Page Type:
|
Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
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39.78100°N / 105.2206°W |
Activities:
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Hiking, Trad Climbing, Sport Climbing, Toprope, Scrambling |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
Elevation:
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6566 ft / 2001 m |
|
Overview
North Table Mountain sits between Golden and Denver in Jefferson County. It is approximately 70% Open Space. The mountain, or mesa rather, has been a local landmark for as long as humans have frequented the area. Settlers in the 1800s called North and South Table Mountains Shining Mountains due to their changing colors. Both mountains are the result of ancient lava flows over 63 million years ago. Today it is a popular place for locals to hike, bike, and even ride horses although bikes are not allowed. To climbers it is more often known as Golden Cliffs.This mountain is a popular destination mountain for Denver climbers and has multitudes of short techincal pitches. It is ringed by a short cliff band offering a large variety of sport and top rope possibilities to the technical climber. There are some routes that protect well if one wants to practice trad. These same cliff bands can also be bypassed in a number of areas by hikable routes. Difficulty ranges from class 1 to class 5.
For now it also has the distinction of being the lowest CO mountain on SummitPost.
That's the summit from the tabletop plateau. I bet you didn't think it had one.Technical Climbing Overview
Climbers park in one of the two lots (called Golden Cliffs climbers parking lot below) and take a switchbacking trail up to the base of the cliff. It is about 15 minutes from car to cliff base. The distance is .5 miles and about 460 feet higher. The parking lot is a 30 minute drive from the Denver Tech Center area.
Many of the routes on North Table i.e. Golden Cliffs are bolted for sport climbs and top roping. For those that are not, a collection of slings and a light rock rack would suffice to build a top rope anchor. Access to the top is easy (short class 1-4) for setting up top ropes without leading. Of course there are opportunities to practice trad climbing as well. Routes are short, single pitches of varying difficulty.
In addition to the routes along the base of the cliffs there are also two old quarries on top of the mesa near the Risk Area that hold some climbs.
The large expanse of cliffs is divided into 10 areas. The trail ascends from the parking lot and leaves climbers at the left side of the Overhang Area.
Technical Route Overview (east of trail)
Please help and submit routes (with photos for identification!), then post an "addition" here telling me you did so and I will incorporate a link in the table below. The data in this table was seeded from information found in Falcon Guide's Classic Rock Climbs: Golden Colorado and then updated with personal experience, other guide books and other climbers where I found discrepancies. NOTE: Take the table below with a grain of salt. Things change, bolts are added or removed, new routes are squeezed in, and ratings sometimes vary so things may be different than what this table shows. Please post updates here and I will incorporate them into the table. Thanks.
Brown Cloud Crags
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Cliffs Trail to cliff base. Right (east) turn to: | |||
| Brown Cloud Crags | |||
| Brown Cloud Arête | 5.10b | y | y |
| Pee on D | 5.8 | y | y |
| Windy Days | 5.8 | y | y |
| New Route | 5.8 | y | y |
| Deck Chairs on the Titanic | 5.10a (5.9+) | y | y |
| Killian's Dead | 5.6 | n | y |
| John Adams' Adams Apple | 5.8 (5.7) | n | n |
| Bullet the Brown Cloud | 5.11a (5.11a/b) | y | y |
| Volobee | 5.11b/c | y | y |
| Tenacious | 5.10a | y | y |
| Interface | 5.8 | y | y |
| Protection from the Virus | 5.10c | y | y |
| Lemons, Limes, and Tangerines | 5.8 | y | y |
| Big Dihedral aka Stem Wide | 5.8 | n | y |
| Top Rope Face | 5.11c | n | n |
| Thick Crust | 5.7 | n | n |
| The Virus | 5.12a | y | n |
| New River Gorge Homesick Blues | 5.9+ R | y | n |
| Kid's Climb | 5.9+ | y | y |
| Thelma | 5.7 | y | y |
| Louise (left) Arête variation | 5.10a | y | y |
| Louise | 5.8 | y | y |
Child Free Zone
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child Free Zone | |||
| Big Loose Goose | 5.10a/b | y | y |
| Unnamed | 5.10b | y | y |
| Unnamed | 5.10a | y | y |
| Parental Abuse | 5.11c | y | y |
| Monkey Puzzle | 5.12b/c | y | y |
| Carolina Direct (variation on start of Monkey Puzzle) | 5.? | y | y |
Technical Route Overview (west of trail)
Please help and submit routes (with photos for identification!), then post an "addition" here telling me you did so and I will incorporate a link in the table below.The data in this table was seeded from information found in Falcon Guide's Classic Rock Climbs: Golden Colorado and then updated with personal experience, other guidebooks, and other climbers where I found discrepancies. NOTE: Take the table below with a grain of salt. Things change, bolts are added or removed, new routes are squeezed in, and ratings sometimes vary so things may be different than what this table shows. Please post updates here and I will incorporate them into the table. Thanks.
Overhang Area | Tradlands
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Cliffs Trail to cliff base. Left (west) turn to: | |||
| Overhang Area | |||
| Pack o' Bobs | 5.7 | y | n |
| Another Unnamed Billy Bob Route | 5.7+ | y | n |
| The Fabulous Flying Carrs Route | 5.10d/11a | y | y |
| Natural Fact | 5.7 | y | y |
| This Ain't Naturita Pilgrim | 5.9 | y | y |
| Hellbound II | 5.9+/5.10a | n | n |
| Smear me a Bear | 5.11b | y | n |
| Smear Me a Beer (Chimney variation) | 5.9+ | y | n |
| Hellraiser | 5.9 | n | n |
| Mrs. Hen Places a Peck | 5.12a | y | n |
| Here Today, Gone Tomorrow | 5.11d | y | n |
| Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (left side variation) | 5.9- | y | n |
| Mr. Coors Contributes to the Pink Stain | 5.9+ | y | y |
| Unnamed | 5.? | y | y |
| Handle this Hard On | 5.12a | y | n |
| Tora, Tora, Tora | 5.11b/c | y | n |
| Mr. Squirrel Places a Nut | 5.11c | y | y |
| Off Line | 5.8 | y | y |
| Corniche | 5.8 | n | y |
| In Between the Lines | 5.9- | y | y |
| Sidelines | 5.10a | y | y |
| Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers | 5.8+ | n | y |
| Beer Barrel Buttress | 5.10c/d R | y | n |
| The Ground Doesn't Lie | 5.10c | y | n |
| Unnamed | 5.? | n | y |
| Pigeon Pile Pinnacle (easier start variation) | 5.10c | y | n |
| Pigeon Pile Pinnacle Direct | 5.11a | y | n |
| Project | 5.13 | ? | y |
| Don't Pout Because Yer Down 'n Out | 5.8+ | n | n |
| Lying on the Ground | 5.11d | y | n |
| D's Dry Dream | 5.10a/b | y | y |
| Drinking Wine with the Chinese | 5.9 | n | n |
| Umph | 5.6 | n | n |
| Hug the Butt | 5.11b | y | y |
| Henry Spies the Line | 5.10a | y | y |
| Let's Wake Up Ronnie and Barb | 5.9- | n | n |
| Sleeper | 5.8+ | y | n |
| Redrum | 5.7+ | n | n |
| Kevin Spies the Line | 5.6 | y | y |
| Table Top | 5.10b | ? | n |
| Mind Mantle Arête | 5.10b/5.11b | y | y |
| Meat is Murder | 5.8 | y | y |
| Unnamed | 5.8 | y | y |
| Unnamed | 5.8 | y | y |
| Unnamed | 5.8 | y | y |
| Oxymoron (OX) | 5.6 | n | y |
| Little OX | 5.9 | y | y |
Industrial Buttress
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Buttress | |||
| Wazup? | 5.8+ | n | n |
| Hodat? | 5.9- | n | n |
| Table Manners | 5.11c | y | y |
| Stoney Middleton | 5.8 | n | n |
| Shadow of a Hangdog aka Fart Fingers | 5.10a/b | n | n |
| Brain Cloud | 5.9 | y | n |
| Mandela aka Leaning Pilar | 5.8+ | n | n |
| Major Bolt Achievement | 5.11a/b | y | n |
| Mournful Mullet | 5.8+ | n | n |
| Shark Infested Waters aka Shark Attack | 5.10d | n | n |
| Feeding Frenzy | 5.11d | y | y |
| How Rebolting | 5.7 | n | n |
| Sick Minds Think Alike | 5.8+ | n | n |
| Top Rope Face | 5.11c | n | n |
| Darker is Better | 5.7 | n | n |
| Thunderbird aka Light Beer | 5.8 | n | n |
| Industrial Disease aka Dead Moonies Don't Sell Flowers | 5.11c | y | y |
| Flight 67 to Stockholm | 5.11a R | y | n |
| Blow Chow | 5.7+ | n | n |
| Unnamed | 5.11d | y | y |
| Polyvinyl Chloride | 5.9+ | n | n |
| Left-Hand Monkey Wrench | 5.7 | n | n |
| Nipple Phyle | 5.6 | n | n |
| The John Roskelly Show | 5.10a/b | y | n |
| Noodle Factory | 5.9 | n | n |
| Fast Boat to China | 5.8 | n | y |
| Politicians, Priests, and Body Bags | 5.10a | y (but only at top) | y |
| Heidi Hi | 5.8 | n | y |
| Toure Koundra | 5.10a | n | n |
| Belly Up | 5.8- | n | n |
| Scarlett's Pulse | 5.8 | n | n |
Twelve Pack Wall
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelve Pack Wall | |||
| See You, See Me | 5.8+ | n | n |
| Unnamed | 5.8 | n | n |
| Pump you up | 5.9- | n | n |
| Spitfires and Funeral Parlors | 5.9- R | n | n |
| Chunky Monkey | 5.10a/b | y | n |
| Love, Sex, and the IRS | 5.8 | n | n |
| Honey, I Shrunk the Hemorrhoids | 5.7 | y | n |
| Unnamed | 5.9 | y | n |
| Raw Fish and Rice | 5.10b | n | n |
| Unnamed | 5.10a | y | n |
| Psycho Beta Buck Down | 5.12a | y | n |
| Briefcase Fulla Blues | 5.9+ | n | n |
| C'est le Mort | 5.9+ | n | n |
Fence Area
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fence Area | |||
| Abortion Central | 5.7+ R | n | n |
| Power of Tower | 5.11a | y | n |
| G-Spot | 5.8+ | ? | n |
| Solar Panel | 5.12d | y | n |
| Unnamed Corner | 5.10b | y | n |
| Foul Play | 5.9 | n | n |
| Electrocuticles | 5.12a | y | n |
| F.A.T.A.L. (Femurs and Tibias Alternating Laterally) | 5.10a/c | y | n |
| Klimbink is Verbolten | 5.11d | y | n |
| Unnamed | 5.10b/c | y | n |
| Basalt and Battery | 5.10c | y | n |
| Insult and Flattery | 5.12a | y | y |
| Crash Test Blondes | 5.9- | y | n |
| No Gumbies | 5.10d R | y | n |
| Fenced In | 5.9 | y | n |
| Winter Warmer Variation | 5.10d | y | n |
| Unnamed | 5.10b | y | n |
| Winter Warmer | 5.10c | y | n |
| Pass the Basalt, Please | 5.10b | y | n |
| Unnamed | 5.10c | y | n |
Cold Shut Area
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Shut Area | |||
| For Love of Mother Not | 5.7 | n | n |
| Mechanically Inept | 5.10a | n | n |
| The Conundrum | 5.7 | n | n |
| Unnamed | 5.7 | n | n |
| Unnamed | 5.10b/11a | y | n |
| Unnamed | 5.9- | ? | n |
| Shut Down, Plugged Up, and Cold to Boot | 5.9- | n | n |
| Unnamed | 5.11a | n | n |
Hot Spot Area
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Spot Area | |||
| Nine to Five | 5.9+ | ? | n |
| Disappearing Man | 5.10d | ? | n |
| Honed to the Bone (Not!) | 5.9 | ? | n |
| The World thru a Bottle | 5.10a | ? | n |
| Widespread Selfishness | 5.12b | ? | n |
| The Crack and Face Route | 5.10d | ? | ? |
| A Quark for Quayle | 5.9+ | ? | ? |
| Crowbar Cowboy | 5.10a/11a | ? | n |
| Dumb Politicians | 5.10a | ? | ? |
| Quayle Eats Bush | 5.8+ | ? | ? |
Winterfest Wall
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winterfest Wall | |||
| Unnamed | 5.9/11a | ? | ? |
| Whole Lotta Drunk | 5.10d | ? | ? |
| Jell-O Brand Napalm | 5.9+ R | y | n |
| The Resolution | 5.11c | y | n |
| The Dissolution | 5.11c | y | n |
| Thin Lizzie | 5.9+/10a | n | n |
| Back to the Bayou aka Leaning Pillar | 5.10c | y | n |
| Left Side of the Leaning Pillar | 5.10d | y | n |
| Generica | 5. | y | y |
| Under the Wire | 5.10a | y | y |
| The Consolation | 5.10a | n | n |
| Unnamed | 5.10a | y | n |
| An Artichoke | 5.10d | y | y |
| Silver Bullet | 5.10b/c | y | y |
| Tanning Butter | 5.11d | y | y |
| Kilian's Red | 5.11c | y | n |
| Abortion Control | 5.7 | n | n |
| Bimbo in Limbo | 5.10a/b | y | y |
| Crawling up Roseanne's Belly | 5.11b | y | y |
| Bush Loves Detroit | 5.8/9- | n | n |
| Pseudo Bullet aka Stronger than Pride | 5.12a | y | y |
| Intersteller Overdrive | 5.11a/b | y | y |
| The Underachiever | 5.9 | n | y |
| Brokendown Shanty | 5.8 | n | n |
| Driving over Stella | 5.11b/c | y | n |
| Rebel Yell | 5.11b | y | n |
| Too Dumb to Sleep In | 5.8 | n | n |
| Unnamed | 5.8+ | n | n |
| Sunset Arête | 5.11a | y | n |
| Photo Art | 5.11a R | n | n |
| Dweeb | 5.9+ | n | n |
Risk Area
| Route | YDS rating | Sport bolted | TR anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Risk Area | |||
| Rope Trick | 5.10c/d | y | n |
| Sinister Minister of Evil | 5.11d | y | n |
| Baby Beeper | 5.10b | y | n |
| Unnamed | 5.7 | ? | n |
| Handcrack | 5.8 | ? | n |
| Chimney Route | 5.8 | ? | ? |
| This Bolt's for You | 5.11a/11d | ? | n |
| Risk of Infection | 5.11b | ? | ? |
| Serendipity | 5.9- | ? | ? |
| Not | 5.10a | ? | ? |
| The Perfect Ten | 5.10a | ? | ? |
| Unnamed | 5.8+ | ? | ? |
| Daddy Dwarf | 5.10d | ? | n |
| Mama Midget | 5.10b | ? | n |
| Big Red Catcher's Mitt | 5.10c/d | ? | n |
| Almost Left Out | 5.8 | ? | ? |
Getting There
There are 4 public trailheads accessing the North Table Mountain Open Space.Golden Cliffs climbers parking lot (std) (aka Deer Pond or South Access): Basically you want to get on Washington Street in Golden, Colorado. On southbound Hwy 93 turn left on Washington. From northbound 93 (coming off 470) you want to turn right on 58 and get off at the first exit (signed for Washington) and head north. From westbound 58 get off at the Washington exit and head north.
Follow Washington to 1st street and turn east. Go down a hill, cross a bridge, and take a right on Partridge. Take Partridge to Ptarmigan Street and Ptarmingan to Perry Parkway and turn left. Follow Perry to the dead end and onto a dirt access road that will lead to one an upper and lower parking lot. The dirt road is passable by passenger cars. Parking at the upper, overflow, lot really doesn't save you much elevation. There is a restroom here.
Alternate Golden Cliffs southern access (local residents's route): Proceed to the Access Fund dirt road to the parking lots but stop early. The trail is right at the bend where Ptarmigan becomes Peery Parkway. It is signed and has street parking. This probably isn't the trailhead that you want unless you are a local out for a bike ride or a walk.
City of Golden TH (northwest): Driving northbound Highway 93, turn right on Pine Ridge Road and proceed to Wyoming Circle where you turn left. Continue along the road as it curves to the right. The city parking lot is on the left.
Eastern TH: no details known.
Red Tape
No permits, passes, or fees but it does close at sundown.Climbing Restrictions on Raptor Habitat from the Access Fund website seem to have been lifted.
Note: New restriction introduced in 2001 (now lifted?) Fence Area - from routes Electrocuticles (12a) to Winter Warmer (10c) (See route number 125 - 136 in guidebook - Classic Golden Cliffs - published by Falcon). Restriction in place until July 31st or lifted earlier if birds leave the nest site before this date. Contact: Bryan Posthumus, Natural Resource Specialist, Jefferson County Open Sapce,Tel: 303-271-5993.
When To Climb
Because of the primarily south facing aspect year around climbing is possible although the summer months can be unpleasantly hot. Choose a cool and/or cloudy day during the summer.Here is a Forecast Golden.
Camping
No camping nearby. There are hotels in Golden if you need them, but this is a locals crag.Flora and Fauna
The good people at tablemountains.org state, "The Table Mountains support diverse habitat with over 335 plant species, is a wildlife corridor for more than 50 types of local and migratory birds and numerous mammals."
No marmots that I know of on this mountain but there are plenty of other animals. Deer are common and I have heard coyote while crossing the mesa top to the summit. Be sure to watch out for rattlesnakes. Also inhabiting the area are fox, golden eagles, magpies, canyon wrens, and even mountain lions.
In 2000 a new species of spider was found on the mountain.
Carbohydrate replacement therapy
Golden:The four places listed below are all excellent and within a few blocks of each other on Washington street.
Buffalo Rose: Their homepage is useless unless you are interested in the live music. Never had their food but the bar is a great little dive with cheap drinks. Wear your leather. 1119 Washington Ave. Golden, Colorado 80401 303-278-6800
Old Capitol Grill: Reopened after a fire in 2005. American Fare. Love those burgers! 1122 Washington Ave, Golden, CO 80401 (303) 279-6390
Table Mountain Inn: Award winning southwestern food
Woody's Pizza: Pizza joint and American fare. Note that for some reason the Golden location is not listed on the website but it is on Washington (the main street) diagonal from Old Capitol.
Other Golden Eating and Drinking Establishments
External Links
- MountainProjects's (formerly ClimbingBoulder.com)
coverage of technical routes on Golden Cliffs. - New spider found!
New species of spider common on North Table Mountain - tablemountains.org
Table Mountains Conservation Fund, Inc. - Golden Cliffs
Short hikers guide to Golden Cliffs Trail at City of Golden site.
23 Routes
Jeremy Hakes - Dec 18, 2008 2:13 pm - Voted 10/10
Biking, BooksIt should be noted that the plateaus of both North and South are now almost entirely Jefferson County Open Space Parks. There are a few small areas of City Of Golden Open Space (primarily the slopes of both), and a few very small private property areas. Both N and S are open to bikers, hikers, and equestrians, and there is a recently released book on N. Table climbing routes.