Alpine Moderate Madness in Rocky Mountain National Park

What comes to mind when I mention Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)? Probably the Diamond of Longs Peak, that 1,000-foot granite plaque capping an ominous east-facing cirque. Or maybe Hallet Peak and the clusters of V-hard boulderers sessioning the talus at its base. Or tourists filming bored, overstuffed elk from their RV windows, and then flocking into Estes Park for ice cream and rubber tomahawks. You probably don’t think of classic alpine cruiser routes, though.

Climbers have been putting up multi-pitch lines here since 1927, when Paul and Joe Stettner established Stettner’s Ledges (II 5.7+) up the east face of Longs. And RMNP boasts more than its fair share of bloody-hard multi-pitch climbs, like Birds of Fire (IV 5.11a), Baloney Pony (II 5.12c), and The Honeymoon is Over (V 5.13c). But the Park’s acclaim, besides the saintly setting, is its preponderance of quintessentially alpine sub-5.10 routes, offering steep rock up dramatic corners and ridges just backcountry enough to make you earn your beer.

The following classics combine long approaches (two to six miles) with steep hillsides, butt-kicking scree fields, teetering talus, brushy willows, and, of course, exposure and altitude. (None of the trailheads sits below 9,000 feet, and these summits all spike above 12,000 feet.) The Continental Divide, in fact, splits RMNP down its center and forms climber-perfect, with steep east faces dropping off the great spine. This geological wonder, however, also has a downside: the broiling clouds that appear each summer afternoon. Time it right, and you’ll arrive at your car sun baked and bleary eyed, having enjoyed the simple pleasure of navigating curious throngs of hikers, fudge eaters, and enamored elk spotters on your return. Catch it wrong, however, and you’ll end up shivering under a granite lip, wondering just how well granite, lightning, and metal get along.