sporting sport route or made a bit friendlier with some trad protection. It is classic on a moonlit night. 5.7

Grapefruit dance. A bouldery 5.12b very well protected with some fun moves- very overhung by garden standards- its just to the right of the blowouts.

New Era. 3 pitch trad route. One of the all time classics on some of the best stone in the garden: 5.7

There are many more classics here.

Directions: Take Uintah till it dead ends and take a right, all will become clear.

Red Rock Canyon:

A brand new major climbing area! Well, im sure the rock is millions of years old and all that, but this gem was opened to the public in October 2004. Imagine the garden with more solid rock and better bolts and you have red rock. Unfortunatly, its not quite as pretty- but its still a cool place. They even have created a mayan piramid looking thing from an old mining operation.

Its too early to give a good synopsis of the classics, but one great is the route rethinking ethics. It climbs an interesting dihedral on the far left wall- its pretty hard to miss 10b- but the top is scary!

Directions:

Head down 24 to the exit after 31st street (last one before Manitou). Take a left and there will be a parking lot. Head down the road to the east. It later switchbacks and heads south west. Take the southernmost trail to get to the crags. Both sides of the canyon have great routes.

Cheyenne Canyon:

Somtimes crumbly, sometimes bomber, this granite canyon is one of the oldest climbing areas in Colorado Springs. I have found 50 year old pitons in some of the older routes. Its seldom visited compaired to the others.

The climbing is mostly either on the pinnacle (Above graduation boulder which is described in the bouldering section) and on silver cascade slab.

The pinnacle has a decent selection of sport climbs ranging from 5.7 to 5.12. Park at graduation boulder and bushwack up the hill intill you get to the cliffs.

Silver cascade slab has a fine collection of thin slab climbing. The rock here is bomber (especially in comparison to the pinnacle which can be quite loose). Drive to the end of the paved road where you will see a waterfall (oohhhh pretty). There is a trail going up from it- keep hiking until you see a prominent slab. Below the slab, some easy ice climbs form in winter.

Directions: Take Uinta to 21st street. Take a left. keep going for a long time until you hit cheyenne mountain blvd. (follow signs to seven falls). At the split in the road take a right into the canyon (a left takes you to 7 falls- biggest tourist trap ever). Keep driving down the winding road until you see a prominent boulder one the left. Thats it.

Williams Canyon:

This one is elusive- few have been there. Rumor has it that there are some great limestone sport climbs. Apperantly its just a drive up rampart range road from the garden of the gods.