Very close to Boulder and south facing make this a popular rock. A good rock for winter days. It's a huge slab, with lots of cuts and cracks to run up. No top-roping or sport climbs are here, but then many fun, multi-pitch climbs are great for beginner leaders. Access off the top is via scrambling down either the east or west.
0.5 miles from the entrance to Boulder Canyon is a straightaway with huge turnoffs on both side of the road. Park and walk north across the footbridge. Turn right and follow the new trail up to the aqueduct. Go left to the trail heading up to the base of the Dome.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Dome:
This can be done in 1 or 2 pitches.Start up a small dihedral (5.6) or take an easier start to the right (5.5). Follow the crack over a bulge, then onto the large face. Keep following the right crack to the roof. Either turn the roof at a dihedral to the left (red), which is the same finish to East of the Sun or take a crack straight up from the route.Descent: walk off to the right side of the Dome. ...[more]Browse More Classics in CO
I can't believe it.. So a couple months ago I was with a small party climbing the right face. My buddy Ed and I get to the tree and I decided to set up a rappel with a long cordelette line (so everyone climbing that day could use it.) We rapp down and start on another climb. I saw some guys climbing up and I asked them not to take my rapp off the top. He was looking at me funny. So we top out another climb and someone stole my frickin rapp line. Can you believe this. WHATS NEXT???Ron Kauk's boots? (Moral of story, Look out for Dumb-Ass thieves.)
At the top of the gully between Elephant Buttress and the Dome there's a 20 foot granite cliff that can be top roped. Might be good for warming up a beginner or practicing belays before heading doing multi pitch nearby.
I don't know about dumb ass thieves JV... I was there this afternoon and an older gentleman found a flat/triangular topped winter hat. It was dark, maybe black. He asked if it was mine and I said no. I forgot to get it from him to post the find here. My sincerest apologies whomever it belongs to. Perhaps it is still there. Worth the check...~WM
A little hope for anyone thinking people are getting worse.... I dropped three biners off the belay ledge on Cozyhang and got a large hex stuck in a crack that my partner couldn't remove. We finished and went up Owl. I met a climber at the shared belay with Cozyhang and he offered me our hex that he had already removed. He also noticed the biners I was using and offered the one he found on the hillside that matched mine... I figured they were sacrifices to the rock gods, but I saved some money thanks to some honest climbers.
A carabiner that has been dropped like that should be thrown out. Although you can't be certain without x-ray analysis, the carabiner may have gotten fractured from the impact. Better to replace and be out 5 bucks.
We did this late Sept, 2009. I have done it maybe 10 times, starting 25 years ago, but hadn't done it in 8 years. I on-sighted a 10c sport route a few days ago without difficulty, and I have to say, this route is more interesting and wild than the 10c. Lots of pins are gone now, that used to help protect it, and the ones that are there don't look reliable to me. The polish has increased substantially, making the traverse up to the first belay, and just after, seem harder now. In honor of the old guard who probably did this route in boots with nails, I'll leave the rating alone, but a beginning 5.7 leader (is there any such thing anymore?) who tried to on-sight this puppy would probably call for a rescue chopper!
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