The first crag on the left heading up Clear Creek always caught the eye but was a pain to access. This all changed when JCOS put in a new foot bridge. With surprisingly excellent CCC rock, the crag holds the shade through the mornings until around 2:00 in the summer and stays shady all day in the fall. The Canal Zone is somewhat slabby in nature so I'm hoping the routes that go in here provide some consolation for the loss of Catslab.
Getting There
Park in the first pullout on the left, right after you enter the canyon. Pick one of the gullies beyond the parking lot and descend to the foot bridge. Cross the bridge, head up river on the trail and ascend steep switchbacks to the canal. Follow the canal trail up river ~1/4 mi to the crag. A longer but more enjoyable approach can be had by parking next to the pedestrian crossing at the end of Eighth Street in Golden and walking the river path, under the highway, up river to the foot bridge.
Thin sustained crimps, cool movement, and intricate footwork lead up a steep line. Avoid the bailout left and stay on course through the last clip for full value. A two bolt variation to start adds to the fun; Snake Eyes comes in from the left, starting just right of Turkey Jerky, and pulls through two amazing huecos to clip the second bolt on Ghost....[more]
Great area, loved the 3 routes I did, can't wait to get back to do some more!! Watch out for rattlesnakes, they don't seem to be too afraid of us up there, but don't take your chance. I had one slither by us less than 3 feet away from me and some other climbers. He just went into a corner and watched us, not rattling or anything, but still I would be very watchful of these dangerous guys!!
Every one of these routes has something to offer in the way of fun climbing. Well-protected crux moves make it a good place to push one's level on lead. I think it will be interesting to see what the consensus for route grades become after they clean up a bit more with increased traffic. All-in-all, another great addition to CCC.
The Canal Zone
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