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GPS: 40.5686, -105.077
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Shared By: Orphaned User on Dec 14, 2001
Admins: James Schroeder, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC

Description Suggest change

Though spitting distance from the Dakota blocks at Carter Lake, Biglandia offers a different sort of rock and is more of a traverser's paradise. The rock is rough, dark brown and pocketed but faces east, making Biglandia a good tick on days when the wind is blasting the boulders at Carter or you need a bit of afternoon shade.

I have heard multiple reports of rattlesnake sightings during the warmer months, so tread with care.

The traverses here range from long (the Bitch Slap at 90+ feet) to short (the Rotund at 30 feet), yet there are some great up problems as well, some quite highball. Most of the development took place in the mid-90's, the work of Kurt Fry, Mike Freischlag, Skyler Crane, Mike Pont and Pete Zoller, though the area is mentioned as "Carter Meadows" in an old Bob Horan guidebook.

The Bitch Slap, the wall furthest south, is a great place to start, offering myriad variations and a nice flat hang. Almost all the landings at Biglandia are textbook flat meadow, so if Carter highballs have left you a bit drained, Biglandia is a nice change.

Problems range in difficulty from V0-V10, with the two hardest problems (the Mudweiser and Charley Horse) being the work of Charley Bentley. Holds can be sharp, so bring some tape. Expect to pull on micro-pockets, incut crimps and the occasional glassy sloper, as well as funky crack holds.

Getting There Suggest change

Biglandia is best accessed via Carter Lake. Pass Dam One (where you would park for the north side bouldering, i.e. Kahuna Roof) and keep driving north toward Dam Two. Just before Dam Two either park at a small pull-out on the right near a gate or drive a bit further and turn left into Carter Knolls.

Parking at Carter Knolls requires that you pay an entrace fee, as it's part of the Park. Rumor has it, however, that the pull-out on the right is county land and thus not subject to entrance fees. You be the judge.

Go through the gate and follow a dirt road southeast toward a faint hogback. Either wrap around the front (east) side of the hogback and make your way down the valley toward the crags or continue on a dirt road that runs along the back (west) side of the hogback until you hit a climber's trail running over a small pass in the Hogback.

The crags themselves are arrayed along this valley in a north-south arrangement and are on Carter Lake Property until you hit the fence at the Bitch Slap Wall. Don't bother climbing on the next wall south -- it's very much on private land.

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Classic Climbing Routes at Biglandia

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