Nightcrawler, Red Rocks Route Photo

Nightcrawler 5.10c

Brownstone Wall, Juniper Canyon

  • Nightcrawler Sun ExposureRoute quality:
  • Nightcrawler First AscentJorge and Joanne Urioste, 1978
  • Nightcrawler Pitch InfoNumber of pitches: 6
  • Nightcrawler Approach TimeApproach Time: 1½-2 hours
  • Nightcrawler Climbing TimeClimbing Time: 2½-3½ hours
  • Nightcrawler Descent timeDescent Time: ¾-1 hour to base
  • Nightcrawler Sun ExposureSun exposure: Sunrise until afternoon (corner more shade)

    • About the Climb

    The Nightcrawler is a stunning route that should not be missed by the 5.10 climber. It ascends an amazingly steep and clean dihedral that will surely get your hart pumping. This route features fantastic stemming, laybacking, jamming and even a little chimneying.

    Many consider that The Nightcrawler contains some of the best climbing of its grade in all of Red Rocks. Overall, the climbing is varied and technical, the exposure is phenomenal and it protects very well.

    The Brownstone Wall is an amazing place to climb with great views of the Rainbow Wall and the rest of Red Rocks, and is definitively worth the longer approach. An enjoyable way to reach The Nightcrawler, and avoid the 1.5-2 hour walk in, is to climb Myster Z (5.7). After topping out on Myster Z, it takes only about 10 minutes to reach The Nightcrawler.

    Nightcrawler (Red Rocks) GearLoopTopo {Nightcrawler (Red Rocks) GearLoopTopo

    Low Resolution GearLoopTopo Preview

    Minimum order of 3 GearLoopTopos

    The GearLoopTopo

    Our GearLoopTopo for The Nightcrawler contains all the information you need for the climb, starting from the Pine Creek Parking. This parking is located near the end of the scenic drive. The described approach follows the main Pine Creek Canyon trail, but a shortcut through the Fire Loop Ecology trail is also possible.

    Possible Combinations

    There are several options to fill your day on the Brownstone Wall. The closest option is Black Dagger (5.7), which has nice varied climbing to the top of the wall. It's located about 150 yards to the left of The Nightcrawler, on the left side of the Brownstone Wall.

    Another option is the one of a kind Armatron (5.9), which has 2 full pitches of climbing on amazing varnish tiles. It only has a short section of 5.9 climbing, and can also serve as a nice warmup for The Nightcrawler.

    If you don't feel like hiking to the Brownstone Wall, you should climb Myster Z (5.7) to get to the The Nightcrawler. Myster Z starts in the wide gully just before the mouth of Juniper Canyon and ends just below the Brownstone Wall. The climbing is quite entertaining and beats walking up to the wall.

    Similar Climbs

    For great climbs at a similar grade you should check out Prince of Darkness (5.10c), Unimpeachable Groping (5.10b), or Dream of Wild Turkeys (5.10a). However, nothing on these routes compares with the superb laybacking found on The Nightcrawler.

    Although easier, Beulah's Book (5.9) and Black Orpheus (5.9+) have some nice, but shorter, layback sections.

    Nightcrawler and Juniper Canyon, Red Rocks Back to Red Rocks overview

    1. Power Failure (5.10b)
    2. Unimpeachable Groping (10b)
    3. Ginger Cracks (5.9)
    4. Crimson Chrysalis (5.8)
    5. Black Dagger (5.7+)
    6. Nightcrawler (5.10c)
    7. Armatron (5.9)
    8. Myster Z (5.7)
    9. Geronimo (5.6)
    10. Olive Oil (5.7)

    Back to Red Rocks
    routes overview

    Download the Nightcrawler PDF file or visit the PDF Center.

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