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1698 Hits
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76.66% Score
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7 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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41.15056°N / 105.37049°W |
Activities:
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Trad Climbing, Sport Climbing, Toprope, Bouldering |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall |
Elevation:
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8200 ft / 2499 m |
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Overview
A little bit southeast of the Nautilus are an isolated pillar and some slabby outcrops. It is a small area and not terribly remarkable except for Nat's Three Star Roof, a V4 boulder problem considered one of Vedauwoo's best and most popular. There are several other bouldering problems there as well as a handful of trad routes and one sport route. This page will focus mainly on the trad and sport.
Please note that I am not sure if I have the coordinates or elevation correct, as it is difficult to tell the precise spot on a topo map. However, pictures and directions here should be more than sufficient to find the crag, which is about 60' high from base to top.
The Mountain Project page for Nat's Three Star has good information. It also mentions that this spot is wrongly called The Burbs in the newest Vedauwoo guidebook by Rob Kelman. I have an older version of Heel and Toe by Kelman and Skip Harper, and it does not include this area at all. On Vedauwoo.org, I have been unable to find the area at all, but maybe I am missing it.
Also, try the Forest Service site. Though it's not good for climbing information, it's decent for general information.
Slabby Outcrop by Nat's Three Star
Getting There
From I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, leave the highway at Exit 329, marked for Vedauwoo. This is about 16 miles from Laramie. Take Vedauwoo Road east and drive 1.2 miles to a well-signed road for the Vedauwoo Recreation Area. Go straight instead. The road quickly turns to dirt and passes the Nautilus. About 3/4 mi after the road becomes dirt, notice a turnoff on the right. Pull into this spot, where there are good campsites, or drive a little more until it ends and park. High clearance is helpful.
If I remember correctly, you can see the crag from here. Follow use trails to it.
Vedauwoo Road is usually clear of snow by May and sometimes as early as April.
Routes
Add Route text here.Routes
Trad routes:
- After Shock (5.6)-- starts up a wide crack on the east face, then heads left and up before finishing on a short vertical crack that happens to be the finish for all four routes.
- Shell Shock (5.8)-- begins up the crack to the right of After Shock.
- Landslide (5.2)-- use the left of two prominent cracks on the northeast side. Reach a platform and then cross to the east face for the finish.
- Roll Bones (5.2)-- use the crack to the right of Landslide. Reach the platform and continue as for Landslide.
There are bolted anchors up top.
Gear and Notes: As stated, all four climbs have the same finish, and all four can be protected with a set of cams and stoppers. I did solo leads of Landslide and Roll Bones since I was able to find a suitable ground anchor, and both were very easy; they would make good climbs for new leaders, as there is very little chance a climber experienced enough to try leading would fall here. For Landslide, I did protect the opening crack with a #11 CAMP hex and a #9 Trango Flex Cam. These are approximately equivalent to a BD C4 #4 in size.
The sport route here is Deniro, a 5-bolt 5.10- directly above Nat's Three Star Roof. Both are easy to find, and two pictures on this page show the roof.
Bouldering-- This page has already mentioned Nat's Three Star Roof, and there is a mention of another problem in the actual caption for the first photo below (click on the image). For more on the bouldering opportunities, please use the link to the MP page.
Nat's Three Star Area with trad routes After Shock and Shell Shock visible
 Deniro (5.10-) and Nat's Three Star Roof |  Landslide (5.2) and Roll Bones (5.2) |
Red Tape
None.
When to Climb
May through October typically.
Camping
There is a 28-site campground in the recreation area. It is first-come, first-served and fills quickly on weekends in good weather. Vault toilets and drinking water are available, though in July 2014 the water wasn't flowing or I was just at the wrong pump. The camping fee was $10 per night in July 2014. Closed during the winter, the campground is usually open by the beginning of June.
There is a lot of dispersed camping available nearby, with some restrictions (for example, postings prohibit camping too close to the turnoff for the recreation area). In fact, there are some great campsites at the turnoff to reach this crag.