What are summers in the front range like?

I'm considering spending the summer in Golden or Boulder to see some friends and I'm curious what the climbing scene is like at that time of year. Specifically, what sport climbing and bouldering is in season then?  I've looked all over the MP pages of course, but there are so many routes and problems that it's hard to get a lay of the land. As far as I see it, it seems like Boulder canyon and Clear Creek have good summer climbing (looking by the MP ticks by season graph) , and the bouldering is scattered throughout Eldorado / RMNP / Estes, but in general is pretty high up? I'm sure I'm missing many areas so please correct me. It seems like the bouldering is hard to do after work / half-day because of the long alpine approaches, is that correct? 

I'm mostly interested in weekday climbing, as weekends I probably won't be climbing in the front range. Are there any cold enough accessible half-day bouldering areas in the summer? 

Summers in the Front Range are pretty hot, the ideal season is definitely Spring/Fall. In general most people try to climb at the higher elevation crags - Estes/RMNP, Devil's Head, Staunton, Guanella, Rifle, etc. These all involve longer drives. Climbing in the foothills - Boulder canyon, Clear Creek, Flatirons, Eldo - is possible if you climb early in the morning and try to chase shade. But the after work sessions locally are definitely not ideal climbing temps, it's pretty common to reach upper 80s-90s during the summer.

Summers are actually pretty nice, just not in direct sun all day at places like Shelf Road. But the canyons are good if you chase shade. You can go higher into the mountains for routes, too. It's dry, so the heat is bearable for a humid climate person. 

Weekday or weekend, it will be really crowded.

It's quite hot. Climbing in the shade and early is possible. Sunny areas and areas a little lower down the canyons is kinda awful to impossible.

There is higher elevation stuff further away and it's also very crowded.

A couple times a summer, expect to be hacking and coughing while trying to climb in forest fire smoke. Cross your fingers that your favorite area isn't the one that's burning.

If you drive an hour from Golden either north or south, expect anything taller than a Sprinter van to have a nesting closure.

If it's not super hot, you are at real risk of getting hailed on or hit by lightning, or both.

Watch out for snakes, ticks, and hikers with pepper spray.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:

Weekday or weekend, it will be really crowded.

It's quite hot. Climbing in the shade and early is possible. Sunny areas and areas a little lower down the canyons is kinda awful to impossible.

There is higher elevation stuff further away and it's also very crowded.

A couple times a summer, expect to be hacking and coughing while trying to climb in forest fire smoke. Cross your fingers that your favorite area isn't the one that's burning.

If you drive an hour from Golden either north or south, expect anything taller than a Sprinter van to have a nesting closure.

If it's not super hot, you are at real risk of getting hailed on or hit by lightning, or both.

Watch out for snakes, ticks, and hikers with pepper spray.

This is the most low key “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded” post I’ve seen in a while. 

Compared to Cincinnati, it’s dry as a bone. So, the summer is definitely still climbing season. You don’t really have to chase shade, you just casually walk to it. There is so much climbing here, it’s reasonable to say the about half your choices will be shady.

That said, there are a LOT of climbers here, anything that is after work close will be busy, like prime time gym busy. That means maybe not getting to do what you planned. Driving 1 to 2 hours gets you to high elevations, better daytime temps, and maybe fewer people.

Given the way you framed the question, Boulder is the best location, there is a lot of stuff in Boulder’s open space, basically in town.

Victor K wrote:

Compared to Cincinnati, it’s dry as a bone. So, the summer is definitely still climbing season. You don’t really have to chase shade, you just casually walk to it. There is so much climbing here, it’s reasonable to say the about half your choices will be shady.

That said, there are a LOT of climbers here, anything that is after work close will be busy, like prime time gym busy. That means maybe not getting to do what you planned. Driving 1 to 2 hours gets you to high elevations, better daytime temps, and maybe fewer people.

Given the way you framed the question, Boulder is the best location, there is a lot of stuff in Boulder’s open space, basically in town.

I'm actually living in SLC these days, but yeah I have plenty of experience with RRG summers. I guess the ultimate goal for me is to use my partial employment freedom to climb as much as possible, and it seemed to me that the front range was better than SLC for the summer, but I'm doubting that now. This is all great info everyone, thank you. Any other thoughts? Is it easy to find morning weekday partners I guess?

Having climbed in SLC and the Front Range in the summer there is no doubt I would rather be in the Front Range. There are stacks of areas to go to that are in the shade, higher elevations is close by and plenty of great areas with almost nobody (95% of the people go to 5% of the areas). You just have to hike a bit and you can have whole crags to yourself. 

Adam Brink wrote:

Having climbed in SLC and the Front Range in the summer there is no doubt I would rather be in the Front Range. There are stacks of areas to go to that are in the shade, higher elevations is close by and plenty of great areas with almost nobody (95% of the people go to 5% of the areas). You just have to hike a bit and you can have whole crags to yourself. 

Hows the crowding issue though? Not keen on that. A perk of slc is that the local sport climbing is really not crowded at all. 

Misha Sweeney wrote:

Hows the crowding issue though? Not keen on that. A perk of slc is that the local sport climbing is really not crowded at all. 

It's crowded.

Misha Sweeney wrote:

Hows the crowding issue though? Not keen on that. A perk of slc is that the local sport climbing is really not crowded at all. 

Very crowded. I almost avoid climbing on weekends now, sometimes operating on a "flipped" schedule where I climb outside during the week while people are working, and go to the gym early in the morning on the weekends when people are climbing outdoors... The best thing to do is figure out the trends of the climbing area you are frequenting the most, and choose your timing accordingly. Find obscure places to climb. I'm excited when the weather calls for 40 degrees and cloudy because it means many people will stay home. 

Someone above mentioned Staunton SP, which I went to last weekend. I had to go to 3 different crags before I could even find an open route. 1 group was blatantly unfriendly, and others were dismissive of our presence. I am really against the practice of grabbing 10 of your sickest gumby friends (only 1 of whom can lead), and taking over a whole crag, leaving ropes up. "There are no climbs available here," someone told me. Huh, that's odd, there are six climbs here, and none of you are on the wall? That was frustrating. These people don't care that others have planned months in advance, paid fees, driven hours, hiked miles to get to this spot. It's theirs, and you can leave. I don't understand this sport crag culture of sitting around hogging up routes. Get on the wall, climb, and move on to the next one! This is a sport after all, not a lounging destination. People should be conscious of this. 

Compare this to the Red, which we all know is very crowded, and you have a totally different experience. The few times I went down, random groups were happy to have you climb their rope and make accommodations to get you and your partner on a climb. You can feel the love of the climbing community there and at other places I'm sure, but I've gotten a lot of bad vibes in CO. Lots of ego going on. 

So I make it a point to be friendly and inclusive when I'm out there and hope this rubs off on others. We've all heard and do this. Though gatekeeping the outdoors is bad, the things I've witnessed/ experienced lately make me nervous about the future of our natural resources. 

When I moved here pre-covid, it was comparatively fine. Yes, I am a transplant, but in my own defence, I was outdoorsering for my entire life prior. With the big increase in popularity, I notice a lot of sketchy "home-depot" rope kind of stuff going on. Maybe it will chill out this summer when restrictions are lifted, and Jerry can go back to the movies instead of pooping at the base of the coolest sport crag he could find on mountain project.

Am I a crotechtey old man? Should I not feel this way? Maybe I just need more friends. 

Colorado is the worst.  Its like climbing on one big coronavirus. 

Where is it smokey now, @Julian? 

Afraid for more fires this season... 

Colorado's full.  There's no water.  Climbing is not only crowded, it's packed tighter than sardines.

Go to Wyoming.

Misha Sweeney wrote:

I'm actually living in SLC these days, but yeah I have plenty of experience with RRG summers. I guess the ultimate goal for me is to use my partial employment freedom to climb as much as possible, and it seemed to me that the front range was better than SLC for the summer, but I'm doubting that now. This is all great info everyone, thank you. Any other thoughts? Is it easy to find morning weekday partners I guess?

Colorado is thickly populated with whankers as many of the above replies will attest to, there are a great many climbers living there with popular crags mobbed on the weekends. For Bouldering try Flagstaff, Carter Lake, Horsetooth Reservoir and points further west. Eldo is of course legendary for multi pitch classics not to be missed. The further west you go the crowds lessen somewhat, align with some locals who can show you around.

Wanted to bump this up for more possible input. I was planning on climbing as much as I can in Eldo/Boulder Canyon from late June - July but now reading through this thread am having some doubts. 

Eldo is spectacular for early mornings.  Once the sun hits you need to be done though.  West Ridge, Rincon, West Face of Redgarden, Peanuts, and Bastille all offer good shade in the mornings.  BoCan also has lots of shady crags.  Tough to climb 5.12 and up in the summer but really nice temps for moderate endeavors.  RMNP is also an option, just have to get into the gate before 5am to avoid the permit fiasco.  Empire is a higher elevation crag with good sport routes.  Devils Head can be good.  Lots of options.  Fall and Spring are better but summer is pretty nice.  

Jeff G wrote:

Eldo is spectacular for early mornings.  Once the sun hits you need to be done though.  West Ridge, Rincon, West Face of Redgarden, Peanuts, and Bastille all offer good shade in the mornings.  BoCan also has lots of shady crags.  Tough to climb 5.12 and up in the summer but really nice temps for moderate endeavors.  RMNP is also an option, just have to get into the gate before 5am to avoid the permit fiasco.  Empire is a higher elevation crag with good sport routes.  Devils Head can be good.  Lots of options.  Fall and Spring are better but summer is pretty nice.  

Thanks - this is super helpful. Also I'll probably only be shooting for V3-V5 boulders and up to 5.10 climbs during my stay. Do I even need to worry about temps with that in mind? lol Just still not experienced enough to know how temps really affect the climb. 

I lot of folks in this area are bummed about crowds. I've been climbing here since the late nineties, and somehow, I manage to have a great time whenever I go climbing, and I climb year round. Just look at the MP map at climbing in this area. there is always an alternative. Have fun!