Tin Cup Hogback Park Bouldering

This is a nice, quiet, mile long section of the Dakota Hogback north of the I-70 road cut between W. Colfax and C-470. An unofficial trail runs the entire length of the ridge and is shared by hikers, dog walkers, and mountain bikers. On the northeast side of the park are sports fields and a recycling center, but the rest is good ol’ JeffCo Open Space with a few Dakota Sandstone outcroppings. Most of the sandstone is soft enough to be uninteresting for climbing; however, there are several areas that range from pretty good to very good. With one exception, all of the best exposed rock is the result of the clay and coal mining activity along the east side of the ridge. The park’s climbing resources are mostly bouldering, but it does have a couple 30-80’ cliffs.

A note about mines along the Dakota Hogback: the method used on these upturned clay and coal beds was to tunnel in from the side of the hill to the desired deposit layers then tunnel perpendicularly in both directions following the deposit. The roof of the side tunnels were then mined to within a few feet of the surface creating large stopes. All of this work was done by hand. After the mines closed, shafts and trenches were back filled. When backfilling holes like this, it’s common for debris to get lodged partway down and only the top of the cavity is filled. Eventually things give way and holes open up in the surface again - same for thin-roofed stopes. Assume responsibility for your own well-being when entering the trenches, and be conscientious for unstable ground or new holes. I’ve been in all of them on this ridge multiple times and they seem fine but you never know. The known hazards in the park have been fenced off.