Independence Pass is an often overlooked but ultra-worthy, granite area, east of Aspen off CO Highway 82. The area includes crags between Aspen & Twin Lakes. The Pass is considered a summer area because of its elevation (9,000-11,000 feet), and because the road is generally closed a few miles above Aspen from late October through mid-May due to snow. The walls mostly face south and can be quite warm in the summer. The climbing is about half trad and half sport, and there is both multipitch, single pitch, and bouldering.
The first time I climbed at Independence Pass was in May 2024, as a way to break up the drive on a 4-day climbing weekend including the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We climbed at Monitor Rock. We were impressed with the quality of the rock.
On this page, I give photos from climbing at Independence Pass, organized by date. At the bottom of the page, I keep a list of the climbs I've done at Independence Pass.
Photos
SOME RANDOM PHOTOS FROM CRAGGING AT INDEPENDENCE PASS
More climbing fun!
Date: May 19, 2024 (Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Monitor Rock
We had an extra day and decided to break up the drive home from the Black Canyon with a detour to Monitor Rock. We arrived in the mid-afternoon and climbed five pitches on the west side, enjoyed an evening at camp, and the next day drove back to Estes Park.
