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Vedauwoo Climbing 2014-present

Vedauwoo Climbing 2014-present

Route:

various

Region: Wyoming
Elev: ~8,200 ft
Rock type: Granite
Type: 
Date(s): 2014(x2 days), 2020(x3 days), 2021(x5 days), 2022(x3 days), 2023(x1 day), 2024(x2 days)
Partner(s): Eric Schweitzer (2014), MC (2020), Nate Arganbright (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Vedauwoo is a climbing mecca located 10 miles from Laramie. The area is a sea of outcrops of 1.4-billion-year-old Sherman granite. The outcrops have been sculpted into rounded, fissured domes by eons of weathering and the rock has a pinkish hue, streaked with brightly colored lichen. The outcrops are full of crack climbs. Many of these cracks are wide, and Vedauwoo has earned the reputation for some of the most physically demanding offwidths in North America. Although climbers come from far and wide to climb these offwidths, a good mix of other types of climbing can be found here as well.

The first time I climbed in Vedauwoo was in August 2014, for two afternoons during which we climbed 6 routes, on the drive between Devil's Tower in Wyoming and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I only got a flavor for the climbing on this quick trip, but I knew someday I would come back. In June 2019, I moved to Boulder, and Vedauwoo was only 2.5 hours drive away.

On this page, I give photos from climbing in Vedauwoo, organized by date. At the bottom of the page, I keep a list of the climbs I've done in Vedauwoo.

Photos

SOME RANDOM PHOTOS FROM  CRAGGING AT VEDAUWOO


More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Dates: August 3&4, 2014 (Sun&Mon)
Partner: Eric Schweitzer
Climbed at: Coke Bottle, Holdout, Nautilus
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Deception 5.8
• Fallout 5.9
• Beef Eater 5.10b, 2p
• Grand Traverse, The 5.10c
• Currey's Diagonal 5.10
• Max Factor 5.11c
First trip to Vedauwoo
I originally posted the following photos on my 2014 Devil's Tower trip report, but added them here when I created this Vedauwoo page in 2020. These photos were taken during a couple of afternoons in Vedauwoo, where we stopped briefly on the drive from Devil's Tower to Rocky Mountain National Park.
'Warning: Rock climbing and bouldering are extremely dangerous activities that can result in broken bones, paralysis, permanent injury, and even death....'
Ah...granite.
Eric 'climbing' a Vedauwoo 11a classic offwidth called Horn's Mother on the Coke Bottle. He did start to lead it but backed off. 11a is stiff at Vedauwoo!
We climbed Currey's Diagonal, a popular 10b diagonal crack on the Holdout formation.
We also climbed Beef Eater, a popular 10b hand crack on the Holdout formation.
A precarious boulder on top of the Holdout formation. I would guess these formed when erosion left remnants of the upper layers as boulders.
A rock mushroom near the Nautilus formation.
We toproped Max Factor (11c) at Nautilus. This route was great (stellar textured finger crack!) so I lapped it three times.
A thundershower hit just after noon. Eric wanted a couple of rest days and the weather didn't look great, so we planned to meet up in Estes Park just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park a few days later.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: May 6, 2020 (Wed)
Partner: MC
Climbed at: Nautilus
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Upper Slot Right 5.7+
• Lower Slot Right 5.8
• Baalbek (Pitch 1) 5.9
• Deep Throat 5.10a
• Left Torpedo Tube 5.10
Second trip to Vedauwoo
Finally, I returned to Vedauwoo! The plan was for 2 days but the second day we bailed due to high winds (NOAA was saying gusts as high as 60mph by mid-day, and it was indeed windy even by 6am). But we got in a good session on the first day. I will definitely be back as soon as I can.
MC had just acquired the new (as of May 2020) BD #7 and #8 cams.
Our first route was a nice 2-pitch warm-up called Lower Slot Right to Upper Slot Right on the Nautilus.
The #7 was the perfect fit for Lower Slot Right.
Looking down Lower Slot Right.
MC starting up Upper Slot Right, which starts just above Lower Slot Right.
We nabbed a quick toprope on Deep Throat on the Nautilus on rappel.
MC higher up in Deep Throat. More of a chimney than an offwidth. Fun and fairly cruiser for 10a at the Voo.
Our next objective: Left Torpedo Tube on the far end of the Nautilus.
MC gearing up for Left Torpeo Tube, covid style.
Same pose, taken with MC's phone. I like the wider angle the phone allows.
Same pose, taken with MC's phone. I like the wider angle the phone allows.
The #8 was handy in Left Torpedo Tube. These cams are getting some use already! Photo taken by MC on lead.
Next we climbed an enjoyable 5.9 non-offwidth around the corner called Baalbek on the Nautilus.
Steph leading Baalbek on the Nautilus. Photo taken by MC.
A view on the empty campground. Usually it would be open by now but it was closed due to the covid issue.
Sometimes it ends up just too windy to climb....

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Dates: July 25&26, 2020 (Sat&Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Box Canyon Area (Old Easy), Turtle Rock (Fall Wall, Coke Bottle), Holy Saturday, Vally Massif
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Host (Pitches 1&2) 5.7, 2p
• Flake 5.8
• Mystic Psychosis 5.8
• Zipper 5.8, 2p
• Satterfield's Crack 5.8, 2p
• Hammer (Pitch 1) 5.8+
• Fallout 5.9
• Arretez Maintenant (aka Old Easy Arete) 5.9
• Tool or Die 5.9
• MRC Direct 5.9, 2p
• Straight Edge 5.9+
• Neon Cowboy 5.9+
• King of Coney Island 5.10
• Dollywood 5.10
• Horn's Mother (Pitch 1) 5.11a
• Back Seat Driver 5.12a
Third trip to Vedauwoo
Weather was not looking great in the RMNP, so Nate and I headed to Vedauwoo for the weekend. It was an enjoyable weekend and we climbed about 20 pitches over the course of two days.
A golden summer evening at the Vedauwoo campground.
Studying for prelims by the campfire.
View of Old Easy, where we started off the day with a nice 4-pitch link-up of Arretez Maintenant + MRC Direct + Straight Edge.
Nate leading off Arretez Maintenant on Old Easy.
Pitch 1 of MRC Direct on Old Easy.
Looking up Pitch 2 of MRC Direct on Old Easy.
Nate leading off Pitch 2 of MRC Direct on Old Easy.
Higher on Pitch 2 of MRC Direct on Old Easy.
Straight Edge on Old Easy.
View of campground from above.
Nate leading Dollywod on Coke Bottle.
Fallout on Coke Bottle.
Looking up Neon Cowboy on Coke Bottle. The crack is a bit grassy but this route climbs well.
At the first bolt on Mystic Psychosis on Fall Wall.
Fireweed.
Looking up Pitch 1 of Satterfield's Crack on Walt's Wall.
Looking up Pitch 2 of Satterfield's Crack on Walt's Wall.
Nate lading Pitch 2 of Satterfield's Crack on Walt's Wall.
The strenuous start of Horn's Mother (Pitch 1) on Coke Bottle.
Another nice campfire (and dinner).
Passing by Holy Saturday on the way to Valley Massif. We ended the day with a route here.
Pitch 1 of Zipper on Vally Massif.
Pitch 1 of Zipper on Vally Massif.
Pitch 2 of Zipper on Vally Massif.
Traversing below a summit block to the rap anchors on Vally Massif.
Pitch 1 of Hammer on Vally Massif.
Tool or Die on Vally Massif. A nice variation to Pitch 2 of Hammer (wide crack on left).
Toproping the 5.12 Back Seat Driver on Vally Massif.
Pitch 2 of Host on Vally Massif.
King of Coney Island on Vally Massif.
Spring beauty flower.
Looking down from the top of Flake on Holy Saturday.
Climbing Flake on Holy Saturday.
Nate's necessary pit stop on the drive home for corn nuts and Dr. Pepper.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: June 25, 2021 (Fri)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Nautilus
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Middle Parallel Space (Pitch 1) 5.9
• Thunderbolt (full) 5.9
• Warzone (first half) 5.9
• Friday the 13th 5.10a/b
Fourth trip to Vedauwoo
A quick 4-route morning stopover at the Nautilus on the way to Fremont Canyon.
Free camping at the Voo.
Looking up Friday the 13th (5.10a/b) on the Nautilus, my first lead of the day.
Looking up Friday the 13th (5.10a/b) on the Nautilus, my first lead of the day.
The route Thunderbolt (5.9) on Nautilus climbs a nice crack just left of the chimney and finishes in the corner above.
Looking up the start of Thunderbolt (5.9).
The upper half of Thunderbolt (5.9) above the lower anchor.
On top of Nautilus.
The final climb of the day (before we headed on to Fremont Canyon) was Middle Parallel Space (5.9) on Nautilus. The #5 section gave me a bit of trouble (one hang), but a fun Voo 5.9.
View down the first half of Middle Parallel Space (5.9).
View down from the top of Middle Parallel Space (5.9), at the popular Friday the 13th area.
Inclement weather moving in. We decided to stop at the campground entrance area to make lunch before driving on towards Fremont Canyon.
Nate's lunch. I went with a typical fare of crackers and tuna.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: July 5, 2021 (Mon)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Turtle Rock (Hassler's Hatbox area, Walt's Wall), Holdout
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Hassler's Hatbox 5.6
• Oslund's Delight 5.8
• Ripmaster 5.10b, 3p
Fifth trip to Vedauwoo
A 1-day, 4-route stop on our way back from another trip to Fremont Canyon.
Pleasant $10 camping at the campground.
Evening study session for an upcoming preliminary exam in applied analysis.
Morning study session.
Edward’s Crack (5.7) at Turtle Rock. This is one of the most popular routes at the Voo, so we decided to climb this at the start of the day before anyone else queued up on it.
Fun crack climbing on Edward’s Crack (5.7) at Turtle Rock.
Fun crack climbing on Edward’s Crack (5.7) at Turtle Rock.
Climbers on Edward’s Crack (5.7) at Turtle Rock. Yep, the queue has started.
Hassler's Hatbox (5.6) at Turtle Rock.
Hassler's Hatbox (5.6) at Turtle Rock. Vedauwoo has a lot of moderates that climb quite unique features making them well worth the climb.
View out from Hassler's Hatbox area.
Miner’s candle.
Pitch 1 of Ripmaster (5.10b, 3p) at Turtle Rock.
Nate leading off the traverse at the start of Pitch 2 of Ripmaster (5.10b, 3p) at Turtle Rock.
Nate past the 10b wide hands roof crux on Pitch 2 of Ripmaster (5.10b, 3p) at Turtle Rock.
Fun fingers on Oslund's Delight (5.8) at Holdout.
Cool boulder on top of Holdout.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Dates: July 23-25, 2021 (Fri-Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Box Canyon Area (Land of the Rising Moon, Old Easy), Turtle Rock (Fall Wall), Jurassic Park
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Easy Overhang Friction 5.5
• Easy Overhang 5.6
• Cold Fingers 5.7
• Straight and Narrow 5.8
• Dire Pitch 5.8, 2p
• 5.11 Crack 5.8 R
• Anatomy Lesson 5.9
• Crichton's Crack Left 5.9
• Dropzone 5.9
• Spatial Juxtaposition 5.9
• First Iteration 5.10a
• Moon Tide (+ variation finish) 5.10a (5.10d)
• Lichen Lung 5.10b
• Second Iteration 5.10c
• Mud In Your Eye 5.10c/d
• Blade Runner 5.11b
Sixth trip to Vedauwoo
Another weekend with poor weather in the alpine. Good thing the Voo is only 2 hours away and has some great climbing.
Looking up Cold Fingers (5.7, sport) at Turtle Rock.
Nate leading Dropzone (5.9, sport) at Turtle Rock.
Looking up Easy Overhang (5.6) and Easy Overhang Friction (5.5) at Turtle Rock.
Nate leading 5.11 Crack (5.8 R) at Turtle Rock.
Straight and Narrow (5.8) at Box Canyon area.
Looking up Straight and Narrow (5.8) at Box Canyon area.
Moon Tide (5.10a) at Box Canyon area.
Moon Tide (5.10a) at Box Canyon area.
Looking up Blade Runner (5.11b) at Box Canyon area.
Nate jumping between boulders.
Dire Pitch (5.8, 2p) at Box Canyon area.
Pitch 1 of Dire Pitch (5.8, 2p) at Box Canyon area.
Old bolt on Dire Pitch (5.8, 2p) at Box Canyon area.
Pitch 2 of Dire Pitch (5.8, 2p) at Box Canyon area.
Enjoyable camping at the campground.
Reading by the campfire.
Morning study session.
Looking up Spatial Juxtaposition (5.9) at Jurassic Park.
Nate leading First Iteration (5.10c) at Jurassic Park.
Nate leading Second Iteration (5.10c) at Jurassic Park.
Looking up Anatomy Lesson (5.9) at Jurassic Park.
Nice crack on Anatomy Lesson (5.9) at Jurassic Park.
Looking up Mud In Your Eye (5.10c/d) at Jurassic Park.
Looking up Lichen Lung (5.10b) at Jurassic Park.
Hiking.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: June 25, 2022 (Sat)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Upper Blair, Holdout
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Roadtrip Prerequisite 5.8
• Baobob Tree 5.8, 2p
• Tomb Raider 5.9, 2p
• Beef Eater 5.10b, 2p
• Wango 5.10c
Seventh trip to Vedauwoo
Another fun day of climbing at Vedauwoo while the alpine weather is crummy.
Pitch 1 (5.8) of Tomb Raider (3p) at Wango's Workshop. A short but fun pitch.
Nice hex placement on Pitch 1 (5.8) of Tomb Raider (3p) at Wango's Workshop.
Nate starting off Pitch 2 (5.7) of Tomb Raider (3p) at Wango's Workshop. This is quite a short pitch but climbs up cool jugs.
Nate starting up Pitch 3 (A0 or 5.10c ish) of Tomb Raider (3p) at Wango's Workshop. We free-climbed this pitch rather than pulling on the draws to make it A0 as suggested in the guidebook.
Nate at the top of the Wango's Workshop formation at the top of Tomb Raider (3p).
Rap anchors at the top of the Wango's Workshop formation at the top of Tomb Raider (3p).
Wango (5.10c) at Wango's Workshop. This was a good pitch of climbing.
Anchor at the top of Wango (5.10c) at Wango's Workshop.
Baobob Tree (5.8, 2p) at Little John's Tower. A classic moderate.
Nate cruising up the nice handcrack at the top of Baobob Tree (5.8, 2p) at Little John's Tower.
My new favorite lunch: salmon, feta cheese, and tomatoes in an egg wrap.
A fort we spotted on the hike to Upper Blair.
Pitch 1 (5.9) of Beef Eater on Holdout.
Pitch 1 (5.9) of Beef Eater on Holdout.
Pitch 2 (5.10b) of Beef Eater on Holdout. Classic pitch. Helps if you have thin hands.
Nate cruising up Pitch 2 (5.10b) of Beef Eater on Holdout.
Climbers on Pitch 2 (5.10b) of Beef Eater on Holdout. I had climbed this route in 2014 and it was well worth climbing again.
Silky phacelia.
Our camp. Camping at Vedauwoo is great.
Our camp. Camping at Vedauwoo is great.
Enjoying an evening at camp.
Campfire.
I love a good campfire.
Rainbow.
Nate's dinner: grilled sandwich and Pringles. Looks tasty!
My dinner: tuna, feta cheese, and tomato on egg wrap.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Dates: August 20&21, 2022 (Sat&Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Turtle Rock (Coke Bottle), Master Blaster area, Nautilus
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Sort of a Homecoming 5.9
• Zoot Chute 5.9
• Jim Jam 5.9
• Mainstreet 5.10a
• Elevator 5.10a
• Mr. Rockbiter 5.10b
• Flying Buttress 5.10b
• Master Blaster 5.10c, 2p
• Dollywood 5.10
• October Light 5.11a
Eighth trip to Vedauwoo
Another enjoyable summer weekend at the Voo when weather was poor in the alpine.
Boardwalk (5.11b) and Mainstreet (5.10a) at the Coke Bottle. We climbed Mainstreet (5.10a), a classic offwidth. We had planned to climb Boardwalk, but there were pigeons roosting in the crack.
The classic splitter offwidth of Mainstreet (5.10a) at the Coke Bottle. We could see this from our campsite.
Nate leading Dollywood (5.10) at the Coke Bottle. This was our first route for the day. We climbed it twice.
New bolt at the start of Dollywood (5.10) at the Coke Bottle.
Nate leading Mainstreet (5.10a) at the Coke Bottle. A classic offwidth.
Mainstreet (5.10a) at the Coke Bottle. A classic offwidth. Can walk a #6 most of the way.
Bolt on Mainstreet (5.10a) at the Coke Bottle. There are two protection bolts on the main part of the offwidth.
Runnout 5.8 to finish off Mainstreet (5.10a) at the Coke Bottle. A #7 or #8 would probably avoid a runnout.
Nate leading Mr. Rockbiter (5.10b) at the Coke Bottle. This pitch starts just above the anchor of Mainstreet. Delicate bolted face climbing makes a nice follow-up to the offwidth we just ascended.
We used an escaper to rappel from Mainstreet. An intermediate anchor could have allowed us to rappel in two rappels, but it is always good to gain some confidence in the escaper in a lower-commitment situation like cragging.
Nate leading Pitch 1 of Master Blaster (5.10c). Kind of tricky but good climbing.
Looking up Pitch 2 of Master Blaster (5.10c). Steep thin hands - my sort of lead!
We toproped Zoot Chute (5.9) just right of Master Blaster Pitch 1. This would be a slightly heady lead with only two bolts.
The intimidating roof crack of Flying Buttress (5.10b) at Nautilus.
Nate at the base of the second half Flying Buttress (5.10b) at Nautilus.
Elevator (5.10a) at Nautilus. A short and sweet and steep fist crack.
Looking up Jim Jam (5.9) at Nautilus. A very crystalline crack reminiscent of Joshua Tree.
We toproped October Light (5.11a) at Nautilus. One of the harder 11a's I've ever gotten on—I could not figure out the squeeze crux but enjoyed the rest of the pitch. A great Vedauwoo test piece at the grade.

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Date: September 3, 2023 (Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Box Canyon Area (Crystal Freeway)
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Strawberry Jam 5.8
• Grunt Lieback 5.9-
Ninth trip to Vedauwoo
Sunday of Labor Day weekend, and not too crowded. (We had initailly planned on climbing in the Laramie Range. for the weekend, but only spent a day there before deciding better climbing could be found at Vedauwoo. We spent only one night and one day at Vedauwoo and climbed at Palisade Mountain near Estes Park on Labor Day Monday.)
On Sunday, we went to Crystal Freeway and climbed two routes before the rain came in. Our first route was the classic splitter of Strawberry Jam (5.8). Hands to #4.5-sized offwidth.
Nate had not brought crack gloves. Strawberry Jam is studded with crystals. Let's see how good Nate's crack-climbing technique is...
Strawberry Jam (5.8) at Crystal Freeway.
Perfect hands on the first half of Strawberry Jam (5.8) at Crystal Freeway.
Offwidth on the second half of Strawberry Jam (5.8) at Crystal Freeway.
...the verdict: pretty good!
After Strawberry Shortcake, we climbed Grunt Lieback (5.9-) just to the left. Climbing both of these routes makes the appraoch worth it.
Nate crusing Grunt Lieback (5.9-) at Crystal Freeway.
We saw a squall coming, so we started to hike out. We didn't make it all the way out before it hit so we scrambled underneath a convenient boulder.
Hail.
Hanging out at camp.
M&M's and Lee Child - not a bad way to spend the afternoon.
Sunny morning at camp. (Photo taken Sunday morning before climbing Strawberry Jam and Grunt Lieback.)
Enjoying a bit of Lee Child in the morning sun. (Photo taken Sunday morning before climbing Strawberry Jam and Grunt Lieback.)
Nate's breakfast burito. Looks tasty! (Photo taken Sunday morning before climbing Strawberry Jam and Grunt Lieback.)
We had planned to climb on Monday too, but it proceeded to rain all Sunday afternoon so we drove back to Estes Park with plans to climb at Palisade Mountain on Monday (Labor Day).

More climbing fun!
More climbing fun!
Dates: August 24&25, 2024 (Sat&Sun)
Partner: Nate Arganbright
Climbed at: Reynold's Hill, Nautilus
Routes (ordered by grade): 
• Slat 5.7
• Moor Crossing 5.7, 3p
• Finally 5.9
• Pooh Corner (Pitch 1) 5.9
• Climb and Punishment 5.9+
• Popcorn Farce 5.9+
• Finger Grinder 5.9/10
• Deep Throat 5.10a
• Penis Dimension 5.10c, toprope
Tenth trip to Vedauwoo
A fun weekend of crack climbing at Reynold's Hill and Nautilus.
A pleasant approach to Reynold's Hill.
A pleasant approach to Reynold's Hill.
A pleasant approach to Reynold's Hill.
Reynold's Hill.
Crossing the creek on the approach to Reynold's Hill.
Pitch 1 of Moor Crossing (5.7, 3p) at Reynold's Hill.
Pitch 1 of Moor Crossing (5.7, 3p) at Reynold's Hill.
Pitch 2 of Moor Crossing (5.7, 3p) at Reynold's Hill.
Pitch 3 of Moor Crossing (5.7, 3p) at Reynold's Hill.
If there are stickums, Steph will find them.
Pooh Corner Pitch 1 (5.9) at Reynold's Hill.
Hydrating pigeon.
Finger Grinder (5.9/10) at Reynold's Hill.
From left to right: Crime and Punishment (5.9+), Penis Dimension (5.10c), Hung Like a Horse (5.11a). We climbed Crime and Punishment (5.9+) (I led it - fun!) and toproped Penis Dimension (5.10c) (couldn't figure out the perplexing 5.10c offwidth move). Reynold's Hill.
Toproping Penis Dimension (5.10c) (couldn't figure out the perplexing 5.10c offwidth move). Reynold's Hill.
Van life.
Van life.
A mural in the outhouse at the Reynold's Hill parking area.
I worked a nonogram.
We played a game of chess.
Nate's dinner: grllled tuna-avocado-bacon-cheese.
Keeping my devices charged. I have a tough time going fully off the grid.
We climbed Slat (5.7) to get to the base of Finally (5.9) on the Nautilus.
Twisty rope (probably from toproping Penis Dimension (5.10c) directly off the rap rings at Reynold's Hill the previous day.
Finally (5.9) on the Nautilus.
Nate leading Finally (5.9) on the Nautilus.
We toproped Deep Throat (5.10a) on the descent after climbing Finally (5.9) on the Nautilus.
We toproped Deep Throat (5.10a) on the descent after climbing Finally (5.9) on the Nautilus.
Nate leading Popcorn Farce (5.9+) on the Nautilus.

List of Climbs I've done at Vedawoo

LIST MAINLY FOR PERSONAL RECORD-KEEPING | DATES I'VE CLIMBED THERE ON SECOND TAB

Previous and Next Adventures

(August 2014: First time cragging at Vedauwoo)

Ten Sleep (various routes), WY
Longs Peak (Keyhole), The Diamond (Ariana), The Spearhead (Sykes Sickle), CO

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