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Glen Comfort Crag Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map This is our best guess at this area's location.
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Routes in Glen Comfort Crag

L › R R › L A › Z

	Dark Holler T,S 5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
	Lil' Sadie T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Shady Grove TR 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b

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GPS:	40.42152, -105.22604 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	3,199 total · 20/month
Shared By:	Adam Paashaus on Jan 1, 2011
Admins:	Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Access issue - Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc. - open since 2023 Details

Update: per Bruce Hildenbrand: the area has been open since 2023.

Per JF M: as of May 2022, there is no signage on-site, nor information on the USFS webpage for the Cameron Peak Fire (nor on their published map of closures) that indicates the area is closed.

Per Bruce Hildenbrand: it appears that the Forest Service has closed access to all the climbing areas accessed via Storm Mountain Road (Monastery, Cedar Park, Combat Rock, etc.) until they can clear all the dangerous dead trees from the Cameron Peak fire.

I worked this issue with Eric Murdock at the AF, and it looks like the Forest Service picked Devil's Gulch Road as the southern boundary even though all the climbing areas on MP.com were not burned.

Description

The Glen Comfort crag is located on a relatively small rib of rock located in the National Forest on the north side of US Highway 34 above the now closed (washed away?) Glen Comfort Indian store. There is no public access from the area near the store, so please approach from the Forest access road as described below. Even though the crag is fairly close to the road, it is tucked between unique rock formations and feels secluded. There is a pretty good variety of climbing styles. Everything from low a angle hand crack on Lil Sadie (5.7) to the steep, slab flake climbing and the technical, powerful moves over the steep bulge on Dark Holler(11c).

L->R:

A. Lil' Sadie, 7, 1p, 60', gear.
B. Shady Grove, 10, 1p, TR.
C. Dark Holler, 11, 1p, bolts & gear.

Getting There

From Estes Park, drive down US Hwy 34 about 3 and a half miles east of Mall Rd past the now closed (washed away?) Glen Comfort Indian Store on the right and Noels Draw (road) on the right. Take the next dirt drive on the left (with a stone post) just around a left bend in the highway. Follow it to the National Forest access at the road's end.

From the parking area at the end of the forest access road, you will see a gate and some Forest Service signs. Do not follow the road behind the gate, instead walk past the Forest Service signs and follow the left foot path past a spot where a power line crosses the trail and then past some old foundations until you reach a meadow with a significant rock formation on the right side of it. Cross the field staying roughly parallel to some power lines on the left and keeping the rock buttress on your right. Rejoin the trail/old road bed on the other side. Just beyond the meadow is a rock/stick cairn on the left side of the trail. Go left at that point and you will find a faint trail that you follow for a short distance to a point where a power line crosses the trail. Go down and back up the other side of the small depression leaving the trail at that point. From here, you will keep going the same direction (south-ish?) following closely to the high point of the ridge. A rock cairn will be seen just down from the high point on the left. Behind the rock cairn is a hidden gully. Follow the sometimes dense gully downhill till it opens up and you will see the bolts of Dark Holler on the right.