It appears that Vampire Rock does not see many visitors. The access trail is subtle, and much of the rock has lichen. That said, there are a number of multi-pitch trad & sport routes that offer a challenge. This was once the site of ice & rock climber conflict which effectively assisted ending the ice farming days of Boulder Canyon.
L->R:
A. Climb Eye Knight, 10b, 1p, bolts. B. The Wanker, 12, 3p, bolts. BB. Nothing But Trouble, 11, 1p, bolts. C. A.C.E., 12-, 1p, 80', bolts. C1. Monkey's Uncle, 10+, 1p, bolts. C2. Monkey's Sister, 10, 1p, bolts. D. The Bureau, 12-, 1p, bolts & gear. E. Red Sonja, 7, 2p, gear. F. Transylverlina, 12, 4p, bolts. G. Heart Of The Narrows, 12b, 2p, bolts. H. B.C. 8, 1p?, gear. I. That's Weak, 10, 1p, bolts. II. The Good, The Bad, and The Jacked, 12-, 2p, 150', bolts & gear. J. The Vampire, 9, 4p, 350', gear. JJ. Crack Of Desperation, 10-, 1p, 100', gear. KK. Trash It And Move On, 11, 2p, 170', bolts & gear. LL. Stage Fright, 11-, 2p, 160', gear. M. Pin Cushion, 11 PG-13, 1p, 50', bolts. MM. Blood Doll, 12-, 1p, 80', bolts. N. One Withered Arm, 9, 1p, gear. O. Fear of Sunlight, 1p, 11+, 70', bolts. P. Le Stat, 11+, 2p, 140', bolts. PP. Fear of Le Stat, 1p var, 11-, bolts.
Getting There
About 8.8 miles up the canyon, 200 yards past Practice Rock, there is a large turn out on the left side of the road at the end of a sweeping right hand turn. Vampire rock is about 100 yards back, on the opposite side of the river. Cross the creek where appropriate, and try to hug the creek to find the trail. Note the large gully that runs down the right side of vampire rock. When in line with that, find the trail and hike up the gully. Once at the base of the rock, there is an imperfect but present trail that hugs the base of the cliff.
Descent
You can descend in a loose gully between Vampire & Black Widow Slab to the right. It does involve 3rd class scrambling.
The Bureau climbs the line of bolts left of Wanker. It is identified by the chain link hanging from the 3rd bolt. Climb up the pillar to the first bolt and work your way into a sloping rail. A wild dyno gets you off of the sloper, but the fun doesn't stop as more 5.11 climbing guards the anchors. Lower from the first set of anchors or continue on to harder climbing. More info coming.......[more]
In 1981, a climbing partner of mine asked me to go up the canyon and climb on this rock. I was busy and could not go. It turned out to be very fortuitous as he went with his girlfriend and found a decomposing corpse at the base of the route. Apparently, this poor bloke had been up there for some time and was very advanced in his decomposition. Dave said that he was still wearing his EBs and there was a chalk bag attached to his belt. Would suggest taking a rope if you climb here as the rock is very slick with lichen and there are some very loose holds.
Has anyone had problems finding the walk off? I did "The Vampire" today, and had a hell of a time finding it. Actually, I don't think we ever did. Eventually, we made it down, but it wasn't exactly a trail. The Rossiter guide made it sound obvious and easy to find. I didn't find that to be the case.
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