The Bookmark and Bookmark Pinnacle Main Page

The Bookmark & Bookmark Pinnacle

Routes:

(Routes listed west to east, i.e. left to right)

The BOOKMARK
- Sidewinder (5.9+, 3-4p)
- Sidewinder + Joy and Tribulation (5.8, 3p)
- Fantasy Ridge (5.9, 4p)
- Stray Shots (5.10b, 3p)
- Melvin's Wheel (5.8+, 3p)
- Romulan Territory (5.10b, 3p)
- Star Trek (5.9, 3p)
- Backflip (5.9, 3p)

THE BOOKMARK PINNACLE
- Penis Chimney (5.9, 2p)
- East Side (5.8+, 2p)
- Cragging at The Bookmark and Bookmark Pinnacle (5.8-5.11+, 12 pitches)

Region: Colorado
Elev: ~9,000 ft
Rock type: Granite
Type: 
Date(s): various
Partner(s): various

This page contains trip reports for routes I've climbed on The Bookmark and The Bookmark Pinnacle.

Route Overlays

Overlays for the routes I've climbed on The Bookmark or Bookmark Pinnacle. Trip reports for these routes can be accessed from this page.

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Climbs I've Done

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(routes listed west to east, i.e. left to right)

The Bookmark

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date: October 1, 2024 (Tue);  Partner: Will Starks

Intro

Most people just climb the first two pitches of this route and finish on Joy and Tribulation's final pitch. Sidewinder takes a harder finish, making a difficult traverse right into a fist crack. Not the greatest route I've climbed at Lumpy, but still worth doing.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)
(no photos)

Pitch 1

5.7+
 Follow the obvious diagonal crack system.

Pitch 2

5.8
Keep following the diagonal crack system. Break right in a finger crack which leads to a terrace. This part can be linked with Pitch 1. There is some vegetation, but the climbing is still quite fun.

Pitch 3

5.9+
Climb the chimney of Joy and Tribulation, stopping short of the offwidth spot. Hand traverse right (crux) and ham a cleanly sculpted 5.9 fist crack (#5 could be handy to protect top section).

Pitch 4

5.6
A 5.6 crack to the top.
We linked this with Pitch 3.

Descent

Rappel west
The descent for this route is to the west. Look for a bolted rappel station just down from the west side of the summit block at the top of a gully system. Make two rappels westward down the gully to the ground below.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)
(no photos)

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date:  May 27, 2020 (Wed);  Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

This route combines the diagonal crack system of the first two pitches of Sidewinder with the stellar third pitch of Joy and Tribulation for a fun and quick 5.8 romp to the top of The Bookmark.

Note: This route is referred to as just Joy and Tribulation on MountainProject.com. But the Gillett guidebook describes the first two pitches as part of Sidewinder. The third pitch of Sidewinder involves a 5.9+ hand traverse into a 5.9 fist crack, so climbing Joy and Tribulation as the third pitch keeps the adventure at 5.8.

It was reopening day for Rocky Mountain National Park after the closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The meat of the park was still a bit too snowy, so time to head to Lumpy! Nate and I climbed three routes: Climb of the Ancient Mariner on The Bookend, Fantasy Ridge on The Bookmark, and Sidewinder P1&P2 + Joy and Tribulation P3 on The Bookmark. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the park reopening.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)
(no photos)

Pitch 1

5.7+
Sidewinder
Follow the obvious diagonal crack system.

Pitch 2

5.8
Sidewinder
Keep following the diagonal crack system. This part can be linked with Pitch 1. There is some vegetation, but the climbing is still quite fun.

Pitch 3

5.8
Joy and Tribulation
Climb the obvious chimney, which is steep with great jams and stems the whole way up. At the top, enter the chasm and continue up and left to the bolted rappel station up and around the corner.

Descent

Rappel west
The descent for this route is to the west. Look for a bolted rappel station just down from the west side of the summit block at the top of a gully system. Make two rappels westward down the gully to the ground below.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)
(no photos)

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date: May 27, 2020 (Wed);  Partner: Nate Arganbright
Date: September 15, 2024 (Sun);  Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

This is a classic Lumpy route with some great rock, some spicy sections of climbing, and an awesome position throughout.

May 2020: It was reopening day for Rocky Mountain National Park after the closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The meat of the park was still a bit too snowy, so time to head to Lumpy! Nate and I climbed three routes: Climb of the Ancient Mariner on The Bookend, Fantasy Ridge on The Bookmark, and Sidewinder P1&P2 + Joy and Tribulation P3 on The Bookmark. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the park reopening.

Sept 2024: Just as fun the second time. What a great route wth a bit of 5.9 Lumpy spice (especially the 3rd pitch).

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 1

5.8
Same as Joy and Tribulation Pitch 1
Climb up the first 10-15 feet of the diagonal crack of Sidewinder, then pull onto the ridge at a flake. Continue up a corner system close to the edge and belay somewhere below a bolt on the face above.

Pitch 2

5.9
Same as Joy and Tribulation Pitch 2
Head up onto the slab, clip a bolt, place a cam, and then cut right to gain a crack system. Continue easily up to a belay.
May 2020 photos
September 2024 photos

Pitch 3

5.9
Climb into an alcove beneath a triangular roof on the ridge. You can either get past the roof on the right (5.9) or left (5.8). We went right. Above the roof cross a slab into a thin crack with awesome exposure on the southwest ridge. At the end of the thin crack, traverse right to a belay stance.

Pitch 4

5.9
 Climb the slightly overhanging crack above the belay. Proceed easily to the top. Cross a chasm to get to the rappel anchor.

Descent

Rappel west
The descent for this route is to the west. Look for a bolted rappel station just down from the west side of the summit block at the top of a gully system. Make two rappels westward down the gully to the ground below.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date:  July 27, 2024 (Sat);  Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

This route begins right of Melvin's Wheel but the upper route lies to the left. Although this route does not see much traffic, it offers high-quality crack climbing up the southwest face of the Bookmark, with a fun and protectable 5.10b crux bulge.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 2

5.9
Climb left of Melvin's Wheel with a long crack into a bulging, right-facing dihedral. Undercling let and cross the crux overlap. Head right (dicey 5.9) to a belay.

Pitch 3

5.9
Ascend disjuct cracks along the left margi of the chimney on Melvin's Wheel and switch left to finish on Fantasy Ridge.

Descent

Rappel west
The descent for this route is to the west. Look for a bolted rappel station just down from the west side of the summit block at the top of a gully system. Make two rappels westward down the gully to the ground below.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date: March 15, 2020 (Sun);  Partner: Will Starks

Intro

This is a fun 5.8 route that climbs cracks up the left side of the Bookmark.

Will and I climbed this as the first of two routes on the Bookmark. It was pretty cold and windy (hey, it IS winter...), but this just added to the adventure. Next on the agenda was Backflip!

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 2

5.8+
Jam a perfect crack up the clean slab. Belay at a slung horn in an alcove below a wide crack/chimney.

Descent

Rappel west
The descent for this route is to the west. Look for a bolted rappel station just down from the west side of the summit block at the top of a gully system. Make two rappels westward down the gully to the ground below.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date: November 10, 2019 (Sun);  Partner: Nate Arganbright
Date: October 6, 2024 (Sun);  Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

An excellent route that climbs the major dihedral system in the center of the upper wall. November 10: Nate and I climbed this as the first of a two-route day at Lumpy. Next on the agenda was Fat City! October 6: Still one of my favorite routes at Lumpy. And still feels just as sandbagged.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)
(no photos)

Pitch 1

5.9+
Marginal Line
Select a pitch to Library Ledge. Several options. We chose Marginal Line, which has a bouldery crux start into a seam, and from there follows fun and moderate terrain to Library Ledge.

Pitch 2

5.10b
Climb the corner. There is a steep crux bulge midway up. The gear is a bit tricky but its all there if you look for it. Excellent climbing that tests your trad game.

Pitch 3

5.9
Climb up into the dihedral proper and lieback to its top, then undercling right to a belay stance. More excellent climbing.

Descent

Rappel east
The descent for this route is to the east. Scramble (4th) to the right and down to a slung horn. Make 1-2 raps depending on the length of your rope and your downclimbing comfort. We made a single rap with a 70m rope, bypassing an intermediate station along the way.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date: January 30, 2022 (Sun);  Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

It was January but sunny and only a slight breeze so Nate and I decided it would be a Lumpy day. We decided to climb Star Trek, a route that ascends the pinnacle between Romulan Territory and Backflip up cracks and face. I had not climbed this route yet, and thought it was great climbing on great rock. We were back to the base just after noon, and debated climbing another route or going and sitting in the sun on Nate's deck. We chose the latter. What an enjoyable day all around. I really love these winter days where the Colorado sun makes it feel like spring.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark. Start 30 feet left of Backflip.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 2

5.9 (5.6X) or 5.10a (5.6X)
Climb up an unprotected, knobby slab (5.6X) just left of the arching dihedral on Backflip, and cross an overlap to a thin slash with a tiny tree. Work right to a flake and belay below a little roof. One can also finish this pitch with Klingon (5.10a).

Pitch 3

5.7
Pop over the roof and follow a flared groove, then move right to the belay.

Descent

Rappel east
The descent for this route is to the east. Scramble (4th) to the right and down to a slung horn. Make 1-2 raps depending on the length of your rope and your downclimbing comfort. We made a single rap with a 70m rope, bypassing an intermediate station along the way.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date: March 15, 2020 (Sun);  Partner: Will Starks
Date: October 6, 2024 (Sun);  Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

This is a fun 5.9 route that climbs flakes and corners on the right side of the Bookmark.

March 2020: Will and I climbed this route as two long pitches, and agreed this is a great way to climb it. Will and I climbed this as the second of two routes on the Bookmark. The first route had been Melvin's Wheel.

October 2024: Nate and I climbed this as the first of two routes on the Bookend (Backflip and Romulan Territory). We took the Pinnacle Watch Pitch 2 variation for the second pitch, which was interesting but not as good as the usual second pitch of Backflip.

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)
(no photos)

Pitch 1

5.8+
Climb the flake and corner to a flat ledge with a bolted anchor. You can belay here, or continue up mid-5th to Library Ledge. We continued up to Library Ledge, which is what I would recommend since it is easily linked.

Pitch 2

5.8+
 Lieback up the arching dihedral, and then traverse right with an undercling flake. Continue right to a belay stance. We linked with Pitch 3 to climb the route in two long pitches.

Pitch 3

5.8 or 5.9
5.9 option (better climbing but harder). Climb directly up from the belay via a thin crack and then move through a steep headwall.
5.8 option. Move right into a system of cracks and climb these to the top.

At the top of the pitch, you can continue up easy 5th to about 40 feet above the first rappel anchor, or just cut directly right to the rappel anchor.

Descent

Rappel east
The descent for this route is to the east. Scramble (4th) to the right and down to a slung horn. Make 1-2 raps depending on the length of your rope and your downclimbing comfort. We made two raps with a 70m rope, since the final part (which I had downclimbed previously) was a bit dirty from winter runoff.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)

Photos


More climbing fun!
Date: October 1, 2023 (Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed: Backflip Pitch 1 (5.8+, 1p), Bellyflop (5.10+, 1p), Inside Straight (5.9, 1p)
Three great pitches of cragging on a beautiful autumn Sunday.

More climbing fun!
Date: November 12, 2023 (Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed: Melvin's Wheel Pitch 1 (5.8, 1p), The Goose (5.10b/c, 1p), Sojurn (5.11a, 1p)
A few bonus pitches after climbing Hot Licks (5.9, 4p) on The Bookend. We climbed Melvin's Wheel Pitch 1 and then toproped The Goose and Sojurn on descent back to the base.

More climbing fun!
Date: July 26, 2024 (Fri)
Partner: Nate Beckwith
Climbed: Fantasy Ridge / Joy and Tribulation Pitches 1&2 (5.9, 2p), Between the Sheets Pitch 1 (5.11+, 1p)
Nate B and I warmed up on the first two pitches of Fantasy Ridge / Joy and Tribulation (these two routes share their first two pitches), and then each did a couple of laps on Between the Sheets Pitch 1 (5.11+). This pitch is one of the best pitches of the grade at Lumpy—incredible stone, perfect pro, and techy thin crack and face climbing up a splitter thin crack. Nice job Nate getting the pink point.

More climbing fun!
Date: July 27, 2024 (Sat)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed: Between the Sheets Pitch 1 (5.11+, 1p), Joy and Tribulation Pitch 3 (5.8, 1p)
After climbing Stray Shots (5.10b, 3p), Nate A and I rapped to the anchor on Between the Sheets Pitch 1 (5.11+) and climbed this pitch a couple of times. It felt quite cruiser after working it the day before. We then climbed back to the top of the Bookmark via the fun stem box of Joy and Tribulation Pitch 3 (5.8).

The Bookmark Pinnacle

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date: July 30, 2023 (Sun);  Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

This route climbs a chimney created by a huge flake on the left side of Bookmark Pinnacle. It looks wild and difficult to protect, but ends up being pretty fun 5.9 chimney climbing, and protects quite well with a #7 cam! This was a really fun route I had my eye on for awhile. 

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark. Bookmark Pinnacle is just right of the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 2

5.8
Walk left on the Lower Terrace and jam a steep crack up the west face, finishing on the south ridge.

Descent

Rappel east
The descent for this route is to the east. The route tops out at a slung horn. Make 1-2 raps depending on the length of your rope and your downclimbing comfort. We made a single rap with a 70m rope, bypassing an intermediate station along the way.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)

Dates I've climbed this route:
Date: September 18, 2021 (Sat);  Partner: Nate Arganbright

Intro

This route on the southeast corner of Bookmark Pinnacle offers entertaining 5.8+ climbing and tops out on a cool spire summit. Nate and I had planned to climb something on The Book, but on this sunny Saturday climbers had already nabbed all of the best routes, so we decided to climb to the top of Bookmark Pinnacle instead. We finished before noon, and decided to finish off the day by driving over to Mary's Bust and climbing the Brown Palace (5.11a, 6p, sport). What a fun late summer day out on the rock!

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

~1 hour on trail from parking lot to base of The Bookmark, which is between The Bookend and The Book. Follow the trail signs to the Bookmark. Bookmark Pinnacle is just right of the Bookmark.

(other trip reports for the area may have more photos of the approach, but it is quite straightfoward)

Pitch 1

5.8+
Scramble up to its base and jam the evident hand crack. Belay on a spacious ledge (Lower Terrace) that encircles the south face. Two cracks breach the roof band above. Choose one of them.

Descent

Rappel east
The descent for this route is to the east. The route tops out at a slung horn. Make 1-2 raps depending on the length of your rope and your downclimbing comfort. We made a single rap with a 70m rope, bypassing an intermediate station along the way.

(other trip reports for The Bookmark may have more photos of the descent; routes on the left side of the formation descend to the west while routes on the right side of the formation descend to the east)

Photos


More climbing fun!
Date: July 30, 2023 (Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed: Manhole Cover (5.8, 1p)
The main event of the day was Penis Chimney (5.9, 2p) to the top of The Bookmark Pinnacle, but we began the day by warming up on Manhole Cover, a fun 5.8 that squeezes through a few blocks at the top.

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