best colorado sport climbing?

hey all,

i’m planning to drive through colorado sometime in mid august and am looking for recommendations on good sport crags! any recommendations? specifically intermediate routes and preferably in some scenic areas :) 

thanks much,

—isaac denzer 

Depending on what part of the state you'll be going through, these might be a good start.

Boulder / Denver Area

Boulder Canyon:  https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105744222/boulder-canyon

Clear Creek Canyon:  https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105744243/clear-creek-canyon     (-1 for scenery)

Estes Park / Rocky Mountain National Park Area

Jurassic Park:  https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105744337/jurassic-park-lily-lake      (+1 for scenery)

I-70 / Summit County / Eagle / Vail Area

Lime Creek:  https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105744451/lime-park-aka-lime-creek   (+1 for scenery)

Royal Flush:  https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106811713/royal-flush   (Multi-pitch sport route)

There is also good sport climbing in Rifle and Shelf Road.  Rifle, most people wouldn't describe it as a "moderate" area, but there are some moderate climbs.  Shelf Road, it's going to be very hot in August, but you could do it.

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105744310/rifle-mountain-park

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105744267/shelf-road

I hope this helps.  Enjoy your trip :-)

Best Colorado multi-pitch sport climb is settled to be The Edge of Time — an Estes Park, CO classic and a world famous route. When completing, it’s recommend to do in 2 days, utilizing the “piton bivy” — as locals have now coined it as.
***Please be mindful when peeing off your ledge as many come to witness this feat from the base.
Enjoy! 

Jurassic Park was mentioned in a previous comment. I second this. 

Who could've guessed the rifle of Colorado was right under our noses. And Edge of time is an Uber classic. 

The view of the diamond, the E X P O S U R E, the movement, the A T M O S P H E R E

Hard to write more about this mega rig. Some say bring a ledge, I'm leaning toward simul climbing it. 3 micro trax makes for a superior experience in my honest opinion. When you summit, if the chains aren't in a Tyrolean Traverse I like to slap a Grigri on those to finish belaying my partner up. 

Have a great road trip. Sounds like a blast

+2 for Jurassic Park. Others have already mentioned the Edge of Time, the most classic bolted multipitch moderate around. Another often overlooked (and frankly, mostly unknown) classic is a variation of the Edge of Time, called the Ledge of Time (5.9+ A4 R). You won't find it on mountain project, or guidebooks - sort of a local secret.

Pitch 1 climbs the same as Edge of Time (climb the tree, down-dyno to the first bolt, belay here). Pitch 2 is where the variation starts. To climb this variation, you need to pre-rig a portaledge haul. Tension traverse around the "Edge," and sky hook your way up the ""Edge"" to the piton bivy. Haul your ledge to the piton belay, take a nap, then climb the original Pitch 3 after the afternoon storms pass. It's a little spicy, but well worth the effort. Some call it "The Naked Edge" of Colorado. 

“Some call it the Naked Edge of Colorado”—but THE Naked Edge is already in Colorado, unless one believes that the Peoples Republic of Boulder is in fact sovereign.

Alan Rubin wrote:

“Some call it the Naked Edge of Colorado”—but THE Naked Edge is already in Colorado, unless one believes that the Peoples Republic of Boulder is in fact sovereign.

It's not?

Intermediate and scenic? I would recommend looking into Devils Head. August will be hot and most walls face west so you'll need early starts or be prepared to do a lot of bouncing around. 

Btw Colorado kinda lacks a good summer sport destination. There is a reason why you see so many green plates in Wyoming over the summer.