Mountain Project Logo
To save paper & ink, use the [Hide] controls next to photos and comments so you only print what you need.

Ragnarok

Colorado > S Platte > Buffalo Creek > Top Of The World
Warning Access Issue: Nestin falcons DetailsDrop down

Description

This is a relatively uninteresting rock, with the exception of Fun Climb #101, one of the best multi-pitch low-end moderates in the South Platte.

Getting There

The approach is fairly long, although with some idea of where you are headed it doesn't have to be that strenuous. Pedal your bike along forest road 538 until you get to the Slabbo/Boulder Pile parking area. There is a faint trail on the north side of the Slabbo right below the rock- Follow this. Pick your way through open forest to the saddle between the Boulder Pile and Ragnarock, but the route is around the backside. Don't go too far before cutting uphill to the saddle, as the [further] gullies are steep and unpleasant. Now pick your way down and around to the SE face of the crag through the burn, watching for poison ivy along the base of the rock. You will see some old bleached slings hanging from the rock that make you feel like you are in the twilight zone, no one has climbed here in a long time.

Per Dave Clark 5.10: 1. Bike the closed road from the parking area at CO Hwy 126 to and past the former Top of the World Campground for a total of about 3.5 miles. The last half mile is mostly descending and passes the well-marked Colorado Trail crossing. Right after crossing a low point in the road there is a roughly 90-degree right-hand bend in the road with an obvious old closed road on the outside (left) of the bend, with a barrier and "tank trap" earth berm.

2. Follow this closed road uphill for a couple hundred yards. It's possible to ride a mountain bike on this road, but it is not easy. Stash your bike somewhere and continue about 150 yards past the old plywood sign near the high point on this road.

3. Looking SE from here you can clearly see Slabbo in the foreground and the BoulderPile/Ragnarok combo beyond. Bushwhack downhill off the right side of the road, aiming to go around the east side of Slabbo. There are no trails of any consequence, so find the path of least resistance that stays within about 100 feet of the bottom of Slabbo's NE face.

4. Continue towards the left side of the Boulder Pile and across a wide saddle between Slabbo and the BP. It isn't obvious, but you can start to see the narrow gap between BP and Ragnarok. Aim for that gap, but don't go too far left to avoid the steep gully on the NE side of the gap.

5. As you reach the gap, it becomes a narrow (150 foot?) saddle with Ragnarok on your left and BP on your right. This is a good place to leave any gear you don't need on the climb because you can scramble down a 4th-class gully back to this saddle after topping out on Ragnarok.

6. Descend SE from the narrow saddle, and circumvent the bottom of Ragnarok around to the left (east) until you find Fun Climb 101.

Routes from Left to Right

5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 28
Fun Climb 101
Trad 3 pitches
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Fun Climb 101
 28
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad 3 pitches

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Cathedral Spires and the Dome from the summit of Ragnarok.
[Hide Photo] Cathedral Spires and the Dome from the summit of Ragnarok.
Ragnarok from the east.
[Hide Photo] Ragnarok from the east.
There are some nice views on the hike into this rock. This one is a view down into Pine Grove.
[Hide Photo] There are some nice views on the hike into this rock. This one is a view down into Pine Grove.
Slabbo formation in the foreground.  Raleigh Peak directly behind it; Ragnarok is the left (east) summit, Boulder Pile is the right (west) summit.
[Hide Photo] Slabbo formation in the foreground. Raleigh Peak directly behind it; Ragnarok is the left (east) summit, Boulder Pile is the right (west) summit.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Jeremy Hakes
Golden, CO
[Hide Comment] This area (as well as most of the areas east of Chair Rocks) is not accessible from the west off of FR538 (aka Raleigh Peak Road) as of 9.22.07. Angry private property/no trespassing signage exists all over the place on the old forest road. Best to approach from the east. According to the signage, the new property owner is not a sharing person.

11/18/07 - This area is accessible from the Colorado Trail from the east side. The old FR that actually takes off from the Colorado Trail about 2.5 miles in goes directly to Ragnarok and Raleigh Peak and is shorter than the CT by more than a mile. Sep 24, 2007
[Hide Comment] This area is on US govt property, but it appears as if the base of the rock to the west is no more than 300' from a boundary with private property. If you go leave the road as close to the NW corner of the rock as possible and stay very near the rock. If the property owner complains they really have no grounds, they chose to build a home in the middle of FS land. Just watch where you travel.
picasaweb.google.com/lh/pho…

Also, the property owners have an easement over FR 538 that does not exclude public use. Means we can all still use the road. Feb 20, 2009
Joe K
Scottsdale, AZ
[Hide Comment] If you are not doing any routes on the Boulder Pile, there is no reason to skirt around the right (south) side and underneath the Boulder Pile on the way to Ragnarok. We did this by mistake, and it added a significant amount of bushwhacking and unnecessary circumnavigation. Perhaps we mis-read the approach beta. Instead, I would suggest continuing down the road for 1/4 mile or so past the Slabbo and around most of the vegetation. Pick your way from there down the valley and back up to the objective. You will be heading on the LEFT side of the Boulder Pile on approach. Sep 10, 2012