Thinking about a trip mid October with a friend to Colorado for some rock climbing. I have never been to the state, and needless to say, the possibilities for climbing are mind-boggling. I really don't even know where to start. I guess I would like somewhere not too far from Denver, somewhere with camping possibilities nearby. A good hike in from a trail head would be fine. Fun sport climbs in the 5.8 - 5.10 range (multi-pitch would be cool too) or easier trad climbs with good protection (I'm novice with trad). Any suggestions?

Also, would weather likely be an issue? I don't know how dry your Octobers typically are. Thanks.

I would think that the Flatirons, in Boulder, would be a good bet. Pretty close to Denver as well.

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/flatirons/105797700

For sport climbing near Denver, a few suggestions are Clear Creek Canyon, North Table Mountain, and Boulder Canyon. For trad, Flatirons and Eldo.
There's a mix of sport and trad in all those places, but there there are relatively few bolted routes in the Flatirons and Eldo, compared to the other places.

How the weather will be in October is hard to predict now.

Eldorado Canyon, (directly) outside of Boulder, is one of the bastions of Colorado trad. Some excellent climbing here, with easy approaches. A great route to start on might be the Bastille Crack.

Lumpy Ridge is a little bit of a drive from Denver (1 - 1.5 hrs), but also has reasonable approaches. Directly outside of Estes Park. Excellent quality rock, & great views to boot. Fairly stout ratings.

Right up the road from Lumpy is Rocky Mountain National Park, of the alpine rock capitols of the lower 48. Great climbs, good to excellent rock, & phenomenal views.

Clear Creek Canyon has a good mixture of sport & trad lines, good rock, & an easy approach. Less than a half hour's drive from Denver.

The Colorado Rock Climbing Falcon guide by Green, while just an overview, is actually quite good, & gives an excellent overview of the climbing possibilities throughout the state- highly recommended.

Hope this helps. Have fun!

mountainsandsound wrote:somewhere with camping possibilities nearby.

Camping near Boulder (i.e. Flatirons or Eldo) is a huge pain. Estes is much easier, with plenty of National Forest nearby.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did not realize how close Denver is to everything. Seems like a ton of spots within a couple hour drive from the airport.

South platte, turkey rocks

There's a wall of low-angle rock buttresses near the summit of mt evans with really easy road access. I've done a fair amount of free-soloing there, the rock is pretty good. The highest peaked buttress in the first photos has some really great looking crack systems. I free-soloed that buttress, but had to turn around only 50 feet from the top because of icy verglass.

Sierra Ledge Rat wrote:There's a wall of low-angle rock buttresses near the summit of mt evans with really easy road access.

The Aprons are a good suggestion, but in October the road will be closed at Echo Lake.

Flatirons for sure! Also Check out mountain project for South Platte (Eleven mile canyon). Best kept secret! Awesome easy to moderate trad, single, and muti -pitch, Great pro, on bomber granite! 700+ routes. some of the classics, Staircase,Schooldaze,Mobygrape,Jolly jugular,hollow flake...... These are all 5.7 and under.

IF IT'S COLD OUT, go to Shelf road in Canon city (Banana belt of colorado) 2:15 hrs south of denver. Some of the best sport climbing in the state!

lumpy ridge is a great choice, but it's mainly mostly trad, a few easier ones around. there's camping near by in the park, or there's another camping area called herman's gulch or something like that, that's actually closer and at a lower elevation that most of the other spots in the park.

eleven mile canyon is another great choice, great camping right in the canyon. I think you can even disperse camp up the canyon if you drive far enough up.

For beginning trad in the area it's hard to beat this book, very detailed guide to moderates in the area, including lumpy, eldo, and elevenmile.
http://www.amazon.com/Serious-play-annotated-traditional-classics/dp/189254024X