best sport near denver

My girlfriend and I are taking a road trip late may through Denver, up highway 25 into Denver then west on 70 out of Denver towards California. We mostly do sport, little Trad. So what's the best sport climbing areas near Denver? I'm sure this has been asked before.

Rifle

I've done it, but it's a loooong day trip.

or if anyone has a favorite guidebook they think is most helpful that would be nice as well.

The latest edition of Rock Climbing Colorado would give you an excellent starting point. No first hand experience up there, so I can't give out any route advice.

Close to Denver:
.13A and up, Clear Creek Canyon
.12D to .10A Devils Head
.9+ and down, Clear Creek again.

Monastery, Shelf Road, St. Vrain Canyon, Thunder Ridge are within day trip range but too far away to call close to Denver.

Old and Busted wrote: Monastery, Shelf Road, St. Vrain Canyon, Thunder Ridge are within day trip range but too far away to call close to Denver.

St Vrain better than Bocan?
Hmmm... yeah, I guess for a few particular routes there are some stand-outs, but on the average, that's more driving for not much more return. Bocan, on average, is just as good. Just stay away from the new short stuff and get after the longer classics. IE:
mountainproject.com/scripts…

Clear Creek Canyon has lots of variety for sport and is easy to get to from I 70.

The primary issue with the OP's question is that he does not define "close" adequately. Nor does he define "sport climbing" (grade range matters). Is he looking for somewhere to get in a quick half-day of climbing while passing through? Or is he looking for somewhere to go for 3-5 days while in the area, and doesn't mind driving a few hours. We in the Front Range are spoiled by convenience of climbing, and have a pretty strict definition of "close"; people from elsewhere may not be bothered by a 2-hours drive. My recommendations, based on distance:

Genuinely "close" (< 1/2 hour) climbing for a half day or day trip: Clear Creek. Good for all grade ranges. Don't go to North Table; it sucks, and will be too hot.

Full day trips, or easy/nearby 2 day trip: Devil's Head (best for 5.10 to 5.12). Also consider Monestary, BoCan, etc. Flatirons sport climbing is also excellent, with small pockets of a few great routes, best at 5.12-5.13.

If you have a few days and are willing to drive 2-4 hours for nice climbing and camping: Rifle (best for 5.12 to 5.14) or Shelf (best for 5.9 to 5.12a). Shelf is getting a bit warm in late May, but there are many shady crags that will still be pleasant.

Utah

let me clarify, we're taking a climbing/hiking/tourist roadtrip from Dallas Tx to Mt. Whitney california. This is a loose definition of "close to denver" since we'll be traveling north on 25 into denver and west on 70 out of Denver. SO CLOSE PRETTY MUCH MEANS ANYWHERE IN THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF CO. simply, if you could only climb one sport destination in CO for a day, which one(s) would be your favorite?

we climb anything from 5.6 -5.12c sport and 5.4 to 5.10a trad (our trad rack is still pretty small so they have to be short routes like what we have in Texas).

the real question is what's your favorite crag(s) in Colorado? have fun with the question.

The Flatirons are pretty fun for both sport and trad! Being sandstone, the rock is usually quite featured and steep, a fun departure from the more slabby nature of BoCan.

A word of warning though, it will definitely be a bit more involved than many other places in terms of navigation and hiking. Depending on where you're headed, don't expect to "onsite" the approach.

david Graham wrote: This is a loose definition of "close to denver" since we'll be traveling north on 25 into denver and west on 70 out of Denver. SO CLOSE PRETTY MUCH MEANS ANYWHERE IN THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF CO. simply, if you could only climb one sport destination in CO for a day, which one(s) would be your favorite? we climb anything from 5.6 -5.12c sport

In that case, skip the stuff "close" to Denver, like Clear Creek. It is popular because it is convenient to the city, not because it is particularly amazing. If you just have a day, and will be driving up on 25 anyway, Shelf Road would be a great stop. Really scenic area, good camping, fun climbing. It is often considered a winter area, but you'll still find nice temperatures in May if you stick to the shade at crags like the Gem Wall.

Devil's Head (a bit further north toward Denver) is fun too, and would be along the way for you. Cooler as well, at higher elevation.

Or just skip Colorado and keep driving to Maple Canyon.

Devil's Head (sport)
Upper Dream Canyon (sport)
Mary's Bust (sport)
Lumpy Ridge (trad)
Monitor Rock (sport)
Grotto Wall (trad and sport)
Rifle (sport)

First four are within two hours of Denver and are more or less on the way to California. All are short approaches except Devil's Head and Lumpy.

Tony B wrote: St Vrain better than Bocan?

I typically exclude mentioning the bubble because I personally never spend any time there & therefore unqualified to comment on it.

No mention of Boulder Canyon yet? It's close to Boulder (5 to 25 min), cool in the summer, many hundreds of sport routes, good guide books, and good camping close by. Negatives are:

-that some areas get crowded ( arrive before 9),
-you may get wet crossing the stream.

Thanks for all the help y'all! I have a pretty good idea of the noteworthy places now. I'm jealous Coloradans have so many places to choose from.

david Graham wrote: SO CLOSE PRETTY MUCH MEANS ANYWHERE IN THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF CO. simply, if you could only climb one sport destination in CO for a day, which one(s) would be your favorite?

Shelf Road. On the way to Denver. Hundreds of routes of all grades. Good camping. Not as good as Smith Rock, OR, Red River Gorge, KY or other epic sport destinations, but the most developed sport crag Colorado has to offer. If you climb really hard (I don't), Rifle off of I-70. Eldo is mostly a trad crag but there are a few stiff sport routes and Eldo is where you should go 'if you can only climb one destination for a day' and are willing to toss out the 'trad crag' bias.

david Graham wrote: simply, if you could only climb one sport destination in CO for a day, which one(s) would be your favorite?

Rifle. Believe the hype!

Jim6565 wrote:No mention of Boulder Canyon yet? It's close to Boulder (5 to 25 min), cool in the summer, many hundreds of sport routes, good guide books, and good camping close by. Negatives are: -that some areas get crowded ( arrive before 9), -you may get wet crossing the stream.

Where's the good camping?

PRRose wrote: Where's the good camping?

Yeah, that puzzled me too. I think the James Peak area is the *closest* good camping