Outdoor Rock Climbing in Boulder Canyon, Colorado 

You’ve found yourself here on this article because you’re either planning a trip to Boulder, Colorado or you’re looking for some awesome rock climbing spots. Either way, we’re here to help you plan your next big adventure outdoor rock climbing in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. 

Rock climbing is a way of life in Colorado. This is on full display in the city of Boulder. All the major rock climbing brands have stores like Black Diamond, La Sportiva (the first and only store in North America), and Trango. So if you’re missing any gear, stop in any of these stores. Or check out outdoor gear shops like REI or local places like Neptune Mountaineering. 

Why Outdoor Rock Climbing in Boulder Canyon, Colorado is the Best

Now where to climb. Fortunately for you, the options are endless. But that can make it overwhelming. It really depends on what level of climbing you are looking for. This article will focus on our favorite place, Boulder Canyon. It’s one of the quickest places to get to as it’s so close to Boulder and doesn’t require hours of driving. Just drive straight up Boulder Canyon Drive (Route 119) and with over 1,800+ routes rated 5.5 to 5.14, you can’t go wrong in this area. 

Boulder Canyon is all granite which makes for a nice climb. It’s not the softest rock but it wasn’t sharp and jagged. It’s smooth in some places but mostly it is highly textured which is good for climbing because our fingers didn’t slip. Being among nature with the babbling creek, the mountain breeze, the amazing views of green mountains, it was all pretty incredible.  Once you get to the top anchors, spend a few moments at the top taking it all in. The nature here is divine. 

A Little Climbing Background

If you are an avid climber, feel free to skip this part but if you want to learn a few things, stick around. Boulder Canyon has both sport and trad climbing. Both types of climbing require you to know how to lead climb. If you don’t, you may want to rent a climbing guide like Colorado Mountain School, Denver Mountain Guiding, The Colorado Climbing Company, or 57 Hours who can take you out and set the routes for you to climb on a top rope. If you are trained in lead climbing, then you can do sport climbing. This is where route setters have already come through and set the bolts to form a route. The route has anchors at the top and it has already been rated or graded for difficulty. You do need your own quick draws, rope, belay device, harness, and shoes so come prepared. Trad climbing stands for traditional. This type of climbing relies on the climber to place their own protective gear such as nuts or cams into the rock. Some say the removable gear allows for a more natural climbing experience as you don’t have to rely on fixed bolts of sport climbing but trad climbing seems riskier as you are placing your own gear. So please proceed with caution and know what you are doing before you start a route. 

Helpful Hints for Outdoor Rock Climbing in Boulder Canyon, Colorado

So back to rock climbing in the Boulder Canyon. Boulder Canyon has a narrow two lane road cutting through it. It’s well paved. A couple of helpful hints. 1) As for parking, stick to the small pull off gravel lots. Be respectful, don’t park in undesignated areas, and leave space for more cars to park. 2) We always lose service in this area so download GoogleMaps offline and be prepared with all the information you need before you head out. 3) Many of the locations to climb you will need to cross the rushing creek. If you go during a time of year when it’s low enough, you can cross on the rocks. But be prepared to do a creek crossing with your harness and two quick draws via the tyrolean traverse. It takes a lot of abs to pull yourself over so make sure you pack light and compact. 4) Most spots require a small hike to get to the actual climbing spot and we found hiking boots best for this. 5) All the routes we did had two mussy hooks for the anchors at the top so you don’t need to clean the route. 6) Our favorite climbing app is Mountain Project which will give you all the information you need to know about each route including difficulty rating, tips to finding the routes, as well as photos. 

If you are looking for a good place to start, we recommend either Sport Park or The Bihedral. We chose these places because they have a decent amount of 5.6 – 5.9 routes, are easy to park at, and have a short hike to the wall. 

Sport Park is known for its wide array of sport climbing hence the name. It has bolted routes that range from 5.7- 5.13 which makes it a good area for climbers of all skill levels. We climbed in an area called Surprising Crag which had many doable sport routes. There are other sub areas in Sport Park called The Clock Tower which can be good when the weather is hotter because it is shaded in the morning, The Visor, Overhung Wall, Sport Park Slab, Recovery Room, and Forbidden Fruit Crag. This area felt huge and you could climb over and over and not hit all of the routes. 

Another area we climbed is called The Bihedral. In this area you do not have to cross Boulder Creek, but be warned that the trail up to it is rather steep. This area is broken into multiple sections as well. We started in the subsection called The Riviera which is the first area you come to. The main area is called the Upper Tier and has many sport and trad routes. There is also the Left Side and Lower Tier. Routes in this area range from 5.6 to 5.12b, again making it an area that is good for all types of climbers. You can spend days climbing each of these spots. 

So all in all, for outdoor rock climbing in Boulder Canyon, Colorado these were our two favorite areas we went to. However there are many more areas to climb! Just in Boulder Canyon there are 975 sport routes and 943 trad routes. Because this is true, we like to use the app Mountain Project. This app shows the different areas and the specific routes with information about how many clips you need and has some pictures to help find the routes. Do your research, find your level, and enjoy the mountains.