All Locations > Colorado > Estes Park Valley > CO Hwy 7 & Trib… > Prospect Mountain

The Thimble Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in The Thimble

L › R R › L A › Z

	Blocky Arete TR 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Chimney T 5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a PG13
	Toprope Slab TR 5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a

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Elevation:	8,400 ft
GPS:	40.3566, -105.5167 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	4,920 total · 23/month
Shared By:	Nate Christiansen on Sep 15, 2006
Admins:	Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Temporary trail closure & Thumb and Needle Closures - resolved with The Thumb Open Space creation Details

Temporary trail closure at The Thumb Trailhead:

Beginning Jan. 19, 2024, and lasting no later than Feb. 9, 2024, the Town of Estes Park will be temporarily closing the trailhead access at the Thumb Open Space due to required construction activity. This area will be blocked off and not accessible during the closure period. There will no parking or public access from the trailhead.

Brian Berg
Park Supervisor
Town of Estes Park

The Thumb and Needle are prominent crags (previously on private property) that are now on The Thumb Open Space, established in 2022 by the Town of Ester Park. Access to the crags is gained from a signed trailhead and small parking lot on Peak View Drive just west of Curry Drive. Do not park on Curry Drive or access the crags from anywhere along Curry Drive. From the Peak View Drive trailhead, the trail is well marked and approximately 0.75 miles long with an elevation gain of about 400 feet. Expect about 20 to 30 minutes for the approach to reach the Thumb and the Needle.

The Town of Estes Park worked on purchasing the property with the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and The Estes Valley Land Trust. The goal is to keep this area public with climbing access, so please respect private property rights of adjacent landowners.

For any questions about The Thumb Open Space, please contact Brian Berg, Park Supervisor, Town of Estes Park, bberg@estes.org, (970) 577-3783.

During 2022, major efforts were expended by members of the Boulder Climbing Community and Estes Park volunteers to replace over 100 old protection bolts and anchors on many of the sport climbs on the Thumb and the Needle. Many of the routes now have clip and lower anchors, and there are also new rappel stations on top of both crags and also the Thimble.

Formerly: The Thumb and Needle were on private property and the gravel road part of Curry Dr. is a private road. There was no public access to the Thumb or Needle until the Thumb Open Space was created. The Town of Estes Park purchased the property with our partners the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and The Estes Valley Land Trust. The goal was to make this area public with climbing access...success.

Any questions? Please contact me directly.

Brian Berg
Town of Estes Park
Park Supervisor
bberg@estes.org
(970) 577-3783

Description

The Thumb and Needle are the 2 more popular crags on top of Prospect Mountain. The first rock you will see is the Needle. Less than 100 yards further uphill is The Thumb. The Thimble is a sliver of rock lying just East of The Thumb. There are fixed anchors on top, they are fairly inconspicuous and consist of 2 bolts with bare Fixe hangers.

There are slab TR lines on the east face, face routes and a chimney on the west face, and an arete on the south face.

Getting There

The Thumb and Needle are prominent crags (previously on private property) that are now on The Thumb Open Space, established in 2022 by the Town of Ester Park. Access to the crags is gained from a signed trailhead and small parking lot on Peak View Drive just west of Curry Drive. Do not park on Curry Drive or access the crags from anywhere along Curry Drive. From the Peak View Drive trailhead, the trail is well marked and approximately 0.75 miles long with an elevation gain of about 400 feet. Expect about 20 to 30 minutes for the approach to reach the Thumb and the Needle.

The Town of Estes Park worked on purchasing the property with the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and The Estes Valley Land Trust. The goal is to keep this area public with climbing access, so please respect private property rights of adjacent landowners.

For any questions about The Thumb Open Space, please contact Brian Berg, Park Supervisor, Town of Estes Park, bberg@estes.org, (970) 577-3783.

During 2022, major efforts were expended by members of the Boulder Climbing Community and Estes Park volunteers to replace over 100 old protection bolts and anchors on many of the sport climbs on the Thumb and the Needle. Many of the routes now have clip and lower anchors, and there are also new rappel stations on top of both crags and also the Thimble.

Formerly: The Thumb and Needle were on private property and the gravel road part of Curry Dr. is a private road. There was no public access to the Thumb or Needle until the Thumb Open Space was created. The Town of Estes Park purchased the property with our partners the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and The Estes Valley Land Trust. The goal was to make this area public with climbing access...success.

Any questions? Please contact me directly.

Brian Berg, Town of Estes Park, Park Supervisor, bberg@estes.org, (970) 577-3783

The Thumb and The Needle lie on the slopes of Prospect Mountain, and the easiest way to get there is to drive either from CO Highway 7, leaving town until you reach Peak View Drive (PVD). Take PVD until you see a gold sign on your right that says "Prospect Highlands". This is Curry. Take that sharp right turn. Continue up this short road that will eventually turn into gravel and park at the cropping just short of the gate. Please do not attempt to park in the way of the landowners. The trail starts just up the gully and goes for an enjoyable yet steep 5 minute approach. The first rock you will see is the Needle. Less than 100 yards further uphill is The Thumb. The Thimble is a sliver of rock lying just SE of The Thumb.

More 2020 Access Information

Prospect Mt. has been owned privately, primarily by 2 landowners, for a long time. Over the years, these landowners have tolerated climbing presence on various crags. With an increase in visitation, perhaps due to COVID-19, these property owners have now become unwilling to allow climbers on their lands. In fact, no trespassing signs have been posted, and some unpleasant confrontations have occurred. The town of Estes Park has sought to purchase land that would include many of the climbing crags and boulders on Prospect Mt. The town of Estes Park has been working with the Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, GOCO, and the Estes Valley Land Trust in an effort to provide legal access to the climbing on Prospect Mt. hopefully within a year. A new trail may be built, and a management plan would follow. While this process is ongoing, please avoid climbing on these crags so as to make these negotiations go as smoothly as possible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!