While I was deeply familiar with photographs of Eldo, as it seemed to overrepresented in climbing magazines from the 90’s, I never imagined I would visit. Despite being able to instantly recognize the rock, the bridge, the lichen, the creek, it just never stuck in my brain as a destination. But thanks to a cousin’s wedding, we were headed to the front range with two days to spare, and I realized we had to go check it out. Unfortunately it was August. And more unfortunately, a record heatwave. Luckily, the fire on the edge of the park (that started right as our flight took off from San Diego) was small enough to be contained by the morning. Go? No go? Will it be too hot? Too crowded? Too smoky to breathe? We woke up at 5:00 AM and set out to find out.
So what did we find out? That Eldo is a tottering choss pile. Sorry, but it is. It’s a jenga tower of angular loose blocks (sandstone, no less) only kept in place by gravity, weight, and sometimes nothing. That said, it is also the most visually stunning, adventurous and thoughtful climbing area I’ve ever had the pleasure to visit. On our first day we got the classic Rewritten, completely to ourselves, and on the second we waiting in line for the ultra popular Bastille Crack.
Overall, this might be my favorite climbing area. I mean, I love old-school adventure, sure, but what wins me over is the aesthetics. The rock is spectacular. Like the ocean, it changes color based on your distance, the angle, and time of day. At a distance, the contrasting color mashups create a distinctly grey appearance, but close up it is a marvel, with bold and vibrant color combinations. Burgundy, maroon, orange, cream, black, white, tan. And the lichen, neon yellow, sea foam green, and black, creating color combinations that dazzle and inspire awe. It’s simply spectacular. Overall it’s decently solid sandstone with every finish imaginable, from glass slick to rough and grippy.
And yes, it’s loose. And sometimes soft. So check your holds, opt for smaller ones if you can, and definitely apply a critical eye/ear/hand to every placement. Plenty of good gear, just plenty of sucker placements too. Definitely a bit trickier than many areas. And maybe occasionally runout (depending on your tolerance). But if you’re collected and strategic, it really is fine. Don’t skip a good placement, and take your time to look around and be creative. A hidden crack might take a small wire that will take the edge off a committing move. If you have the capacity to be bold, and use solid judgment, you’ll be rewarded with great climbing and adventurous and thoughtful ascents.
We mostly talked to other visitors. Who all completely appreciated this place for what it is. Didn’t really talk to any locals, mostly because they were too busy doing four or five epic link-ups before heading in to work. Coloradans, am I right? For people who live here, the descents are probably chill. For us they bordered on insane and terrifying. Cutty non-trails with cairns everywhere. Prepare to hike in circles. Allocate extra time, for route-finding and for moving slow if needed. Because once you do find the right path, it’s likely going to be slippery, unmarked, and full of loose rock. I mean rock climbing is adventurous, so that’s fine, but maybe we just got all soft after enjoying Petch’s amazing stairs. The photos below don’t show the sketchy bits, just some slightly cutty sections.
To be fully fair and honest though, the Redgarden Wall trail is masterfully constructed, it’s the top of the ridge and the gully descent that are sketch. Similarly the Bastille stairs show an incredible amount of work and engineering, but that only serves to take the edge off the fact that you’re descending through scree.
As far as gear goes, check recommendations for your climb, but I found two sets of stoppers to be extremely useful (especially the #6, never placed more #6 stoppers in my life). I didn’t need anything smaller than #3 (whew) but I could see how RPs or other microwires would be essential for many routes. Microcams would probably be useful too, but I didn’t rack them for either climb. I racked two sets of stoppers, doubles .3 – 2, and then one or two #3 camalots.
Overall it was a spectacular place, and we had a blast, albeit with a few difficulties. A perfect micro-trip tacked onto a family reunion-get-together to commemorate my cousin’s wedding. Their giant BBQ party was beyond comparison. With garden grown rhubarb cordial cocktails, slow smoked pork, homebaked buns and rolls, and crazy delicious sides. Bethany and Steve worked way harder than our struggles up and down some rocks, taking a week to prepare food to host 100 people delicious homemade spread. My takeaway from this trip is that Coloradans are intense.
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