Upper Chaos Canyon Bouldering

Upper Chaos Canyon is a very popular bouldering area located west and uphill from Lower Chaos Canyon, above Lake Haiyaha. Truly above treeline and substantially farther to hike to, Upper Chaos Canyon is the essence of alpine bouldering in RMNP. Every kind of problem exists from short, steep, powerful problems such the Skipper Roof problems or tall scary highballs such as Suicide Season. Many RMNP classics are found here as well such as Sunspot, Golden Rows of Flows, and Jade, at V14, one of the country's hardest problems.

As at Lower Chaos Canyon, environmental concerns take priority. Stick to established trails, don't harm vegetation, and avoid altering landings. Stashing pads is bad form and the consensus is that they will be removed, either by other boulderers or rangers. Pack out everything you bring in.

The higher elevation and more exposed position of Upper Chaos Canyon makes it imperative that the visitor be prepared for bad weather. Often the season is shorter up here as snow arrives in the fall. The lengthy talus approach can be dangerously slippery in rain and lightning is a serious threat here during frequent summer thunderstorms. Pack warm clothing and plenty of food and water. As with Lower Chaos Canyon, an injury could be very serious here. Make sure you have plenty of pads. Virtually all of the landings here are on boulders.

If you want to add any problems in RMNP check to make sure there is not an area or boulder already set up that it can be added to. Do not add individual problems to this site unless there is an area and boulder description in place. If there aren't any, feel free to add them but make sure the descriptions are detailed and accurate for all three, area, boulder, and problem.