Jackson Creek Rock Climbing

Jackson Creek warrants listing as a separate area at this point because it is completely distinct from the Devil's Head area per se, and is so far North that it doesn't really fit in with the South Platte area either. Furthermore, unlike most of the Splatte, all of the climbing is accessed from the Jackson Creek road, and this area now comprises close to twenty crags and well over 100 routes. The creek is relatively deep in the drainage and climbing can be cut short late in the season. Much of the climbing is trad and on typical Splatte granite that is uniformly excellent quality. While bolts do sporadically dot the faces, it is almost mandatory to bring the trad rack. Since the crags run North to South along the creek, they all have climbable West and East faces. Many of the developed crags host multi-pitch routes that run up to bona-fide summits. Expect a lot of crack work or a lot of friction, but on average climbing along JC is several number grades easier than the average on Devil's Head. Some classic domes at JC are the Jackson Creek Dome with half a dozen major walls, Split Rock, The Taj Mahal (host to some of the best climbing in JC), and numerous more minor crags. Like many South Platte adventures, it is important to sus out your descent from the crags ahead of time. Rap stations exist on some of the newer bolted slabs, but this is by no means the rule. If you come with your friction-head tuned in, expect long runouts between bolts. If you come gunning for cracks, bring a range of friends and camalots spanning the full size range. Camping at the JC campground is terrific in the Fall despite the dirt bikers who have been known to swarm to the South. Overall, JC offers an unusual blend of South Platte style climbing in a truly mountain setting on largely perfect stone.