My partner and I have the first week of May off and are looking to explore a new area somewhere in Colorado. We live in Salt Lake and don't have much experience in CO so looking for some recommendations please. We climb 5.11 sport and trad, are looking to camp and have a new adventure. Any ideas are much appreciated!
If you haven't been already, the South Platte fits the bill for trad, some sport and plentiful free camping. You could hit up some classic crack climbs at Cathedral Spires and Turkey Rock, some bolted/trad at Thunder Ridge and even get in some great sport climbing at Devils Head if you had enough time. All of these areas are killer, plus there are many other possibilities in close proximity. Weather should be primo, but even if there was bad weather in the Platte you could easily bail to Shelf Road worst case. Have fun wherever you go!
If you only have a week, you should probably limit yourself to one or two general areas to maximize your climbing time.
If you haven't been to Eldo, it's definitely worth checking out, preferably on a weekday. However, camping is not convenient to that general area. The nearby Estes Park area (~1hr from Eldo) has plenty of climbing as well as camping, and it is beautiful there.
Another awesome spot is the South Platte area (~1hr south of Denver). It's wild, full of granite, and great for camping.
+1 for what Glenn said. Camping is great in the Splatte and you could spend 2 days jamming splitters at turkey alone. Estes is obviously amazing but lacks easy free camping. If you do decide on Estes, don't miss the Monestary for excellent bolt clipping and camping (30-45 mins from Estes proper)
Whatever you choose have an awesome time and post a TR when you get back.
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