All Locations > Colorado > Four Corners Area > Hillside Drive in San…

Grindstone Crag Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Grindstone Crag

L › R R › L A › Z

	Tortoise and The Puma, The T 5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b
	Five Star Crack T 5.12- 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
	Unknown T 5.11+ 7a 24 VIII 24 E4 6a
	Smoking Mechanisms T 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
	Bobcat Ballet T 5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
	Spineless T 5.10- 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Aeolian Sky T 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
	Goodnight G T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a

Order Wrong? Sort Routes

Explore this area in 3D

Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Elevation:	9,881 ft	3,012 m
GPS:	37.52914, -108.10947 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	1,345 total · 42/month
Shared By:	Tyson Atwell on Aug 31, 2022 · Updates
Admins:	Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC Page Updates (admin only)

See Weather Forecast

Description

Grindstone Crag (AKA The Hunting Camp Area) is another fantastic Hillside Drive crag with a few ultra classic trad routes on superb stone and excellent potential for many more sport and bouldering routes in a very lush, alpine setting. This is a very remote, untouched natural area with a drive and an approach in its current state that is not for the faint of heart. With a bit of time, respect, and effort, you will be rewarded with some of the best rock the San Juans has to offer. Some epic lines with relatively new bolts / anchors exist, and there are projects galore if you are willing to make the trek.

If you are more interested in Bouldering, be sure to check out the latest ’Telluride Bouldering‘ guidebook by Christian Prellwitz for a few details on the 3 distinct boulder clusters beneath the crag. (There are heaps of unbelievable blocks below Grindstone, and also Toby, and Carly Crags just waiting to be cleaned and unlocked. Not to mention plenty of other clusters along both sides of Hillside Drive, hidden in the trees.)

Per Matthew Tangeman: the cliff is called Grindstone, most likely coined by Hurst and Johnston who established the first route here.

Getting There

Directions per Matthew Tangeman: Grindstone Crag (AKA The Hunting Camp Area) is approximately 35 minutes drive up Hillside Drive -> Grindstone Rd from the turnoff at CO Hwy 145.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Make your way north ~25 miles from Dolores or south ~10 miles from Rico to a dirt road, signed “National Forest Access - Hillside Drive”. Follow the well-maintained road for 12.7 miles to a fork, and take a right, heading downhill. Drive another 1.7 miles to where a short road drops steeply to a campsite on the right. Park here. Parking is located at: 37.53442, -108.10504

APPROACH: From where you parked, head straight downhill through the meadow, angling slightly skier’s right. Look for orange flagging near a large recently fallen pine tree. Follow the orange flagging and cairns downhill for half a mile, gaining the base of the crag via a 30m handline. The trail is faint to nonexistent (but getting better), just look for the flags. The approach puts you right at the base of Goodnight G (5.9). Crag is located at: 37.52906, -108.10950.