An A’- La Carte Menu of Black Hills Roadside Bouldering

Cooked up by BBQ

There may come a time, in every climber’s life, when they could be faced with the following dilemmas.

You love to boulder but hate to hike.
You are traveling solo and can’t find any friends to help you carry all your gear a long distance.
You are short on time, but really want to get a good workout in before heading back home.

So, what’s the best solution for a die-hard rock climber, who finds themselves in the Black Hills, with half a dozen bouldering pads, and dealing with at least one of the above-mentioned conundrums? The answer is simple; you should become acquainted with these beautiful blobs of rock which happen to be conveniently located right next to the road.

It makes perfect sense to produce the article you are about to read. If you think about it, tourism in the Black Hills has always relied heavily on the infamous gimmick of the roadside attraction and our climbing traditions are no different. Our backyard is blessed with hundreds of miles of blacktop, lined with tacky billboards, that lead people to places like Reptile Gardens, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Cosmos, and of course, all sorts of gift shops and t-shirt vendors located in quaint villages such as Hill City and Keystone. All these places attract their clientele because of their convenient locations. And with that in mind, why can’t rock climbing areas be just as easy to access? What’s the point of going the extra mile, if you don’t have to?

The term, “Location, location, location” has been drilled into the American psyche. And if the Black Hills can be described in very few words, ‘accommodating’ should be one of them. For example, millions of Americans have fond memories of traveling across the country with their parents, only to hear Dad say something like, “Damn, I really, really want to see all the presidents of the United States represented as life-sized wax figures…but we are on a very tight schedule.” This request is easily satisfied here. Does your Grandfather want to experience the pure joy of seeing hundreds of intricate woodcarvings? Easily accomplished. Does your Mother want to stock up on fudge and Christmas decorations? No problem at all. Need to find that special jelly spoon so that your dear Aunt Edna can claim that she has one from all fifty states? Hardly an issue. Does your drunk uncle want a commemorative shot glass? That and saltwater taffy are all within easy reach. So why not bouldering? Why travel by car, or on foot, farther than you must just to destroy your skin and get worked? If the whole world is indeed an oyster, then the following areas are the pebble pounders’ pearls. And while this list is by no means completely comprehensive, it will give you a great foundation to begin with.

Let’s start with the Vegan Boulder!

Our journey begins by going to Rapid City. If you find yourself traveling west or east on the famous I-90 Interstate, keep your eyes peeled for Exit 57 which gets you onto a variant of I-90 heading south. You will pass Central High School and eventually end up at a traffic light and perpendicular to Omaha Street. When traffic allows, take a right onto Omaha (which becomes West Omaha at some point) and look for 11th Street. Take a right onto 11th Street and drive through what appears to be a second-rate golf course and take a left at the duck pond which brings you onto Executive Drive. You will then motor slowly on this narrow street, through a neighborhood filled with strange, brown buildings that look like the ubiquitous business suites that crooked realtors and shady divorce lawyers would utilize. Within this urban sprawl you will find 12th Street which eventually becomes Founder’s Park Drive. Slowly follow the arching curve of this narrow street and hang a left onto another narrow street which gets you to the base of a mid-sized mound of a hill and the gates to Founders Park. Find yourself a parking spot near the gate, gather your gear, and walk less than the length of a football field down a flat, dirt path until you see the obvious crown jewel of Rapid City’s two-star pebble pounding, the Vegan Boulder.

The Upside: Location, location, location…you can’t beat this boulder if you hate to hike or are short on time. The Vegan Boulder is a huge hunk of sandstone that sticks out of a hillside like a dirty orange breaking wave. Thanks to some very woke people, the base is covered in soft, fall-cushioning wood chips and the picnic table adds a nice touch for those who hate to sit on the ground when they make their Vegemite and peanut butter sandwiches. Heck, for those who crave real food, you can get a burrito or a plate of sushi from the highly rated restaurants across the street. The boulder itself is large enough for at least two or three climbers to crawl on at once, and some of the problems are actually pretty hard for clocking in at V0 and V1. Many burly moves can be strung together on the overhanging face. The average climber can find some really nice flow that gets them screaming like Sharma as their feet cut during a desperate throw to a far away finishing jug. And while this boulder is by no means a high ball, topping out can feel a bit hairy and the solo artist may want at least three or four large pads to cover the ground to ensure their falls don’t cause pain and suffering. Walking off the top is pretty easy, and many super strong locals have gotten really good at this sport after running lap after lap on this piece of historical lore. And the best part, if you brought a mountain bike with you, the Hanson-Larsen trail is a superb place to perform a different kind of lap.

The Downside: While this dreamy boulder boasts all the holds and moves a halfway decent gym would have, it could be easily argued that the Vegan Boulder is an introvert’s nightmare. Smack dab at the entrance to a popular city park, you will be guaranteed absolutely no solitude…and don’t be too surprised if senior citizens, who happen to be out walking their dogs, bark at you for bringing your mattresses to the park. And for Pete’s sake, don’t get caught taking a nap here since Founders Park is considered to be a second home to the city’s homeless, which guarantees a high police presence on most days of the week.

And now, let’s move onto the roadside areas near Mount Rushmore!

If you happen to be in Rapid City, the bouldering areas associated with Mount Rushmore are a guaranteed good time and a few examples of the area’s best pebble pounding can be found within spitting distance from your car. From Founder’s Park, start your journey by going west on Highway 44 which crosses Omaha Street and heads toward 5th Street. Turn left onto Highway 16 on Mount Rushmore Road. Keep following the highway as it becomes Highway 16 West. On your journey you will be bombarded with billboards tempting you to visit Reptile Gardens, Bear Country, the Cosmos, along with those creepy wax figures at the Parade of Presidents – and most irritating of all – a very fake and quite contrived reconstruction of Independence Hall. In my opinion, you might as well skip this phony attraction, because the real thing is located at Independence National Historical Park in Pennsylvania. And let it be known that every patriotic American should visit this super- interesting National Park (in Philadelphia) at least once because so many important historical events took place there. The real Liberty Bell, and its well-documented crack, can also be found at Independence National Historical Park and seeing it in person makes South Dakota’s revisionist replica a piss poor comparison.

Anyway, unless you stop to see these sites, you are on your way to Keystone! Just make sure that you don’t get too lulled by the scenery that you miss the exit to Highway 16a. The humblebragging hamlet, known as Keystone, is the area’s premier tourist trap filled on all sides with restaurants, bars, and gift shops galore. Want to buy that world-famous saltwater taffy I was talking about earlier? This is where you get it. Need one of those dirty-minded t-shirts with the four giant-sized human buttocks and the two hapless tourists hopelessly stating, “I ASS-ume we are somewhere BEHIND Mount Rushmore”…well, just stop in any of the stores on either side of the street and you will more than likely stumble across one. Butt anyway, if you are like most dirtbags, who are uninterested in acquiring souvenirs, just drive on through and leave Keystone in the rearview mirror, and instead, make your way up the hill towards Mount Rushmore National Monument.

You are on your way to the world-famous Border Wall!

While driving up the hill, on Highway 16a, from Keystone, keep your eyes peeled for the geographic fact that Highway 16a forks and you will need to make sure that you are turning right onto Highway 244. Keep your eyes peeled for Doane Mountain Road and drive past it. Now look for a long pullout on the right-hand side of the road well before you get to the national monument that holds those four famous faces carved from stone. You will see a brown sign that informs you that the main parking for Mount Rushmore’s Visitor Center is a mile away. Park in this pullout and unload your gear. Be prepared for a short walk up a not-so-steep hill and then hike briefly on a trail (along the road) that seems to lead back towards Keystone. A beautiful band of rock will emerge from the trees almost directly across from Doane Mountain Road.

A climber gets converted by "The Leftist" a socially disruptive V5 at The Border Wall.
Photo by Laura Heisinger

The Upside: The Border Wall is absolutely gorgeous! Anyone who has climbed at a world class area will appreciate the aesthetically eye-catching color and texture of this superb stone. For the super strong crushers, who are looking to cling tenaciously to overhung rock, this place has a lifetime of climbing on super-good, small holds permanently stuck on skin-ripping territory that angles at around forty-five degrees. The wall boasts about a dozen problems, none of which are one move wonders. Anyone looking for a killer V3 - with cosmic compression moves - needs to start on the right-hand side of the wall on a really great problem known as “Borderline”. The middle of the wall is home to a series of routes that go from V4 to V10 that will be guaranteed to keep the dedicated climber coming back for more punishment several times before the rock gives up the send. Classic must do’s include “The Leftist” which is rated V5, “The Rightist”, a crimpfest that was suggested to be V9, and the area’s masterpiece, known as “Forty Foot Fence” was conservatively estimated to go at V10.

The Downside: Climbers seeking out really nice, entry level V0’s, V1’s and V2’s might as well skip this place all together and go somewhere else like “The Voting Booth Boulders” which are located much closer to the same parking lot that you would use to access The Border Wall. Overall, The Border Wall is a strong person’s area and topping out the problems can, in some cases, be quite nerve racking if not downright dangerous. The warm-ups range from V3 to V4 and the mellow, easier problems are not very good. Also, all the problems have a south-facing aspect which makes them super-hot in the summer months. However, for those of you visiting during the winter, this area tends to melt out very quickly making it a snow-free, banana belt destination for dedicated cold weather climbers.

Next, we should check out the Wrinkled Rock Campground!

If you successfully found The Border Wall, and enjoyed it, (or decided to bail) but still have time for more climbing, then you might as well continue driving up the hill. Keep motoring past the Mount Rushmore Monument, trust me, seeing this manmade monolith from the road is good enough. After cresting the hill, keep driving on Highway 244 until you get to the Wrinkled Rock-Climbing Area. This is where people park to climb the classic routes of The South Seas. For those who love to hike and explore, the world-famous boulders of Mount Baldy are located a long distance from here as well. However, for those of you who hate to hike (or are short on friends and/or time) there is always the Trash Can Boulders!

Like the name suggests, these boulders are located right behind the trash cans that sit next to the outhouse which resides at the Wrinkled Rock parking lot. For those of you who wish to walk for one minute or less, this place is almost Heaven. About half a dozen bulky boulders sit in a nearly circular pattern which makes for super easy transitions between problems. Anyone who arrives in the area without a climbing partner might easily be able to find someone to give them a spot if they decide to do some of the harder stuff that gets your butt to a dangerous level above the ground. However, with that said, the prospect of solitude is surprisingly easy to find here and the solo artist (who has enough pads) should be able to climb a whole bunch of stuff safely, and have a really fun time, even if they forgo the highballs.

A climber lovin' some "Bad Music" a powerful V3 at The Trash Can Boulders.
Photo by Chris "Tator Tot" Pelczarski

The Upside: Warm-ups and easier problems abound here! Surprisingly enough, for such as small concentration of stone, the area boasts a wide spectrum of grades with many of the problems residing in the pretty easy to not so bad range on boulders with heights that won’t cause you to break your ankles if you fall. And while most of the stuff here is not nearly as steep as what you would find at The Border Wall, many of the problems are quite technical in nature, powerful, and demand core strength along with a gravity defying sense of balance. It could be easily argued that beginners and intermediate climbers will not get too terribly bored here which makes it a good place to bring along hesitant friends. Those of you who are seeking out harder climbing, with tiny crystal pinching on kicked back terrain, will be quite satisfied as well. The classic must do’s include a V3 known as “Bad Music”, a V4 dubbed “Five Alive”, and a stout V6 which goes by the name, “Eric’s Flashy Oddity”.

The Downside: Ooh, that smell! Since these semi-fabulous boulders are located next to a popular (and typically crowded) campground, the rubbish and excrement tend to pile up and overflow during the hot summer months. Crowds are not unheard of and all the first ascents have already been trash bagged.

And now, we will move onto a delectable, yet low-key area located near Horse Thief Lake, known as The Shrieking Shack!

From the Wrinkled Rock Campground turn right onto US Highway 244. Drive past Breezy Point and start slowing down once you start to see signs for Horsethief Lake. You will be parking your vehicle at the Big Pine Trailhead which is located just up the road and opposite the entrance to the Horse Thief Campground. Grab your gear and walk through the woods, parallel to the road, for about the length of a football field, on fairly flat terrain. You will soon run across some obvious unnamed boulders that have not seen much cleaning. And while these raw beauties are worth checking out, you should also make a point to hike around a corner and check out another long formation of rock that faces the road known as The Horcrux Wall.

Mark Rafferty finds a way to "Exit The Chamber" a magical V4 at The Shrieking Shack.
Photo by Peyton Hinn

The Upside: This is a seldom-visited area that someone can find solitude at, and many of the problems are very sendable yet definitely do not qualify for “one move wonder” status. Climbers seeking out more mellow grades, on stone that is just as good as The Border Wall, will definitely want to give this area a good, long visit. Beginning boulderers, who wish to increase that core strength, without the fear of falling off a highball, will love it here. Insta-classics include a killer V1 known as “Kreature” and a no gimmie V2, known as “Dobby”, both of which are located on the left-hand side of the wall and have really good landing zones. On the far right-hand side of the wall resides a killer V3 christened “Tom Riddle” with a slightly sketchier landing zone that can be made perfectly safe with lots of pads and good spotters. The middle of the wall is home to a couple of highly recommended V4’s, along with the area’s evil genius, a tough V6 which goes by the name, “Voldemort”. Yum! Yum! Yum! Anyone who is looking for a quick circuit, or an all-day feast, will not be disappointed by the variety found at The Horcrux Wall.

The Downside: Despite the best efforts of contributors to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Mountain Project, there is a paucity of information about this neat little roadside attraction. It would only stand to reason that this rock rich area contains all kinds of potential for first ascents. However, one should realize that anything in the Black Hills, that is considered roadside, was probably bagged by some strapping young lad (or lassie) who was walking around in the woods, tripping balls, back in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Be sure to check with several locals before proclaiming a first ascent online, there is a good chance you were not the first person to crawl all over that hunk of rock. First time visitors might get a bit confused as to what is established and what is not, and you might find yourself wasting a lot of time wandering around looking for approach options without thorny plants in your way. However, even though it is a potential downside, unabashed exploration can also be an upside. To avoid the initial confusion, you should definitely check out the rock on The Horcrux Wall with the obvious chalk marks first. To save time, you should just toss your pads at the base of whatever looks fun, and then take your best guess as to what you just climbed. Despite the large amount of rock, and high concentration of undocumented old routes, the newer development is documented on Mountain Project pretty well, and anyone who is in a hurry should be able to locate the problems on The Horcrux Wall rather easily by their various underclings, jugs, and crimps alone. However, with that said, of all the areas mentioned thus far, this one will probably have the steepest learning curve in terms of navigation simply because it has so few described climbs, and oddly enough - for a small area - it is pretty vast. But don’t let that stop you from having a great time trying some really cool new classics. Just keep in mind that some of the problems in this area have long, complicated walk-offs that might add some time to your visit. Also, the aspect of The Horcrux Wall causes heatstroke and sunburns in the summer but makes it a banana belt destination during colder months. To get a wicked pump, be sure to show up early in the morning, or move your gear to the backside of the wall to feast upon the undescribed boulders in the shade.

And now, let’s pack up our gear and get ready for an hour-long trip to Spearfish Canyon!

If you desire to leave the Southern Hills granite, in order to seek out Northern Hills limestone, start driving to Hill City on Highway 244. Unless you want to ride a horse, keep driving past Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch Resort. When you arrive at a stop light, turn right onto Highway 385 and be sure to stop at Granite Sports when you get to Hill City since it is the only reliable place to get climbing chalk in all of The Black Hills. Also, be sure to stock up on food and take that much needed bathroom break, since you will be driving for nearly an hour on Highway 385. Be sure to drive past Sheridan Lake, keep motoring past Pactola Reservoir, and then keep flying past many various campgrounds and tourist traps with one star bathroom facilities. When you arrive at the humble hamlet of Lead, be sure to take Highway 85 to Highway 14a in order to get to a strange place known as Cheyenne Crossing. You will find a quaint restaurant here, which is home to a world-famous Indian Taco, and a three-star bathroom facility. Be sure to get on Highway 14 driving slightly north. Remember to drive through a silly village, known as Elmore, and always respect the speed limit. In order to locate your first roadside bouldering experience be sure to keep your eyes open for a pond on the left-hand side of the road. This pond is created by a rock dam which is located just shy of a volunteer fire department building. Keep driving but have your foot close to the brake. The easy to find Blue Sky Boulders are located directly across the road from a small gravel parking lot which is situated right next to the creek and upstream from a bridge. You will quickly notice a set of mailboxes which belong to the residents of Birchcrest Lane. A quick, easy to navigate trail is found just to the right of these mailboxes. Head left to the warm-ups which might be a little less obvious to find than the huge boulder which is considered to be the area’s main attraction.

Lee Terveen crushing Convergence, V10.
Blue Sky Boulders. Photo by BBQ

The Upside: This wee crag is super simple to navigate and contains a small collection of easy to reach boulders that are guaranteed to be very entertaining. The warm-up is found on a large, black boulder located directly behind the mailboxes. For a V1 experience, choose the right-hand side of this boulder’s steep face. Climbers seeking sick pocket pulling should explore this tall rock’s left-hand arete. You will be surprised at just how V4 the arete problem can get. Both routes are right next to each other (if you hate moving pads). They are also very close to the road (if you ended up forgetting something in your vehicle). Don’t worry, the location is technically far enough away from the local residents, and you shouldn’t have to concern yourself with disturbing the peace, just as long as you keep a low profile and refrain from screaming like Adam Ondra every time you make a move or fall. The main attractions can be found on a large black and blonde-streaked highball boulder which is located very close to the road. This obvious and unobscured chunk of rock contains two R-rated V3 style slab climbs that can be previewed with a top rope before you commit to the nerve rattling send. If scary slabs are not your thing, but you want to check out some upper five eleven and lower five twelve style climbing, you will be delighted with “Chester Cat”, which is on the right-hand side of this big boulder if you are facing it with your back to the road. Up and coming strongmen and strongwomen can expect a long session of figuring out “Chester Cat’s” thousands of powerful, techie V5 moves. If you send, you will be topping out on a fairly flat surface which is easy to clamber off of since the shape of the boulder ramps downwards towards a hillside. After being confounded by the “Chester Cat”, those of you looking for the ultimate challenge will not want to miss “Convergence” which is located on the opposite side of the boulder and contains stoopid-powerful, technical V8, V9, and V10 moves on super-duper overhung terrain on bulletproof stone. Not an ounce of choss can be found here since the boulders have seen multiple ascents and tons of traffic.

The Downside: Very little. However, peripatetically minded people - who are seeking a great variety of climbing on many different boulders - will not find it here. Also, summertime visitors, who are desperately seeking shade, must arrive at the Blue Sky parking lot in the early morning hours and be ready to pack it up well before noon. If you still have the bouldering bug on a sweltering day (and don’t mind a fairly long, yet painless hike) an afternoon trip to an area located below the scenic cliffs of the Mohican Wall is highly recommended due to the larger concentration of big rocks in an area where the problems are located very close to each other.

For the lazier climbers, who do not wish to include hundreds of yards of hiking in their plan of attack, a visit to the Latchstring Boulders should definitely be on the itinerary after visiting the Blue Sky area. Pack it up and drive down canyon, over the bridge, and past The Latchstring Inn. If you find yourself too lethargic to prepare your own lunch, The Latchstring Inn has an outstanding menu which includes soups, salads, burgers, and a taco bar. You can enjoy good food and stout beverages on a patio which gives a great view of this part of the canyon. And if you suddenly feel the call of nature, this three-star restaurant boasts the only four-star bathroom facilities in the entire canyon. After driving past The Latchstring Inn, look for a small, skinny, paved pullout on the left-hand side of the road. There is a much larger pullout a bit farther down canyon, however, it is much farther away from the climbing. The trail is somewhat faint here and begins in a ditch that leads up a fairly steep hill. Of all the areas described thus far, The Latchstrings probably has the longest, most involved hike…but don’t let that deter you since this place is money!

Ian Osborne cruises with cold fingers on the biggest, baddest boulder at The Latchstrings.
Photo by Sarah Ponwith

The Upside: This crag is quite convenient! After a very uphill, five-minute hike, a short, overhung warmup boulder made of smooth, black stone can be found right on the trail. Once you get bored with this pebble-sized problem, pack it up and keep walking uphill until a huge hunk of rock the size of a two-story house appears on the horizon making your jaw drop to the ground. In this area, every boulder (and every problem) lies within a very short proximity to every other boulder and problem. In addition to the short travel time between routes, the diversity of climbing here is pretty outstanding. Those of you who want a highball V1 with huge pockets on slightly overhung, blonde rock will rejoice when you venture a few feet uphill from the house-sized boulder. Behold the succulence of “The Cheese Block”, the biggest, baddest moderate in the area! Even with the uneven ground at its base, this big boulder protects well from every angle and is easy to top out (and clamber down from) if you desire lap after lap of large, luscious yellow pockets. For those afraid of heights, traversing this wedge-shaped monolith will get you just as pumped as the vertical journey to the top. This hillside area is also flush with smaller boulders that protect well and offer their own unique challenges. However, it could be easily argued that The Latchstrings is a strong person’s haven since the house-sized boulder contains nearly a dozen difficult as hell problems that will more than likely keep the five twelve and five thirteen climber busy for weeks on end. After a good warm-up, classic must do’s -on the house-sized boulder – include “Puppet on a String” a stout V4 that follows big holds up a black streak on terrain so steep your forearms will burst just before you poop your pants with a bizarre sense of fear and excitement. Everything else on this steep, blond face is super hard and super classic for the grade with “No Strings Attached” being one of the most sought after V8 ticks in the entire hills. For those seeking wicked-hard compression moves, be sure to tackle “Under Pressure” and “The Compactor” which are V5ish classics with high ball sensibilities. The side of the boulder that faces the road has another sought after V8, known as “String Theory” which requires a mastery of quantum physics before the problem gives up the send.

Alison Coin crushing "The Compactor" a V4/V5 classic at The Latchstrings.
Photo by Laura Heisinger

The Downside: As mentioned before, the short hike is steep and somewhat miserable. However, it is over quickly and the somewhat ambitious solo artist (or partnership) can easily make several trips - to and from the vehicle - if that is what it takes to schlep all the gear from the parking lot to the boulders. The steep hike is even more miserable if the ground is wet since the dirt here turns to a slippery mud. Even worse, if the area has recently received a large amount of snow, the mud doesn’t go away, and one should expect that white crap to stick around for months. Oddly enough, even though the hillside is south facing, and gets a lot of snow killing sun, the boulders themselves tend to have a shady aspect where snow stubbornly sticks around. To make matters worse, when the sun does heat up this area, the large amounts of snow – which have accumulated on top of the boulders all winter - will melt. This phase change will form puckish waterfalls that will drown most of the problems, thus erasing all your hard-earned tick marks. And unfortunately, during the summer, torrential downpours, that last for days on end, will cause most of these boulders to seep like a condom made of mesh.

The strongwomen of Spearfish chow down on "The Cheese Block" the ultimate V1 warm-up at The Latchstrings.
Photo by Laura Heisinger

And if you still need more excuses to climb, but have very little walking strength or time left, we might as well end this journey with the Mile Marker 17 Boulders and The Roadler Boulder!

If you are at The Latchstrings, The Roadler Boulder is less than ten miles down canyon on Highway 14. Drive towards Spearfish, past Bridal Veil Falls, keeping an eye out for a pond that has been created by a metal dam. A large parking lot will be on the left-hand side of the road. If you are starting your journey in Spearfish, The Roadler Boulder is less than seven miles away, making it super convenient for climbers who are facing a time crunch.

Ian inches his way up a roadside problem at Mile Marker 17.
Photo by Sarah Ponwith

The Upside: This climbing area is super close to the road. After parking your vehicle, walk towards Spearfish, looking to your left, and you should quickly spot a big, black/grayish boulder in the ditch just behind some trees. The approach is almost non-existent and not even close to being vigorous. The climbing on The Roadler Boulder, however, is pretty darn strenuous and committing. Three excellent lines, with powerful, sustained climbing exist here. The easiest problem, known as “Keep It Between The Lines” goes up the middle of this righteous rock, and clocks in around V4/V5, while the other two lines run up the arete features on the sides of the boulder with difficulty levels estimated to be around V6/V7. The landing zones are pretty decent here, just be sure to pack in more pads than you think you’ll need since The Roadler Boulder is tall enough to be considered a highball with ankle breaking potential if you miss your cushy target. A competent spotter is a good idea, however, I have climbed here alone, hundreds of times, and have never had issues with injury or once felt scared to fall off any of the problems. Even if you have less than an hour to climb, this boulder is guaranteed to give you the pumpy workout you have been craving. Many local climbers swear that including this boulder into their training regiment was the key to kicking their abilities up a grade or two.

Ian trying his best to "Keep It Between The Lines", a classic problem on The Roadler Boulder.
Photo by Sarah Ponwith

The Downside: Unless you are used to starting your day with five twelve plus climbing, the warm-up options are fairly limited here. Most of the locals simply get around this issue by running a few laps on a smaller, slabby boulder that leans up against the left side of the bigger block. For those climbers, who are seeking more warm-up potential and more varied climbing, your best bet is to start your “close to Spearfish session” at an area known as Mile Marker 17. This locale is found just south of Bridal Veil Falls. Park your vehicle in a paved pullout, on the creek side of the highway, just across from the 17th mile marker and walk towards a large house that sits on the banks across the creek. Keep your eyes peeled for some small boulders that sit on a treeless, low angle hillside that has some powerlines situated on it. After a quick jaunt up the grassy knoll you will find a bouldering area flush with easier problems that can only be described as desirable without being destination quality. Much akin to the “Voting Booth Boulders” near Mount Rushmore, “The Powerline Boulders” are easy to find and easy to climb, however, they are nothing to write home about. They are, however, your best bet for a warmup for The Roadler Boulder which only has one more notable downside – seepage. For some reason, only known to God and the best geologists, The Roadler Boulder weeps, and drips water like crazy after a heavy snow or hard rain. However, it can be counted on to dry up quickly after a couple of days of direct sun thanks to its somewhat south facing aspect. For cold-blooded climbers, who demand sunlight, this boulder has a great locale in a warm, sunny place, which might force other pebble pounders to wait until the later afternoon in order to gain sending temperatures.

And there you have it, folks! A seven-course meal of roadside areas to choose from when you find yourself hungry for climbing but short on time or patience. I hope this information helps you get a taste for something new which you can gorge yourself on. And for those of you looking for a fun challenge, do what I did recently, try to visit all these areas, and climb on at least one or two of the mentioned boulders, in a single day. Trust me! It is quite an experience that will make you appreciate the great diversity of bouldering we have in our backyard and will leave you hungry for more!