Colorado · Rock climbing · Estes Park

Bear's Den

Bear's Den in Colorado has 5 climbing routes across 4 difficulty grades, offering mixed and sport styles.

5 routes
5.11+ – 5.12c
Sport · Mixed

Is Bear's Den open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Rocky Mountain National Park. It doesn't name Bear's Den, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: NPS · Rocky Mountain National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Bear's Den

Best months: 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

    30° / 4°

    14 wet · 14 snow

  2. Feb

    34° / 6°

    13 wet · 12 snow

  3. Mar

    42° / 14°

    12 wet · 9 snow

  4. Apr

    49° / 20°

    11 wet · 6 snow

  5. May

    59° / 28°

    12 wet · 2 snow

  6. Jun

    71° / 34°

    11 wet

  7. Jul

    76° / 40°

    14 wet

  8. Aug

    73° / 38°

    15 wet

  9. Sep

    68° / 32°

    12 wet · 1 snow

  10. Oct

    55° / 23°

    10 wet · 4 snow

  11. Nov

    40° / 13°

    11 wet · 9 snow

  12. Dec

    30° / 5°

    14 wet · 13 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Grand Lake 1 Nw, CO, 10 mi away at 8,720 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Bear's Den is a climbing area in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, within the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness. The National Park Service manages the land, and the site sits in the park's backcountry. The area has five routes, with grades ranging from 5.11+ to 5.12c. Three are ice routes, one is a mixed route and one is a sport route. Grizzly and Smokey are ice routes at 5.12 and 5.12c. Dingleberry Crack is a mixed route at 5.11+. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run to highs around 76°F in July and 73°F in August. Winters are cold and snowy, with highs near 30°F and snow on about 14 days a month from December through February. A fee applies. The Fern Lake Trail and Emerald Lake Trail both start about 0.3 miles away. The Centaur Boulder and The Potato Chip Boulder lie about 0.7 miles off.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

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