Colorado offers an abundance of tremendous peaks and rock formations, making it impossible for adventurous rock climbers to not find a great climb. Below is a list of the top climbs near Denver!
1. Eldorado Canyon State Parks
Known for its sandstone and natural attractions, Eldorado Canyon serves as one of the top locations for rock climbing in the U.S. Located just 7 miles from Boulder, Eldorado Canyon features awesome trad climbs up to 700 feet tall as well as more than 600 routes. Be sure to check out the canyon’s most famous routes: Rosy Crucifixion, Bastille Crack, Inner Space, and the Naked Edge.
2. Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods features sandstone and rock formations with beautiful white, orange, and red jagged profiles. There are 137 routes with options for toprope, trad, and sport climbs.This popular park gets rather busy, especially on the weekends so be prepared for crowds of people!
3. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
One of Colorado’s deepest and darkest canyons to go climbing in, Black Canyon at Gunnison National Park is definitely not the place for beginner climbers. With more than 140 planned routes and cliff walls up to 2,722 feet high, this park provides tons of challenging options for any rock climbing enthusiast.
4. Rifle Mountain Park
Rifle Mountain Park is home to some of the best limestone climbing walls in North America. A local favorite, this park offers 358 long and complex routes with plenty of overhangs, flat holds, pockets, and crimps. Due to regular rains, the lower-angled rock seems to constantly be covered in silt and moss making the routes more difficult to climb. In addition to sport climbing, Rifle Mountain Park has some great ice climbs which vary in difficulty depending on weather conditions.
5. Clear Creek Canyon
Situated next to the Clear Creek river, this canyon offers top-quality sport climbing for all levels of experience. There are about 741 total routes with a wide variety of rock and boulder. Of the several crags, some of the most populars are Catslab, High Wire Crag, and Red Slab. Red Slab is also a great route for those looking to climb in the winter.
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