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Breccan
Aug 18, 2008, 2:09 AM
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I'm going to be visiting the Denver area at the beginning of September and looking for some very easy sport climbing. I've been climbing for about 4 years now, but I'm very out of shape from an illness so I'm only climbing in the 5.8-5.10b range. I've always wanted to get to Rifle, but it just doesn't seem worth it unless I'm climbing at least 5.11 or higher. We're looking to spend 2-3 days climbing and can travel up to 6 hours away from Denver. Thanks!
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phaedrus
Aug 18, 2008, 4:42 AM
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There are a few places within an easy drive of Denver. Castlewood Canyon, just outside of Castle Rock isn't bad. There is also Table Mountain in Golden, or Sport Park in Boulder Canyon.
Have fun! 
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jman
Aug 18, 2008, 3:04 PM
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There is also an area at Clear Creek Canyon that has a small concentration of grades you're looking for. Can't remember the name of the area but it is right next to a road tunnel.
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tedman
Aug 18, 2008, 4:06 PM
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could be thinking of Highwire crag, a few 8s in there. almost always super busy tho. also fits the description of 'by a tunnel'.
But I'll second the suggestion for Golden Cliffs (aka north table mountain) and clear creek. Guidbooks for both can be found at REI or neptune or wilderness exchange etc.
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c4c
Aug 18, 2008, 4:29 PM
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the flatirons outside of boulder.
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djoseph
Aug 18, 2008, 5:00 PM
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I'm a bit surprised at the responses. Highly recommend avoiding crowded Sport Park and Golden Cliffs/Table Mountain (at least in the summer... I guess Sep might be OK if you like climbing above Coors brewery). And the flatirons are not sport climbs.
Instead, if you want a few easy 5.8s - 5.10a's try Watermark and neighboring Avalon in Boulder Canyon (requires a tyrolean).
Or Tonnere Tower (also requires a tyro... a bit tougher one).
Pretty significant concentration of climbs at those spots... I'll let someone else weigh-in on Clear Creek. Feel free to browse mountainproject.com as well. I've linked to the sites I mentioned.
Enjoy your visit...
Dan
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jman
Aug 18, 2008, 5:04 PM
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tedman wrote: could be thinking of Highwire crag, a few 8s in there. almost always super busy tho. also fits the description of 'by a tunnel'. But I'll second the suggestion for Golden Cliffs (aka north table mountain) and clear creek. Guidbooks for both can be found at REI or neptune or wilderness exchange etc.
I think it was Highwire crag. Thanks.
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tundraline
Aug 18, 2008, 6:35 PM
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djoseph wrote: I'm a bit surprised at the responses. Highly recommend avoiding crowded Sport Park and Golden Cliffs/Table Mountain (at least in the summer... I guess Sep might be OK if you like climbing above Coors brewery). And the flatirons are not sport climbs. Instead, if you want a few easy 5.8s - 5.10a's try Watermark and neighboring Avalon in Boulder Canyon (requires a tyrolean). Or Tonnere Tower (also requires a tyro... a bit tougher one). Pretty significant concentration of climbs at those spots... I'll let someone else weigh-in on Clear Creek. Feel free to browse mountainproject.com as well. I've linked to the sites I mentioned. Enjoy your visit... Dan
I second the recommendation to try out Watermark in Boulder Canyon. The Tyrolean is no big deal. High Wire In Clear Creek Canyon is also very good, IMHO. Although often dissed by "purists," Sport Park in Boulder canyon is really fun, and has lots of climbs with moderate ratings all stacked up next to one another. While it might be "crowded" compared to other areas in Boulder Canyon, you should not have any problem getting on some fun sport climbs at Sport Park, and you might meet some nice people at the crags.
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djoseph
Aug 18, 2008, 8:24 PM
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tundraline wrote: Although often dissed by "purists," Sport Park in Boulder canyon is really fun, and has lots of climbs with moderate ratings all stacked up next to one another. While it might be "crowded" compared to other areas in Boulder Canyon, you should not have any problem getting on some fun sport climbs at Sport Park, and you might meet some nice people at the crags.
True enough. Like many folks who climb in Boulder Canyon, I am perhaps overly negative about Sport Park. There are actually some fun climbs there, including The Other One (10d) and Killer Fish Taco (11a). And the views of the Rockies are among the best in the canyon.
However, I still feel that recommending Sport Park to visitors is like recommending McDonald's to folks who are visiting Paris....
Having said all that, I realized after I posted that I might be bringing a group of 8 or so people to either Tonnere or Avalon on the weekend of Sep 6/7. So ironically, we might end up crowding you if you go to my recommended not-as-crowded-as-Sport-Park spots. 
Dan
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djlachelt
Aug 18, 2008, 9:44 PM
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I would second the suggestion for Boulder Canyon. It's got a prettier setting than Clear Creek. You can find lots of details about each of the areas in the canyon on mountainproject.com. Be sure to note which crags are more trad and which are sport. As stated already Avalon is a very nice sport crag with many excellent moderates.
If you go to Boulder Canyon on a weekend then you'll likely be there with many other parties (and certainly that will be the case in Clear Creek).
http://mountainproject.com/...der_canyon/105744222
Another sport area that is off the beaten path, with everything from 5.6 to 5.13, is The Monastery. The approach is non-trivial, though... but you said you were willing to drive 6hrs, so surely you'd be willing to drive 2 and hike for 1. Good views of RMNP & Longs Peak from almost every route. It's super quiet (in sharp contrast to Clear Creek... and even Boulder Canyon), and much more rugged. PM me if you want some route suggestions or have questions about getting there.
Even if you go to the Monastery on a weekend you'll hardly notice if other people are there.
http://mountainproject.com/...hrase=monastery&
Another area that just occurred to me is Jurassic Park. It's got a fair number of moderates in a concentrated area. It is also a beautiful, quiet setting. That approach is an easy 15-20 minutes, past a pretty lake (in contrast with the hard Monastery approach of 45-1hr).
http://mountainproject.com/...ributaries/105744337
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jbroom
Aug 18, 2008, 10:18 PM
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Registered: Jan 31, 2008
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ill go with the monestary too-one of my favorite sport spots in colorado. even better if you can climb 11's and 12's but still enough to keep you busy for 3 days. if you go, climb hot zone-one of the better 5.9s anywhere
jb
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c4c
Aug 18, 2008, 11:00 PM
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Sorry I missed that key word "sport". We were just out to the monastery recently too. It is a magical place. There are some moderate (5.7+) climbs out on the sunny side that were fun.
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