I need a good place to take kids climbing around estes park?

I'm looking for a good single pitch or top roping area to take my kids climbing. We will be in the estes park area for a few days. My kids are 8 and 5 years old.

thanks,
John

John,
If your kids are able to walk up a steep (for kids and me) hill, then I would recommend:

mountainproject.com/v/color…

Lots of TR options and you can scramble up the back of the rocks to set up a number of the climbs here.

Hope that helps and have fun!

Agree with both. Mary's Lake is nice, too, because the lake is 100 yards from where you climb. Urban chaos on the weekends though.

FWIW, this is a bit of a tough one. It may be tougher to find interesting, established routes that are reasonably close to the road.

I've found Jurassic okay for 8 year olds but a bit limited for 5 year olds.

Prospect Mountain has some options on a decent, south-facing slab on The Thumb, 10 minute hike.

If you got hikers, you could go to The Monastery or The Pear at Lumpy Ridge and do some things on the bottom slab, but both feel ~2 miles. The Left Book is another possibility with a ~1+ mile hike with elevation gain, but it can get crowded. You can do some unnamed slabs on rocks like Triangle Rock's south face, but it's still a 30 minute hike.

This is a challenge.

JB: My kids love climbing at Elmer Fudd's Wok. It's the small crag you encounter in the first 100 yards of the approach to Combat Rock, which is near Drake, between Estes Park and Loveland off of Hwy 34 (20-25 min drive from Estes). Very quick approach (2 minutes) and easy to set up top ropes. There's a set of double bolts on the right side of the crag (scramble up right gully to get to them; best to have your harness on so that you can clip in while setting up the TR, and then just rappel off). You can climb a variety of lines off of these bolts, from about 5.4 to 5.7 (the hardest move on the easiest line may be a bit harder than 5.4, but ratings don't mean a whole lot for young kids anyway -- if they can't reach the holds, just have 'em swing around searching for a better set of grips). The big tree on the left side of the cliff has a line of huge buckets beneath it (5.3 for climbers of regular height). You'll need a bit of extra rope or a bunch of long slings to set up the TR. I usually don't let my kids climb beyond the 45' mark on that route (up to the small tree) -- there's some loose rock higher up, and the quality of the climbing degrades. Both lines are about 85 ft long (a 50 m rope is just barely enough for the right anchors).

Another great option for a short outing is the route Mary's Jugs on Mary's Bust in Big Thompson Canyon (maybe 7 minute approach with kids). It's listed as 5.7 on this site; I'd believe 5.6. You'll have to lead it (50' route on a 400' cliff); I always rope solo it to set it up. Your kids will likely struggle if you have them follow the line of bolts: huge holds, but some big reaches, and it's pretty steep. A better option is to have them follow the first 5 or so bolts on the 5.10 to the right (maybe 5.4 climbing; the route is called Out of Time), and then traverse left to the finish on Mary's Jugs. Crux is right at the top, so they'll get some good climbing even if they can't quite get to the anchors.

Finally, Nancy's Rock (5 minute approach) in Big Thompson Canyon 1.5 miles below Drake is a great option. Easy to set up a TR; the central line is the one to do (just have the kids follow the line of least resistance rather than the bolts). You could easily do both this and Mary's Bust in an afternoon with just two kids.

Extra info: 1. There's a tiny stream that runs beneath Elmer Fudd's Wok; might have some water in it this time of year. My kids like throwing rocks into the pool 20 yards downstream from the climbs. The approach to EFW requires a bit of scrambling, but the kids can handle it with a spot from you. 2. The approach trail to Mary's Bust begins right at a water grate next to the road beneath the center of the main face; you need to find it as the kids will not do well just barging up the hillside. It's a steep trail, but it's over pretty quick. You may have to put the 5-yr-old on your shoulders. There's a ton of cool mica and white quartz rock at the base; bring a tupperware for the kids to collect samples and take home. They will also enjoy walking through the neat little corridor between the main wall and a big boulder. This site says Mary's Jugs is 1.8 stars. Don't believe it; it's a brilliant little 5.6 worth 3.5 stars (awesome, steep jugs on great rock). There also may be some water still flowing in the little stream that goes down to the grate at the road the kids will enjoy. 3. Be mindful of the small patch of poison ivy near the left side of Nancy's Rock. Great little kid fort under the juniper on the right side of the cliff. 4. If you climb at any of these venues, I'd recommend a drive down canyon to Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park when you are done, which is on the left side of the road about 4 miles up from the bottom of the canyon (don't have mileage from upper canyon, but it's maybe 10-15 minutes down from Drake). This is a lovely little park with a playground right next to the Big Thompson River, lots of grass, and some neat old turbines from the dam that got ripped out in the 1976 Big Thompson flood. The city of Loveland owns and maintains it. Beautiful spot for a picnic (toilets, picnic tables, river to throw rocks and sticks into, etc.).

Bernard Gillett, you sound like the coolest dad (aside from mine, of course). The fact that you recall good rock-throwing areas is admirable; I'm 23 and I still love throwing rocks and sticks into pools of water.

Thanks for all the info. I'm excited about taking the kids out.

Thanks, Aaron; that's mighty kind of you to say so. I'm 42 and still enjoy teaching the kids how to throw a good skipping stone on flat water. Heck, I don't even need the kids around to have fun chucking rocks: I keep wondering whether I can lob a rock into the Big Thompson River from the top of Mary's Buttress. Looks like an easy shot, but I don't want to ding a fisherman in camouflage from 500 feet up (and if I come up really short, I'll hit the road). Going up there on Friday sans kids, so maybe it's time to give it a try.

I learned pretty early that the kids like playing in the dirt and throwing rocks as much as they like climbing. Probably the most important thing is that kids like hanging out with dad/mom (it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out); doesn't matter whether it's climbing or playing cards or shopping in the mall.