Climbing (and rappelling) near Colorado's Swan Mountain Road

Routes: beginner and intermediate short, top-rope routes
Start/End: parking area near the Lowry Campground on the north side of Swan Mountain Road
Route Access: Via a short hike from the parking area

Lily naps in the shade at the climbing routes off Swan Mountain Road in Summit County, Colorado.

It’s open season for rock climbing on Swan Mountain Road between Breckenridge and Keystone, Colorado.  Eric is the professional rock climbing (and biking, hiking, etc.) guide who leads me, friends and guests on trips, so what I think I know about climbing is really just the stuff I’ve gathered from following directions.

After parking near the Lowry Campground on the north side of Swan Mountain Road, we take a short hike (making sure to stick left, or north) to the roughly 25-foot rock walls that overlook Lake Dillon. [Read more →]

Climbing in Dillon, Colorado: Swan Mountain Road

Stuck between a rock and a hard place? Not even close.

Climbing guide Eric Zerowin sets anchors high above the shores of Lake Dillon, in Dillon, Colorado, as his two guests absorb the views. The late-morning sun shines brightly in the blue sky, and it’s too early in the day for afternoon showers to begin rolling in. A cool breeze, common for 9,200 feet, sweeps across Lake Dillon.

“Even though that tree is dead, can it support our weight?” asks one of the guests. [Read more →]