Devil’s Head Rock Climbing – by Tod Anderson

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A young Gordy on Like Father Like Son - 5.12d - Passageway Wall, Devil's Head Rock Climbing

A young Gordy on Like Father Like Son – 5.12d – Passageway Wall, Devil’s Head Rock Climbing

Colorado has dozens of great climbing areas, but Devil’s Head seems to be the best kept secret among the less well known crags. With the route count closing in on 1000 and free camping all within an hour of downtown Denver, chances are we’ll be seeing a lot more climbers down there in the years to come. The addition of many new crags to the east and west of the previously known areas has nearly doubled the previous route count in just four years. Additionally, there have been new routes on what’s historically been known as Devil’s head Rock, deep on the Jackson Creek side that are much longer than any of the previous climbs.

Tod Anderson on Devil's Own Stone 5.11d - Devil's Gate, Devil's Head Rock Climbing

Tod Anderson on Devil’s Own Stone 5.11d – Devil’s Gate, Devil’s Head Rock Climbing

Probably the best thing about Devil’s Head besides the quality of the climbing is the feeling of remoteness, while being just a short distance from both Denver and Colorado Springs. The great views in all directions provide a hard to beat ambience compared to all of the other nearby areas like Clear Creek and Boulder Canyon. With about a half dozen different access points it’s possible to set up camp & hike directly from camp to many of the crags. No need to drive hours from Denver to find great camping and climbing, its right there in the back yard.

Gordy on Dances With Hummingbirds - Technicoulior Wall, Devil's Head Rock Climbing

Gordy on Dances With Hummingbirds – Technicoulior Wall, Devil’s Head Rock Climbing

What makes Devil’s Head unique is the highly featured, fine grained granite found all over the mountain. This great stone allows a wide variety of climbing styles, making each crag and each route different. Unlike many granite areas, Devil’s Head has plenty of steep walls loaded with 5.12s & 5.13s, sometimes right next to lower angle crags with 8s, 9s & 10s. There are plenty of positive, incut holds to choose from on most routes in contrast to the usual granite dome slabbiness.

Derek Lawrence on Natty Dread 5.11a - Split Fin, Devil's Head Rock Climbing

Derek Lawrence on Natty Dread 5.11a – Split Fin, Devil’s Head Rock Climbing

Recent exploration has produced a ton of new routes as featured in the November 2014 Rock & Ice article that showcases some of the best of the best new crags like Devil’s Gate, the Switchblade and Recovery Wall. More multi-pitch climbing has been added too on Devil’s Head Rock over on the Jackson Creek side with several five pitch routes and some that may go eight pitches in length. Revelation at 5.11, and Sunny Side Up at 5.10 top the list of the new longer routes that can be done with just a rack of draws. The intense patina features of Devil’s Gate make it a sought after destination for 5.11 to 5.13 climbers, with a high concentration of four star routes on impeccable stone. Over to the north, the rope stretching pitches on the Switchblade have been popular too and with a southern exposure sheltered from the wind it’s usually climbable on chillier days in the spring and fall.

Tom Rossbach on Megalodon - 5.11d - Shark's Fin, Devil's Head Rock Climbing

Tom Rossbach on Megalodon – 5.11d – Shark’s Fin, Devil’s Head Rock Climbing

Somewhere between 50 and 100 routes go in each year, so a rakkup app is the only way to keep up with the latest developments. The maze of spires, ridges and valleys is much easier to navigate the first few times with the GPS capability of rakkup too as opposed to getting lost in the woods. Whether you’re on a road trip from far away or a Colorado local, the best granite sport climbing in the US is right there waiting for you.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Learn more about Tod Anderson here.
Devil’s Head Rock Climbing Guidebook

Devil’s Head Rock Climbing Guidebook

Devil’s Head Colorado Digital Climbing Guide
by Tod Anderson
Devil’s Head Facebook

Overlooked or ignored for many years, Devil’s Head rock climbing has become one of Colorado’s premier sport climbing destinations. Over 100 crags, spires and walls contain some of the best granite in the western U.S., and there are now over 1000 climbs at Devil’s Head and Tod is updating this guidebook with new routes regularly.

Devil’s Head features great views and a feeling of remoteness, despite being only an hour from downtown Denver. Most crags require some walking to access, but the hikes are generally over moderate terrain and elevation gains are reasonable. It’s easy to find sun or shade as needed, depending on the daily temperatures. Each crag has its own unique character and a wide variety of types of climbing are found at the always expanding collection of crags at Devil’s Head.

Both free and pay camping are available in the vicinity and some sites even feature walk from camp climbing access. Pay camping exists at the main trailhead in a small campground that has about 15 sites. Those often fill up on weekends, so early weekend arrival is advised. Free dispersed camping is allowed along Rampart Range Road and in Jackson Creek valley. The best sites are located past the turnoff to the main trailhead and beyond Mile Marker 10.

Print + digital bundle pricing includes $7.00 for shipping.

Ontario: Devil’s Glen Rock Climbing Guidebook

Ontario: Devil’s Glen Rock Climbing Guidebook

Devil’s Glen
by Gus Alexandropoulos & Justin Dwyer
Ontario Climbing
OntarioClimbing.com Facebook

Ontario Guidebooks: Lion’s Head | Metcalfe | Mount Nemo | Old Baldy | Rattlesnake | The Swamp

With some of the best rock in the Beaver Valley, Devil’s Glen offers a wide range of exceptional sport and trad climbing opportunities. New climbers can enjoy the many moderate bolted routes, while more experienced climbers can push their limits on the numerous 5.13s. As one of the older established crags in the region, Devil’s Glen also has a large number of excellent traditional climbs. While some walls may be too warm in the summer due to the cliff’s southern exposure, the dense tree canopy provides plenty of opportunities to climb in more comfortable conditions.

Ontario: Lion’s Head Rock Climbing Guidebook

Ontario: Lion’s Head Rock Climbing Guidebook

Lion’s Head
by Gus Alexandropoulos & Justin Dwyer
Ontario Climbing
OntarioClimbing.com Facebook

Ontario Guidebooks: Devil’s Glen | Metcalfe | Mount Nemo | Old Baldy | Rattlesnake | The Swamp

With its spectacular views of Georgian Bay and immaculate limestone walls, Lion’s Head is truly the crown jewel of the Southern Ontario climbing scene. This massive cliff is home to many of the best and hardest sport routes in the province. Thanks to its northern location and proximity to Georgian Bay, climbing at Lion’s Head is viable even in the peak summer heat. While sport climbing is the main draw at this cliff, the area also has a surprising number of high-quality traditional climbs. It’s worth noting that a significant number of routes at this crag have hanging belays and can only be accessed by rappel; this is not a conventional easy-access sport crag and it’s definitely not a great first choice for climbers just venturing out from the gym. But with the proper skills, Lion’s Head is an exceptional climbing area that offers stunning climbing opportunities for anyone with an appropriate level of experience.

Tod Anderson – Colorado Rock Climbing

Tod Anderson, drilling at the Chicken Ranch, Devil's Head Rock Climbing

Tod Anderson, drilling at the Chicken Ranch, Devil’s Head Rock Climbing

After over 20 years of hard work establishing routes at Devil’s Head, it’s great to see more and more people enjoying the area. For years it was just a handful of us out there quietly stumbling around in the woods and finding new crags, but things seem to be catching on with more climbers at the various parking spots on weekend and throughout the week.

Tod Anderson

Tod Anderson

Since the publication of the latest print guide in 2010, Rampart Range Rocks, vast new areas have opened up. The range of climbing areas now stretches several miles east to west and about two miles north to south, with about 100 different crags, spires and walls. Despite all the routes that have gone in, I think we have not yet reached the halfway mark on what could become great routes. Although I’ve put up routes at lots of other areas, Devil’s Head has been a special place to me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Buy Tod Anderson’s Devil’s Head rakkup guide here, and his North Table Mountain rakkup guide here and pay less than in app through Google and Apple.

Learn why Devil’s Head is Colorado’s best kept secret and possibly the best granite sport climbing area in the U.S. here.