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Independence Monument Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Independence Monument

L › R R › L A › Z

	Dependence T 5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b A3-
	Geezer Highway T 5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a PG13
	Independence Chimney T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c C1
	Otto's Route T 5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	South Face Direct T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a C3+
	Sundial Dihedral T 5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a C1
	Unknown Handcrack T 5.10- 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a

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Elevation:	5,359 ft	1,633 m
GPS:	39.09581, -108.7234 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	103,256 total · 340/month
Shared By:	Ben Mottinger on Dec 31, 2000 · Updates
Admins:	Jesse Zacher, Bradley Mark Edwards, N R, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Peregrine falcon nesting in 2025 - please avoid climbing here currently Details

Per [[107228211]: there is a peregrine falcon currently nesting on Independence Monument. It is being monitored closely.

The Park is asking and encouraging climbers to choose other routes in the Monument for climbing until we know the outcome of the nest. If anyone has questions, please reach out!

Description

This is a great tower with many different types of routes on its soft sandstone. Most routes get to the awesome summit in 4-6 pitches and all routes require double ropes to rappel. This tower should definitely be on your tick list if you haven't done any climbs here, and if you've never done any desert climbing like the Fishers or Moab, you'll get a nice introduction to that type of climbing.

The rock is generally solid, but flakes and small holds sometimes break off and all the climbing is sandy, nearly negating the need for chalk.

Getting There

Going South on 340 from Fruita, go past the entrance to Colorado Monument on the right a couple miles. As you pass over the crest of a hill with a housing division on the right look immediately for a right turn down what appears to be a driveway to the Monument Trail parking lot. This small lot leads about 2 miles (45 minutes to 1 hour+) to the base of the monument.

7 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Independence Monument

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c C1 23 ● Independence Chimney Trad, Aid 6 pitches
5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 564 ● Otto's Route Trad 4 pitches
5.10- 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 10 ● Unknown Handcrack Trad
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a C1 16 ● Sundial Dihedral Trad, Aid 6 pitches