The route starts in a small cave with a tree about 15 feet up out of the prominent bushy gully, and ends at the top of Jackrabbit Buttress. Two pitches of 5.7 chimney, roof and hand cracks leads to a "zebra striped" slab. A full pitch of up and over left on easy climbing deposits you at a small tree at the base of a nice 5.6 black finger crack that angles up and right. This pitch ends at a chimney beside a large block atop a detached pillar. Behind this pillar is a large bush in a bomb-bay flaring stem that leads up through a really great, but short crack. Traverse right when you reach the overhanging chimney to reach a nice 5.7 black crack that eventually widens. This pitch ends at a horizontal crack. Three more low 5th class pitches take you to the very top of Jack Rabbit Buttress.To descend, walk straight back to the Brownstone Wall and down Juniper Canyon back to the base of the climb. This is not a particularly difficult route, but it was one of the funnest days I have ever spent at Red Rocks. The awesome views of Crimson Chrysalis are reason enough to give this route a go.

MysterZ

Ernest Stemmingway

The Black Pearl

Don't Touch That in Front of Grandma

Crazy Horse

Senior Discount

Cottontail

SD Slot

Rabbit Stew

Geronimo

Buffon's Needle Problem

Idiocy of an Odyssey

Smooth Operator

Saddle Up

Tan Clam

Blind Spot

Swine Tasting

Juggernaut

The Minerva

Nelson Miles

Stuffed Animals on Prozac

Gigglenut Rampage

Degunker

Chimney Cricket

Rose Hips

Mz. Why

Up the crack, up the face above to a belay at the headwall. Tiptoe up this on flakes and trend left to the obvious, wide crack. Up this (# 5 camalot?) and then ramble to the top of the formation. 

  Next, leap from the top formation onto wall behind. Continue up Myster Z or head left and up Buffon's Needle Problem/Rose Hips. Alternately, head up and right a short pitch to a down-climb into a down-climb gully. 

  This climb would benefit from traffic after a soaking rain to clean the fragile flakes. Once trafficked, the climb will be delightful.

Start at the deep, varnished chimney.  Climb the outer edge of the varnish, getting occasional protection with small wired nuts. 

  Pitch 2 continues up the crack system as it turns into a forbidding offwidth.  Stemming holds and a big cam make this pitch more reasonable than it first appears.  After the offwidth turns into a chimney, work out a belay where you can find good anchor potential. 

  Pitch 3 finishes the crack, then presents a choice.  The easier route is to follow the left branch, which turns into a good ramp.  The right branch leads to an offwidth grovel, then easier climbing. 

  Pitch 4: From the top of the ramp, go up easy slabs and cracks. 

  Pitch 5: easy climbing leads to the unroping spot. 

  Descend by walking west, toward the Brownstone Wall, then hike down Juniper Canyon.

In this unassuming little nook lies one of the best cracks you'll find in the park.  The Black Pearl is a classic old-school style testpiece.  Superb ebony rock plus a variety of interesting moves and sizes make this one of the best single pitch routes you'll find.  I would give it 6 stars if I could. 

  There are 2 crux sections but the climbing is fairly consistent the entire way.  While much of the climbing is wider, the occasional face hold or foot makes the climb more elegant and varied but still a physical endeavor.

"Don't Touch That In Front of Grandma" can be found just to the left of Stuffed Animals on Prozac on Jackrabbit Buttress directly across fromt the most popular climb in the area, "Olive Oil."  Ascend the loose face to the crack on the right-hand side of Cottontail Tower. Ascend this crack to the summit of the tower.  To descend, rappel off jammed slings with a single rope.

This obscure line starts 300 yds. left(south) around the corner from Geronimo. It starts with a dark right facing corner, eventually passing through a roof and stopping at a incredibly, black varnished face(300'). Up this blank face a pitch or two, and meet up with the final pitch of Geronimo. I know I have a topo around here somewhere, and will post it once I find it. A fun, albeit runout route if you find Geronimo is a bit too busy, as we did.Descend as for Geronimo.

Left Stick's soul mate; a delight for connoisseurs of slightly overhung, wide #3 camalot cracks. Would deserve many stars if it were longer and one could casually scramble to the base of the crack/dihedral.

Jake Burkey told me about this route some time ago.  I believe that he and a friend first climbed it in 1997 or 1998. 

  This route can be found on the left side of the small tower described in the piece on "Don't Touch that in Front of Grandma." The route can be found on Jackrabbit Buttress directly across from "Olive Oil." 

  The route works its way up a chimney to the top of the "Cottontail Tower."  Burkey claimed that the route continued for another pitch, but we only went to the top of the tower.

No crux, just 50 feet of squirming--as offwidths go, this one is delightful.

A good mix of face climbing and cracks with a long chimney pitch in the middle of the Jackrabbit Buttress. 

 P1: start face climbing to the right of the tree, merge with the crack = as soon as you can, then bear left. P2: climb the chimney. P3: climb huecos and a finger crack. P4: traverse on a slab to gain access to the crack on the right, bolted anchors. P5: low angle face climbing.

 Descent: rap the route with two ropes, some of the raps are on gear.  It's possible to rap with a single 70m rope, but you will have to leave more gear behind.

A relatively new, but already quite popular, climb. (Makes you wonder how many other nice unclimbed routes there are further back and higher up in the various canyons....)

 Approach as per Crimson Chrysalis, but before reaching the gully which separates the canyon, take a trail up towards the base of the buttress. The trails to the base of the climb aren't as well defined as the main trail, but are certainly easy enough to stay on. Like so many of the approaches in Red Rocks, the difficulty is often deciding which of the various trail branches to follow.

 The climb starts at the base of the face, at a prominent crack.

 P1: Climb a long pitch up the face (surprisingly steep in places), with generally good pro in the crack. The pitch ends at a huge forested terrace. Belay at or near the boulders.

 P2: Negotiate your way to the back of the terrace, and climb a crack just left of the huecoed face. Climb up to an intermediate platform with a huge boulder (possible belay), or (if you have a 60m rope) stretch it out another 50 feet to the next large terrace. Watch for rope drag if you skip the intermediate belay.

 P3: Again relocate to the back of the terrace, and begin climbing a crack in the face. This face itself has a second tier, so use long runners to avoid rope drag. Aim for left of a left facing, arching dihedral. You'll go up (and well out of sight of your belayer) beyond the top of that arc, past a couple delicate stemming moves, to a small stance in another dihedral. Be careful of your anchor placements here, because one of the cracks is bisected with a flexing flake.

 P4: Go up and slightly left from the belay, then up and right, hugging the exposed arete 50' to the summit of the pinnacle. The gear is a little sparse on this last pitch.

 Descent: Do a double rope rappel from the summit to the top of P2, then a series of single rope rappels down the chimney that winds up 50' right of the start of the climb.Avoid the temptation to use your second rope to get down the chimney more quickly, as several sections of the chimney look to be hungry. Please note: Rap anchors have been placed on top of the first and second pitches. The base can now be reached with three double-rope rappels. (If, after the first double-rope rappel, you rap the next pitch with a single rope, you'll not be able to reach the next rap anchor. There's a large rock that can be reached, if you have a 70-meter rope and you don't mind rapping off the end of your rope. You can then down climb to the anchor on top of the first pitch. From there, it you need two-rope to reach the base.)

The problem is geometric; its solution requires many techniques. Three amazing pitches grace this outing. Sew it up 

  P1 the approach pitch. Step up and spiral right around the front of the buttress to gain a crack system in black rock on the right side of the buttress. Continue to the top of the buttress. Rope drag in the flakes may dictate an intermediate belay. If an oak leaf needle problem is preferred, this pitch can be shortened by thrashing up the gulley of choice. ~50 meters, perhaps 5.7. 

  P2 Up the corner/crack to the first trash compactor roof/chock-stone. Pass this on the left. Belay in the rubble pile above the chock-stone. The rope is sure to jam in cams placed in the roof; if you can keep the cams clear of the rope, the rope will jam in the roof crack itself. ~30 meters, 5.10ish, #4 camalot useful getting past the roof. 

  P3 Up the corner/crack to the second trash compactor roof/chock-stone. Pass this on the left.  Near the top of the chock-stone, place gear and step left past the narrow band of black rock. What the heck are those rappel bolts for? If you belay at these bolts, consider the consequences of a leader fall in the cruxy moves off the belay. Move left of the bolts and up the tricky face and changing corners to a final trash compactor roof/chock-stone. Nuts and the thinnest cams are useful; this section protects better than it looks. Pass the chock-stone on the left to a good belay stance. 5.10ish, ~30 meters 

  P4 Up the tight, gently overhanging tight-hands crack/corner into the eye of the needle. Dimensional trickery permits needle threading. A short pitch, ~20 meters; the belay at the start of this pitch takes the same gear as the tight hand crack, so extra gear in the black metolius #5 (black) to yellow camalot may be in order. Once the needle is threaded, it is possible to escape due right for ~60 meters of 3rd class crossing Myster Z, then 20 meters 3rd class up and right to a down-climb into a gullymore oak trees and down-climbing. Or. 

  P5-7 Once the needle is threaded, continue up the wide crack/corner (wider than #4 camalot) which narrows, ramps left, and steps right into another crack/corner system. Near the top of this 2nd crack/corner system, step left into the left facing crack corner system that will become the final pitches of Rose Hips. About three 60 meter pitches will gain 3rd & 4th class slabs. Perhaps 5.7 in a spot or two, but mostly 5.4ish. 

  Descend by scrambling toward the Brownstone Wall and hiking the trail down Juniper Canyon.

Wandering line aside, much excellent climbing. If the final pitches were as accessible as Ragged Edges, they would have a following. 

  P1 Up the left facing corner; more difficult than it looks. Traverse left on the spacious ledge to the oak tree stance below a finger crack that leads to an overhanging fist crack. The #5 camalot crack to the left is an alternate start at the same grade. ~30 meters, 5.10- 

  P2 Up the finger then fist crack. Belay on the rubble stance or continue on P3. Alternatively, step left, through and on oak trees; step across chasm to huecos and up P3. ~10 meters, 5.10- 

  P3 Step down left, and traverse left to the next, wide crack system. Up this to a belay at a ledge and an oak tree. ~30 meters, 5.7.  

  P4 Up the corner on the left side of the gulley system above the oak tree to a thin crack that angles left below a black headwall (it is possible to stay right and continue up the gulley; beware the agave top-out). From the left end of the headwall, ascend directly up. At the top of the headwall, walk back 10 meters to belay in oak trees. ~50 meters, 5.7. 

  P5 Up the obvious, daunting black gash. ~40 meters, 5.8 

  Descent   Easy scrambling up and right with a move or two of down-climbing will gain the Geronimo rappel anchors.

This route has also been known as "Sweet Crude." 

  Pitch 1:  Climb the chimney and corner to a sloping belay stance below a bulge.  (5.8, 120) 

  Pitch 2:  An exposed diagonal traverse leads up and left through the bulge, with lots of air below, but good pro.  When youre back in balance, a sloping traverse leads left about 30 feet.  Now go straight up a steep jamcrack to a roomy ledge.  (5.9, 110) 

  Pitch 3:  Poorly protected face climbing for 30 feet leads to a chimney, which is followed by moderate moves up the continuing crack system, to a comfortable ledge where the crack system splits.  (5.8, 190) 

  Pitch 4:  After an exposed move right, jam a steep crack for 20 feet.  About thirty feet of exposed, varnished face lead right and up to the base of a prominent, black, left-facing corner, where a hanging belay is established.  (5.9, 70) 

  Pitch 5:  Climb straight up the face and corner, then up easier terrain to a belay ledge.  (5.8, 160) 

  Pitch 6:  200 feet of class 4 lead to the unroping spot. 

  Descent:  Go west towards the Brownstone Wall, staying low across the slabs, then descend Juniper Canyon.

A surprisingly good route tucked away on Jackrabbit Buttress on the way to the Brownstone wall. Pitch 1 has fun interesting stemming and chimneying through a cool cave system. Pitch 2 has a sustained steep handcrack on good rock. 3 and 4 ease off with fun climbing on good rock.Bushwack your way into the alcove and scramble up some third class to rope up. We didn't have a middle mark on the rope, so pitch lengths may be off a bit.P1 - Stem and chimney up some very featured rock, eventually the rock smooths out before the base of a slightly left-slanting rib. Continue up the rib into a cave system. Very fun stemming and chimneying up working slightly left to gain the top of the huge chockstone. Build your anchor at a small T-shaped crack about ankle height on the east wall on top of the chockstone. 5.7+ 110 feet. (lots of variations on this pitch that could go harder or easier)P2 - Step off the chockstone out and right over the void (spicy) to a couple of face moves to gain a nice, steep hand crack on the right. Jam your way up the crack, watching for an occasional jug on the right wall. Continue up past a white flake on the left side of the crack and belay just above. 5.9 120 feet.P3 - Continue up the handcrack as the angle eases and the crack trends left. Belay just before the crack peters out, standing on a small varnished ledge with the crack at your chest. Great anchor, it takes anything from .4 to a #3. 5.7 175 feet.P4 - The crack is ending, so angle a bit right then head up. The rock and pro are much better than it looks. 5.4 190 feet.Unrope and walk off heading towards Brownstone wall.

The Black Pearl sits on the left wall of a magical alcove on Jackrabbit Buttress. The Pearl is the gem - great climbing on black bullet-hard, water polished stone. It is housed in a clamshell alcove of light brown rock that has been shaped by wind. Beneath a unique 'paint chip' layer, the rock is surprisingly hard and contains many interesting features. The juxtaposition of superficial dirtiness and the soul-deep core of quality climbing through awe inspiring features makes this climb a quandary of either 4 stars or bomb-terrible. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but so is that flake of rock you just knocked onto your belayer.Start in the back corner, in a chimney with a hand and finger crack. Above this is a series of hanging blocks, each guarded by a tricky puzzle protected by solid gear. At the last block climb a thin, bouldery sequence or make worrying chimney moves to gain the roof above. Burrow into the roof and work left, protected by 2 bolts and big gear. Pull the roof into a stellar overhanging fist crack. Puzzling geometry makes for exciting moves to the anchor of Black Pearl. Save a 2, 3, and 4 for the final fist crack!

Start in the corridor behind the huge boulder immediately to the left of the Black Pearl recess.  Follow the obvious chimney to where it turns into an offwidth at an overhang about twenty feet up.  Squeeze past the bulge.  Limited maneuvering room and restricted visibility make this the crux. Continue up the crack a short distance and belay.  (There is probably enough rope to do the climb in a single pitch, but it is likely you have left your big cam down at the bulge and it will come in handy again up higher.) 

  Descend via rappel from the bushes at the west end of the ledge.  From the current anchor position, the descent can be done with a single 60-meter rope and some downclimbing, or with two ropes.

Follow discontinuous cracks and huecos up to the right end of a black, varnished roof. Traverse left to the arête proper and pull through to discontinuous cracks and easier climbing on the arête and face above. From the (climber's) right side of the ledge system (where The Black Pearl tops out), climb up and right to the obvious crack.  Follow it up and left ~ 60 feet, gaining 3rd/4th class rock. Angle up and left to a short, awkward finger/hand crack that leads to a wider crack and the short hike to the Jackrabbit buttress descent cairns.

I cant believe that I have walked by this route so many times and never noticed it before.   It is striking shallow left facing corner, which varies from tips to wide hands with lots of variety in between.  Although rock quality is a little iffy in places, especially right off the ground (protects well with a #3 camalot) everywhere you really need it good solid pro can be found.    

  The anchor is OK, definatly not the best I have seen but I have also seen many worse.  It could do with the bolts being replaced, and the webbing is looking a little faded.  The fixed nut is bomber and there are a couple beiners to lower/rap off. 

  Juggernaut is no give me, the face to the left is amazingly smooth and the crack pinches down pretty tight at times.  As mentioned above there is some questionable rock in places so place well and when you can get it. 

  A great way to end the day, often in the shade in the afternoon and is on your way out if you are up on Brownstone or Rainbow. 

Votive offerings to the ship's namesake may provide the wisdom and technical ability required to ascend this pitch. Starts with big holds and sparse gear placements. The gear gets better as the climb progresses, but expect to tack left and right to find it.

Colonel Nelson A. Miles went looking for Crazy Horse after G.A. Custer’s demise and engaged Crazy Horse at the Battle of Wolf Mountain.  

  P1: Climb the left leaning crack to a spacious ledge.    P2: Take the ramp above the belay to the right; squeeze to the top of the pillar; step back across to the main face and ramp back up left; marvel at the various rappel follies from previous eras. At the end of the ramp, head up the corner/crack. At a spacious platform, traverse hard left and step across to the Gigglenut Rampage launching pad.    P3: Up the crack/corner above the step-across; from ledges, up the middle crack (left of & facing the obvious chimney on the right).    P4: Continue up the crack to join Geronimo/Crazy Horse at mid-height.

This route was originally done in 1998, but for some reason never found itself in a guidebook. 

  "Stuffed Animals on Prozac" can be found directly across from Olive Oil.  Approach as you would for Olive Oil, but take the first real trail to the left as you enter the canyon.  Skirt the base of the cliff to bottom of the route on Jackrabbit Buttress. 

  Once you are at the base of the route, you will see a line of bolts that leads into a crack system.  Climb past the bolts into the crack and continue up to the belay.  The first pitch is 5.8.  From the belay, follow the beautiful 5.7 crack system to the top of the second pitch.  Rappel the route with double ropes. 

Thought provoking climbing, finishing at the Geronimo summit block. 

  P1 Climb the pleasant, black, left side of the slot to easier ground and continue up yet another, narrower slot in black rock. Belay on a spacious sandstone ledge below a blocky chockstone in the next slot. 5.6, a short pitch, ~30 meters.   P2 Climb up past the blocky chockstone, place gear (yellow camalotish), consider your fate, and step left onto the black, varnished ramp. Tiptoe up the ramp; choose between the utility of tiny nuts and reprieve from burning calves. After about 1/3 of the ramp, a move gains some calf reprieve and a green alien placement. More gear and more calf pain gains the top of the Senior Discount pillar & perhaps a double rope rappel (25 foot sling around block?). 5.9, another short pitch, ~30+meters. The anchor at the top of Senior Discount takes .3-.75 Camalot Jrs.   P3 Make a move to gain the thin crack/corner system on the right. At the top of the corner, step left and weave up steep huecos and flakes. At a long, nearly horizontal crack in good, black rock, head back right to the poorly defined arête. Up easier climbing for a long ways with rare gear placements in pink rock near or left of the blunt arête, eventually finding ample enough gear to construct an anchor. 5.9, 60 meters; the anchor takes yellow camalot +/-.   P4 Up and right onto the face right of the arête, angle up and right into a crack system/variation of Geronimo. 5.5, a short pitch, ~30 meters.   P5 An exposed step right gains the face on the right and then Geronimos summit rap station. 5.5, a very short pitch, <30 meters.

A nice pitch goes up the pleasantly varnished and featured chimney to a belay position in a small alcove.  The second pitch continues up the steep crack on somewhat softer and less pleasant rock.  Pitch three frictions up to a left-slanting ramp.  The route finishes on easier slabs above.

Chimney Cricket climbs the wide cleft to the left of Degunker. Although the chimney is virtually unbroken from bottom to top, a good portion of the climbing is done on the sculpted slab on the left side of the cleft itself. You'll be bouncing in and out of the chimney like a cricket, y'know. Like its neighbours on the south face of Jackrabbit Buttress, this route makes a fine approach to Brownstone Wall.

Pitch 1 (5.9, 120 feet): Climb the thin sandy dihedral leading into a hanging chimney. Soon it opens up and gradually forces you slightly left on steepening parallel cracks. At the sharp contact between yellow and pink stone, traverse 15 feet right into the main left-facing corner (i.e. the only crack that breaks the headwall above).

Pitch 2 (5.8, 160 feet): Grunt up the strenuous offwidth and pull over the roof on glorious buckets. Soon you can exit the chimney and meander up the rippled slab on the left side, placing gear where available. At some point in the pink zebra band, you will be forced back into the chimney. Exit again to the left slab where a single juniper corpse chokes the chimney. Belay on the sloping ledge.

Pitch 3 (5.7, 150 feet): Climb sparse varnished plates up the slab to the left of the chimney. As you get higher, you can choose to either: (1) Continue straight up a thin 5.7 crack, or (2) Move right into a delicious low-angle handcrack that becomes a right-facing corner/arch. Both options funnel into a sweet varnished alcove, a belay shared with Degunker.

Pitch 4 (5.2, 200 feet): Hop over the little shelf and jog up the left-leaning crack until it peters out on the summit slabs. Recommended to simul this pitch as it is very easy and you've gotta get to Armatron quick!

Descent: Walk straight back to Brownstone Wall. If you have time, climb one of those routes. If not, descend the easy slabs into Juniper Canyon and follow the trail back down, passing close to the base of the route.

This is a fun climb that has an old-school feel to it. It is lesser known and rarely climbed, but a good way to approach the routes on the north side of Brownstone Wall. 

  Pitch 1: Climb the crack and the face to the left of it for as far as you can, until you can set a belay below the roof. Tricky pro where the crack opens up. 200 feet, 5.7 

  Pitch 2: Pull the roof on the left side, belay when a stance is found above. 120 feet, 5.7 

  Pitch 3: Continue up the left slanting wide crack until it ends. Long sections of scant pro, easy climbing. 100 feet, 5.6 

  Pitch 4: Traverse right on a shelf to the next crack over. No pro. 70 feet, 5.6 

  Pitch 5: Shoot up the new crack to the top. 200 feet, 5.4

Jackrabbit Buttress is the prominent feature on the north flank of the entrance to Juniper Canyon, directly across from Crimson Chrysalis on Cloud Tower. Several interesting grade II and III routes and a great deal of unrealized potential exist on Jackrabbit Buttress. This area isn't as well known as many others and consequently doesn't get the kind of traffic as many areas at the Red Rocks. 

  Note that the Jackrabbit Buttress is a large and complex area.  The southernmost section, which overlooks Juniper Canyon, extends around to the area of Myster Z.  A little farther north, to the right of a broken, brushy gully, is the area of Geronimo.  Still further to the right, near the entry to the narrow canyon bordering the Rose Tower is the scattering of routes including Stuffed Animals on Prozac. 

  The northern face of the Jackrabbit Buttress is the Aquarium Wall, which is listed separately. 

Description

Protection

Routes in Jackrabbit Buttress