Colorado · Rock climbing · Cascade

Animal Kingdom

7 bouldering routes in Colorado spanning 4 difficulty grades.

7 routes
V0 – V2+
Bouldering

Is Animal Kingdom open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 11 alerts for Pike and San Isabel National Forests.

As of · Source: USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Animal Kingdom

Best months: May–June and September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    39° / 13°

    5 wet

  2. Feb

    39° / 14°

    6 wet

  3. Mar

    45° / 20°

    7 wet

  4. Apr

    50° / 26°

    8 wet

  5. May

    59° / 33°

    10 wet

  6. Jun

    70° / 42°

    11 wet

  7. Jul

    74° / 46°

    16 wet

  8. Aug

    72° / 45°

    16 wet

  9. Sep

    66° / 39°

    9 wet

  10. Oct

    56° / 30°

    6 wet

  11. Nov

    46° / 19°

    5 wet

  12. Dec

    39° / 13°

    5 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Ruxton Park, CO, 6.1 mi away at 9,060 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Animal Kingdom is a bouldering area in Colorado's Pike and San Isabel National Forests, within the Pikes Peak Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land. The climbing here is all bouldering, with seven routes spread across the boulder fields. The grades range from V0 to V2+, and most are in the V1 to V1+ range. Animal Hole and Padfoot are both V0, and Burly Crack is V1. Storm The Castle and Any Way You Slice It are a little harder, at V1+ and V2+. The Drug Boulder and The Stacks are both about 0.1 mile away, so the whole area makes a compact stop for climbers. Ridge Crest is a hike 0.9 mile off, and Lone Duck Family Campground is 1.8 miles away for anyone planning an overnight.

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East FacePhoto: slopjop, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

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