The Ultimate Guide to Rock Climbing in Rifle, Colorado

Planning a rock climbing trip to Rifle, Colorado?

Best decision ever.

Rifle often scares people away because of the burly style. But it’s honestly one of the best places I’ve ever sport climbed. In terms of access to the cliffs, conditions, beauty and things to do other than climb, Rifle is perfect.

In this quick guide to rock climbing in Rifle, Colorado, I’ll go over:

• What you can expect during a trip to Rifle Mountain Park
• How to make the best of your time there
• How to keep it cheap!

I spent 3 weeks rock climbing in Rifle, and they went by in a blur. I LOVED climbing almost every day (which is NOT a good idea, btw) and getting to know the area on rest days.

This guide covers a bunch of details so you can plan your trip and arrive ready to go. They aren’t very easy to find on the internet, so I wanted to put them all in one ultimate guide.

Let’s get straight to it!

Rifle Mountain Park

Now, Rifle is a city in Colorado, but the climbing is actually in Rifle Mountain Park, 30 minutes from the city.

Rifle Mountain Park is a narrow canyon that got cut into the earth by the East Rifle Creek. As you drive the narrow road through Rifle Mountain Park, you have cliffs on both sides of you and the river by your side.

This park has almost 500 sport routes, and it’s said to be “the best limestone sport climbing in North America.”

That being said, the climbing here feels HARD, and that mostly has to do with the rock.

The Rock in Rifle, Colorado

I’ve never climbed on rock like the rock in Rifle.

First of all, this limestone seems really soft. Just how soft?

Well, the older routes are a little glassy (although people highly exaggerate how bad it is). But what really amazed me was how the rock has lines cut into it where ropes tend to rub on it while lowering.

I kid you not, some routes have inch-deep rope holes.

At first, it scared me. But when I actually touched the holes I noticed they were smooth and the rope never hit any sharp edges.

Second of all, the holds are all in the wrong places.

You rarely pull down in rifle. The holds are in different positions, making the climbing style here complicated – especially because the same thing applies to the footholds.

Finding beta here is an experience.

It took me two weeks of soreness in my abs and hips to start getting used to rock climbing in Rifle, Colorado. I absolutely loved that.

Finally, the rock in Rifle Mountain Park makes it so that most of the climbs are higher grades. This is another reason why Rifle scares a lot of people away.

The less overhanging parts of the cliffs are dirty, while the more overhung rock is pristine. That’s why there’s a bunch of hard stuff and not as many moderates.

And then the moderates feel HARD because of the climbing style.

I’m a 5.12 climber and, at Rifle, I had to downgrade myself to a 5.11 climber. It was humbling, but I utterly enjoyed myself anyway.

Let’s get into what my favorite climbs in Rifle were.

The Best Climbs in Rifle Mountain Park

This is the most subjective thing.

But, for reference, I’m a guy who loves powerful, overhanging climbs. I can climb 5.12 roofs because they have jugs but need my wife to set up a top rope to climb 5.11 slab. I love reachy moves.

BUT, I’m also forcing myself to try more vertical climbs and confront my weaknesses. Oddly enough, I’m loving the process.

So, these were my favorite sport climbs in Rifle:

• Feline 11b: one of the most beautiful climbs I’ve ever done. It’s just fun!
• James Brown’s Wild Ride 11d: a long, vertical route with the smallest hold I’ve ever grabbed. Maybe that’s not the beta, but I felt proud for doing the move.
• Return to Sender 12a: definitely my style – overhung and pumpy to a crux roof (the moves right out of the roof were the hardest).
• Genesis 12a: another one of the most beautiful climbs ever… overhangs to faces. It’s pretty exposed!
• Atlas 12a: some of the most interesting climbing I’ve done. Long reaches to a technical face to a crazy bulge. It felt super hard… I missed a double knee bar.

The Price of Rock Climbing in Rifle, Colorado

The day pass per vehicle costs $10. It is valid on the day you pay for it, until noon the next day.

It’s a trust-based system in which you write your information on a slip of paper along with the money. Then you leave it in a box.

The information board and box are right at the entrance to the park. I think you can also pay the camp host directly.

The annual pass costs $20 for Rifle residents (amazing) and $100 for non-residents. So, if you’re going to climb for more than 10 days, it makes sense to buy it.

Parking in Rifle Mountain Park

There’s ample parking all along the road on both sides of the canyon for all the different areas. That being said, only use the designated parking lots because the road is pretty narrow.

Even though there’s lots of parking, it gets completely full on the weekend during Rifle season. That’s especially true about the more popular areas like Ruckman Cave!

When that happens, it’s best to arrive early and plan on staying in the area all day because good luck finding a spot later.

Free and Paid Camping in Rifle

The camping right inside Rifle Mountain Park costs $30 a night, and $20 if you have an annual pass.

You can share these sites to split costs, but different sites have various limits on how many cars can be there.

There are also several state parks and campgrounds closer to the twon of Rifle. But you have to reserve nights way in advance, or they’re super competitive first-come, first-served sites. And they all cost $25+ a night.

All of these prices were way above our budget, so Lala and I looked for where to camp for free in Rifle. We found three spots and used 2 of them the 3 weeks we were there:

• The Corral: this is a random BLM lot where we spent most our nights. It’s about 17 minutes from Rifle Mountain Park (I marked it on my free car camping map). They say it can get full, but we never had any issues when we climbed there in late May.

• Rest Area: the rest area in Rifle isn’t ideal, but we slept there many nights. Sometimes we would spend the day in Rifle and just didn’t want to drive to the Corral, so we’d stay here. There are homeless people and I’m not sure if it’s entirely legal to sleep there. One morning, we woke up and it seemed like the rest area had been cleared out – but no one had bothered us. My recommendation would be don’t spend more than a night at a time here and you’ll be good.

• The Meadows: there’s a free camping spot past all the climbing in Rifle Mountain Park. At a fork in the road, go left up the steep hill. If it’s wet, you might need 4WD to make it to the Meadows, which is a huge clearing where you can camp for free. We didn’t go because the road was super wet, and the Corral was treating us just fine. Mountain Project has great instructions for getting to the Meadows… the rest of the info on camping is pretty outdated.

Tips for Rock Climbing in Rifle, Colorado

• Don’t climb 2 days on 1 day off. I tried doing that and ended up quite injured in my elbows. Classic over-use injury. The climbing style in Rifle was just too powerful for me to rest that little. If you can do it, congratulations on your strong back and arms.
• Since the day-pass is valid until noon the day after you bought it, a way to climb “two days on” is to climb in the afternoon the first day and until noon the next day. Make the most our of your $10.
• If you’re climbing in Rifle for a long time, don’t climb on the weekends. It gets SO full that it’s really hard to find parking.
• The best spot Lala and I found to take a dip in the creek is at the first picnic area you get to. It’s on the right side of the road. We got in the river because we didn’t shower for 10 days… living the true dirtbag life. But that wasn’t sustainable, so we found out where to shower. More on that later.

Working Remotely and Rock Climbing in Rifle, Colorado

I was working full time during our 3 weeks rock climbing in Rifle, Colorado.

So, we spent a lot of time looking for places to work during rest days. Here’s where I worked remotely in Rifle:

• The Rifle Branch Library: Its one of the best libraries I’ve been to, with friendly staff and great facilities. They have lots of desks, free WiFi, comfy chairs and quiet rooms you can reserve. I spent DAYS here… their staff recognized me and Lala by the end of our climbing trip.
• Rifle Gap Reservoir: there is no signal anywhere near Rifle Mountain Park (but Starlink works great, people told me). So, one day we drove to see where we could get signal, and we actually found two spots to work. The first is very much outdoors and exposed. If you’re driving from Rifle to the climbing, you’ll pass the Rifle Gap Reservoir. Right when you get to the lake, there’s a parking lot and picnic table, and it’s the last spot you’ll have signal. I worked there a few days. The other spot is…
• The Christo Day-Use Area: this parking lot is right before the Reservoir driving from Rifle to Rifle Mountain Park. There’s also a picnic table there, and it’s covered. It’s also right by the creek, so it’s SO peaceful. I don’t know if you need to pay to park here… but I never did and rangers driving by never told me anything. Just be respectful.

Where to Shower

We spent 10 days without showering and it was NOT great, so we found out where to shower so it wouldn’t happen again.

One time, we showered at the Anytime Fitness in Rifle. They charged us $10 each and we got a shower and a workout, because they couldn’t officially just sell us a shower.

The other place we showered was Rifle Gap State Park. We had to pay the fee to get into the park which is $10 per vehicle, and the fee to use the showers. I forget how much it cost (probably $4-$5) because I learned a hack:

Go through the showers, try opening them all and there’s always 1 or 2 that work without coins in these coin-operated showers. I found one that worked without paying and had no time limit because it wasn’t maintained.

Great way to get a free-ish shower.

Then, we enjoyed our rest day by exploring Rifle Gap State Park to make the most of our day pass.

What Else to Do in Rifle, Colorado

There’s SO much to do in the area other than climbing. It makes for some great rest days.

• Explore State Parks: there are SO many state parks close to Rifle Mountain Park. I visited Rifle Gap State Park and Rifle Falls State Park.
• Rifle Arch Trail: it’s a 2.8-mile hike to see a beautiful arch, which is a pretty unexpected feature here. The Rifle Arch Trail is 30 minutes from Rifle Mountain Park and has a parking lot right next to the highway.
• Grand Junction: this city is an hour away from Rifle. You can spend a day at the Colorado National Monument and enjoy a slightly bigger city while you rest. It also has some great free camping spots if you spend the night!
• Glenwood Springs: another town 30 minutes from Rifle is Glenwood Springs. It’s an even more outdoorsy town where you can hike, bike, kayak, fish and do a bunch of other things.

Where to Next?

Rifle is in the middle of the mountains in Colorado, and is a great stop on many road trips.

We went to rifle after enjoying the million-dollar highway from Durango to Telluride and onward to Montrose and Grand Junction.

It can also be a part of a Colorado road trip, although I skipped it during my tour of Colorado because I had been there a few months earlier.

Stopping in Rifle is a great idea too if you’re driving from Colorado to Utah. It takes you all along I-70 from Denver to Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Moab.

Final Thoughts

Is it worth rock climbing in Rifle, Colorado?

Absolutely!

Don’t let people scare you off when they tell you it’s hard. If you were scared of hard things, you wouldn’t be rock climbing. This place is FUN and it makes you a better climber.

It forces you to improve your technique, but not the way people usually think about technique. It’s not about thin feet and slow movement, as you’d expect on vertical climbs. It’s about positioning your body so that you can actually stay on the rock.

You’ll be SORE!

I hope this guide to rock climbing in Rifle, Colorado was useful! My mission is to help you plan your trip and for all your questions to be answered BEFORE you go.

That being said, ask me any questions you might have in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer!