Only minutes from the city of Boulder Colorado, Boulder Canyon hosts hundreds of fun climbing routes, mostly trad, some sport, all fun. The beautiful scenery only adds to the appeal of climbing routes here on superb Front Range granite.

The canyon is divided up amonst dozens of "crags" and the Elephant Buttresses are the closest to the city of Boulder at only 0.5 miles from the canyon entrance. The Elephant Butt's are numbered 1 - 4 from left to right as you're facing them from CO-119, the main road that winds up the canyon for ~15 miles to the town of Nederland at 8,230'. They sit just right (south) of The Dome, another popular "crag" in the canyon.

There are several dozen routes on the Elephant Butts from 5.4 to 5.12b YDS. Most are 1 - 3 pitches in length. All the routes on the Elephant Buttresses are trad. There are no sport routes here.

Getting There

From the town of Boulder Colorado, drive west on Canyon Blvd. This becomes/is CO-119 for the remainder of the drive. Once you enter the canyon, drive 0.5 miles to a pull out on the left (south) side of the hwy.

From the west, leave the town of Nederland and descend into Boulder Canyon for ~15 miles. When you are nearly 0.5 miles from the end, pull out on the right (south) side to a large parking area directly west of the Buttress. You can't miss it.

Cross the highway (carefully) and walk towards a footbridge onto the Boulder Creek Trail and bear right (east) and follow the signs to the Elephant Buttress. Once you come to the steel pipe, climb up onto it and walk atop the pipe almost to the end. You can hang onto the steel cables supporting the pipe but they are rickety and dangerous. The traverse across the pipe is likely to be the crux of the whole climb! The pipe is also broken up into pieces that you'll have to negotiate around.

Just as the pipe makes a bend into the tunnel between Butt's 3 & 4, start here.

Route Description

Two pitches, ~150', 5.7 YDS, Trad

Belay from the pipe itself. You can clip into the heavy steel cables for a solid belay anchor.

Belay

P1, 5.7: Pull a small buldge from the pipe up onto a smooth slab that begins a right leaning dihedral. Jam fingers up the crack or search out small face holds while angling up and right. There are a few large boulders to climbers left that would take gear, but I chose to run it out since they looked to me that if I fell, they'd pull off, slide down the rock and kill my belayer. Above these rocks and to the right, you can find some good cracks if you're confident running it out a bit.

Continue on small holds and finger crack passing a piton (solid) and head right still to the arete above the huge chimney separating the 3rd & 4th butt's. Here you can either climb a steep slab with a tiny finger crack or move out right over an exposed/airy arete to some small ledges. There is another pin here that seemed solid, but it was cracked. Use your own judgement! Make the commiting move out over the exposed arete and reach high for a tiny hold above a wide fist crack. Climb to a right angling/leaning roof which takes small cams (relief!). Undercling the roof up and right w/o much for the feet but lichen encrusted slab.

Continue underclinging the roof to either a large ledge and belay here, or if you want, climb a steeper unprotected face above the roof to another massive ledge.

P2, 5.5: Climb the steep unprotected face for 20' onto a ledge, then walk down a bit and north to a large offwidth. Chimney up this or face climb past it towards a vertical wall with several "hardman" cracks. Traverse up and right along the lower face towards a large tree. Belay from the tree.

Essential Gear

A 60 rope will do you fine.

Standard rack of nuts, and small to medium cams, C4's to #2

Headlamp (*see Descent section)

I protected the entire first pitch with small to medium stoppers and only a 0.4 BD C4.

Descent

The descent is just as fun as the climb! Walk off towards the SE down 3rd or 4th class terrain. There is a faint sandy climbers trail. Meander down this until you see a large ladder looking structure blocking a tunnel entrance. You can get around it on your left easily. Enter the dark foreboding tunnel and walk through the mountain. Headlamps are not really necessary, but keep your helmet on because the ceiling is low. Once you enter, step left a step or two and you'll be able to see light on the other side. Walk on through and you'll come out just about where you started! The tunnel is sometimes filled with water, it was dry though when we did it.