Table Mountain provides some of the easiest access and good climbing for anyone getting into roped climbing or getting adjusted to Colorado. The south facing cliffs make it an ideal place to visit during colder weather and is perfect during the nice cool days of Fall/Winter/Early-spring. The close location to University of Denver makes it an ideal place for anyone that might be tight on a schedule as well.
Skill Levels: Beginner (5.6) to Advanced (5.12); most routes in the 5.9-5.10+ range.
Quality: Shorter routes on well-traveled rock.
Description: Table Mountain or Golden Cliffs is a popular sport-climbing and top-roping cliff just above the city of Golden. The climbs
Sampling on of the many climbs at Table Mtn.
are shorter in nature usually right around 50-60 feet with easy access to the top of the cliff. The routes are all tightly bolted making it an ideal place to expand your leading skills or a good place to learn how to lead. Also with the easy cliff access the ability to top-rope is very easy making it nice for you to try those climbs that might be above your current leading skill level. Due to its ease of access it can be crowded at times, however there is a plethora of routes for you to try. The only downfall is that Coors Brewing factory sits right below the cliffs making the scenery a little less then ideal, however you can always go for a brewery tour after a day of climbing.
Bottom Line: Decent climbing in close proximity to Denver with plenty of choices.
Directions:
Recommended Time of Visit: Due to close location to the Denver Metro area the cliffs can fill-up pretty quickly. We recommend weekday afternoons or mornings for best times of visit. The cliffs are also almost always in the sun so it is an ideal place to visit throughout the winter and colder months and may be very hot during the summer.
The Climbing:
Making some moves on Table Mtn.
The Crags and What to Expect:
Books and Other Resources: Two guide books cover this area pretty well: Rock Climbing Colorado and Classic Rock Climbs No. 17 Golden Cliffs, Colorado. Rock Climbing Colorado is a solid resource and will help you get started in the area, however if you plan on spending some time here the other guidebook (which is specific to just this area) contains a signifcant amount more information.
The very popular Mountain Project website (http://mountainproject.com) covers a lot of this area as well and includes a fair amount of additional resources such as photos and others comments. Click here to be brought to the Table Mountain Section.
Other Areas of Interest: Clear Creek Canyon is just down the road from Table Mountain and is home to a much larger variety of climbing (over-hangs to slab) and contains a significantly large amount of bolted climbs. Clear Creek is probably the best location for sport climbing that is reasonably close to Denver. Boulder Canyon provides a great deal of excellent routes and Castlewood Canyon which (near Castle Rock) has a significant amount of climbing as well. Shelf Road, which is probably the most popular and extensive sport climbing area in Colorado is just a few hours away from Denver and makes for a great place to go camping as well.
