Hey, with the weather setting in the upper routes i was looking at any class3 with some class 4ish stuff near rampart range or adjoining IPW since i will be cutting over from Castle Rock to get there. Total elevation isnt a must just fun scrambles to loosen up me and my partner for chicago basin next summer
thanks
any solid class 3 scramble on rampart range area?
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larkinrx2
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any solid class 3 scramble on rampart range area?
What do you think I'm some kind of a jerk or something! - That's all I need the ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, and this magazine, and the chair and I don't need one other thing, except my dog.
[Shithead growls at him]
I don't need my dog.
[Shithead growls at him]
I don't need my dog.
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Jim Davies
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Re: any solid class 3 scramble on rampart range area?
Lost Creek Wilderness. Many of the mountains in the Roach's book have rocky summits. For example, the summit areas of Bison and McCurdy are covered with rock towers with a wide variety of scrambling opportunities. There are a number of scrambly summits around Lake Park also. That place is a rock-lover's paradise.
Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall — it's great when you stop. -- Chris Darwin
I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now. -- Forrest Gump
I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now. -- Forrest Gump
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Matt
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Re: any solid class 3 scramble on rampart range area?
Douglas County looks to be a gold mine of quick, easy scrambles.
Try clicking on the peaks listed here to find ones that suit your preferences.
Some examples:
Sheep Nose is next to Thunder Butte, the Douglas County highpoint. The gully was filled with snow last December, so we bailed, but it doesn't look tough and I hope to go back for it.
9343 even has a TR from Doug Shaw and one from cftbq.
Try clicking on the peaks listed here to find ones that suit your preferences.
Some examples:
Sheep Nose is next to Thunder Butte, the Douglas County highpoint. The gully was filled with snow last December, so we bailed, but it doesn't look tough and I hope to go back for it.
9343 even has a TR from Doug Shaw and one from cftbq.
We are all greater artists than we realize -FWN
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. -HDT
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A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. -HDT
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Doug Shaw
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Re: any solid class 3 scramble on rampart range area?
I've even climbed it twice.Matt wrote:9343 even has a TR from Doug Shaw and one from cftbq.
There is a lot of scrambling on Rampart - the only problem is that a lot of it is fairly short. In many cases you spend more time hiking in to get there than actually scrambling.
Sheeps Nose is a good one, although if you go in blind the routefinding is not trivial. In the same area, Thunder Butte can have some scrambling depending on which route you take, but even without scrambling TB is still a cool area.
I can also highly recommend Storm Peak, although the scrambling there is really only right near the summit. Same with the Noddle Heads, although you can expect to not reach the summit of North Noddle but South is doable at class 3/4. Campbell Mountain's north ridge is also scrambly.
If you are interested in scrambling more than summiting, there is no shortage of areas to explore on Devil's Head or Long Scraggy Peak - but be cautious in routefinding.
If you want something stiffer, Chimney Peak is low fifth-class.
I'm not sure if it is technically part of Rampart Range, but Stove Mountain on the south end of Colorado Springs is a cool area with some scrambling to reach the summit (at least the way I went!).
Like Jim said, there's a plethora of things to do in the Lost Creek area.
Can we take it as read that you've at least been up Castle Rock itself?
One piece of advice I will affix to this post just for posterity and those who may read this later: they've found numerous high-volume marijuana grow operations (high volume = millions of dollars) in the Rampart area over the last few years, so be cautious and alert to your surroundings if you're off-trail or in areas that are less-traveled during summer months. You probably don't want to run into the guys that run them...
