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Poudre Canyon
General
Access
Overview
Far from the hustle and bustle of other Front Range destinations, Hwy 14 meanders from Fort Collins toward Walden and Steamboat Springs, offering a beautifully scenic and inspiring drive. Beyond the wealth of climbing and scenic vistas, the Poudre Canyon also has excellent whitewater rafting and kayaking, fishing, hiking, and skiing.
Camping
Pay camping (first come, first serve for about $6-12/night) is available at a variety of posted sites along the Poudre River. Free camping is scarce, but can be found along the Pingree Park Road or at nearby Red Feather Lakes. Car camping along the road is prohibited. Be sure to follow posted regulations. There is no cell service in the canyon. In case of emergency, dial 911 from Mishawaka or Archers.History
The first definitive period of formal climbing development began in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. By most accounts, ROTC Rock (now known as Picnic Rock) and Greyrock were the first areas to see climbing activity. The routes developed during this time period (primarily by Steve Allen & Rodney Ley) were done in ground-up style, and often focused on ascending interesting formations and features. Given that active protection (camming devices) hadn’t been invented yet, pitons were a common form of protection and can still be found at various crags in the canyon as a reminder of these historic ascents.
The next wave of development stretched from the early ‘80’s to mid ‘90’s and was focused on Greyrock and the Narrows areas. At Greyrock in the early ‘80’s, developers such as Jeff Bassett, Don Braddy, Pat McGrane, Jim Brink and others began to establish bold, ground-up “Bachar” style face routes where groundfall potential was nearly always a concern and climbers were forced to be competent mentally, physically and technically. By the mid ‘80’s Greyrock attracted locals including Craig Luebben, Ken Gibson, Sari Schmetterer, Steve Drake and others who began to develop more difficult, but generally better protected lines.
In addition, the first bolted lines in the Psilocybin Canyon (Palace), Crystal Wall, and the Narrows began to appear in the early ‘90’s, with Craig Luebben, Lizz Grenard, Rob Poutre, Ron Ambrose, Steve McCorkel, Vance White, Casey Rosenbach and others doing the majority of the development. From the mid ‘90’s to the present, a third wave of development has defined the canyon. Shifting from the bold, ground-up style of the ‘80’s to a focus on establishing physically demanding but safely bolted routes, developers such as Derek Peavey, Tim Wilhelmi, Steve McCorkel, Judson Doyle, Ken Gibson, Sam Shannon, Bryan Beavers, Greg Martin, Paul Heyliger, Greg Hand, and others have established the majority of popular sport climbing crags, including the Palace, Crystal Wall, Triple Tier Area, Electric Ocean and a variety of crags in the Narrows.
Today, the Poudre Canyon offers hundreds of routes of all styles, from excellent crack routes and technical face climbs at Greyrock to powerful overhanging sport lines in the Palace area, that are sure to challenge and reward climbers of all abilities.