st. vrain canyon Climbing

Category: Colorado (Estes Park Area)Elev: ~6,000 ftRock Type: Granite
Dates: 2021(x2 days), 2022(x3 days), 2023(x 1 day), 2024(x1 day)Partner: Nate Arganbright, toprope solo
Trip Report #: 464(this trip report number corresponds to the first time I climbed in St. Vrain Canyon nd established this page on my website)

List of Climbs I've Done & Some Photos

When driving westward towards Estes Park from the town of Lyons, you have to make a choice. Turn right, and drive HWY 36 through North St. Vrain Canyon or turn left and drive HWY 7 through South St. Vrain Canyon. Either way is a nice drive. But what is lesser known is the some 750 climbing routes on over 150 rock formations above the road. The rock is granitic, and the climbing ranges from sport to trad, single pitch to a few pitches in height, shade or sun, and only a short hike from the car. Although perhaps not as classic as other popular climbing areas, many of the routes are of good quality. The St. Vrain is a great place to escape the crowds.

To date, I have only climbed in the St. Vrain Canyon for a handful of short days. Here's a summary of where I have climbed in St. Vrain Canyon. 

On this page, I keep a list of the climbs I've done in St. Vrain Canyon. Below the list, I have random photos from cragging in St. Vrain Canyon.

list of climbs i've done IN ST. VRAIN CANYON

St Vrain

photos

Some random photos from cragging in St. Vrain Canyon.

Color coded by area:
December Wall     Observatory Rock     Monkey Skull    River Wall     Button Rock

(First trip to St Vrain)

Date: May 27, 2021 (Thu)      Partner: Nate Arganbright     Climbed at: Observatory Rock 

A quick midday "it's too nice to not get in at least a few pitches of climbing" excursion. Just a few pitches at Observatory Rock. Okay. Nothing remarkable. 

1. Observatory Rock.
2. Fun climbing on Original Route (5.8).
3. The route called 99% Pure (5.9) ascends the fist splitter on the left.
Date: August 21, 2021 (Sat)     Partner: Nate Arganbright    Climbed at: December Wall

Just one pitch before the rope got dragged through poison ivy. I was game to continue climbing but Nate (probably wisely) opted to call it for the day and go get some rope wash.

4. December Wall
5. Snake skin.
6. Caesar's Crack Pitch 1. 5.10b.
7. Nate nearing top of Caesar's Crack Pitch 1. 5.10b.
8. Some pretty healthy poison ivy....
Date: April 8&15, 2022 (Fri&Fri)      Partner: toprope solo    Climbed at: River Wall

Two back-to-back Friday afternoons rope soloing at River Wall. 9 pitches each day! I'll be back.

9. River Wall. To get my rope to the top, I kept on hiking by and waded the stream and then came back along the hillside in the left in the photo. There are other ways to get to the top but they look a bit sketchy.
10. I waded across here.
11. Wading. Refreshing!
12. At the base of River Wall. The dam of Longmont Reservoir.
13. The Box (5.7). I exited this chimney left near the top and it was definitely not 5.7.
14. Neurosurgeon (5.12a) is the striking fingercrack. Hard!
15. Looking up Neurosurgeon (5.12a).
16. A river-polished handhold. The water runs high in the spring.
17. I rope soloed a couple of 5.10c routes on this nice plaque of rock.
18. I rope-soled the classic Red Neck Hero (5.12a). Steep and juggy and 3-star!
19. My favorite route of the day was my last: Pocket Hercules (5.11d), a steep crack. Need directionals just to hold me into the wall if I fall!
20. Rope solo setup.
21. A nice base.
22. Arresting Arete (5.10d).
Date: June 18, 2022 (Sat)      Partner: Nate Arganbright      Climbed at: Button Rock

The forecast called for "70% chance of thundershowers after 2pm" so we figured it was a good day to do lower commitment cragging. We decided to go to Button Rock, where I had never been and Nate had not been for several years. The rains never materialized and we got in a good day of climbing: 7 quality pitches of 5.9 to 5.11d. We had the place to ourselves.

23. Approach is about 1 miles and 1200 feet gain, took us 40 minutes.
24. Some alpine columbine alongside the trail.
25. Some alpine columbine alongside the trail.
26. Button Slab. Longs Peak in the distance.
27. Our first route of the day: Origami (5.9, 2p).
28. Nate embarking on Pitch 2 of Origami (2p, 5.9).
29. Fun climbing on Pitch 2 of Origami (2p, 5.9).
30. Best way down is two single-rope rappels down the west face.
31. Our second route of the day: Dreaming in Color (2p, 5.10b).
32. Awesome 5.10b fingercrack on Pitch 2 of Dreaming in Color (2p, 5.10b).
33. Nate leading Granite Beach Pitch 1 (5.11d). This has some great climbing.
34. Beetle.
Date: November 18, 2023 (Sat)     Partner: Nate Arganbright    Climbed at: December Wall

The previous time we had been to December Wall, I had dragged the rope through poison ivy and we bailed to go wash the rope. So it was nice to finally come back and finish the route we had started up that day, as well as climb a couple of other routes. We climbed three quality routes: Caesar's Crack (5.10b, 2p), A Long December (5.11a, 2p), and Life After James (5.11b, 3p).

35. December Wall as seen from the road. Sunny!
36. Pitch 1 of Caesar's Crack (2p, 5.10b). Pretty good crack climbing. The first pitch is the crux pitch.
37. Pitch 2 of Caesar's Crack (2p, 5.10b).
38. Cliff bar or turd?
35. Pitch 1 of A Long December (2p, 5.11a). A great pitch of climbing with an 11a crux fingercrack.
36. Pitch 2 of A Long December (2p, 5.11a). This pitch is 5.9.
37. Pitch 1 of Life After James (3p, 5.11b). Some 5.10 moves on this pitch.
38. Pitch 1 of Life After James (3p, 5.11b). Some 5.10 moves on this pitch.
35. Pitch 2 of Life After James (3p, 5.11b). The rock is very high quality. I found this pitch difficult for the grade (5.10d).
36. Pitch 3 of Life After James (3p, 5.11b). Neither Nate nor I figuerd out the 11b way to do the upcoming move.
Date: May 26, 2024 (Sun)     Partner: Nate Arganbright    Climbed at: Observatory Rock, Monkey Skull

A fun day of cragging. I thought the climbing at Monkey Skull was especially good.

37. Nate on the punchy start of Punch Line (5.10b) at Observatory Rock. Punch 1 of 2 on this route.
38. Punch 2 of 2 is the steep layback finish. Punch Line (5.10b) at Observatory Rock.
39. Monkey Skull as seen from the road. This came into the sun around noon.
40. Poison ivy on the short approach to Monkey Skull.
41. Sunshine Dihedral (5.10b) at Monkey Skull. A really graet pitch of climbing.
42. We also climbed the two routes to the right of Sunshine Dihedral: Upside the Cranium (5.10b) and Fever Dance (5.10c).  Upside the Cranium (5.10b) was a particulalry good pitch of face climbing.
43. An old bolt at the start of Skull and Bones (5.10b). The other bolts on the route are have modern Metolius hangers.
44. High-quality bolt-protected climbing on Skull and Bones (5.10b). 
45. Yep, you really have to step right over this healthy patch of poison ivy on Skull and Bones (5.10b). If you are careful you can avoid touching it.
46. Our final route of the day was Casual Corner (5.8+). A fun pitch of climbing.
47. Pretty white flowers. I've identified these before but I cannot remember what they are and I am too lazy to look them up.

previous and next adventures

(May 2021: First time cragging in the St. Vrain)