Stairway to Heaven

Head up Skunk Canyon to the base of this ridge. It will be the first ridge that touches down in the canyon, and start climbing up the bottom of the slab heading toward a big roof. The crux is moving left underneath this roof. Once around the roof continue up easy ground 4th class and some 3rd class. Further up you'll actually step off the rock completely as you come upon a deep cleft. Now step out to the right onto the east face of a pinnacle known as Like Heaven. Climb up to the notch just north of this pinnacle on typically great rock.

An extra credit ascent can be done by hand traversing out to the summit of Like Heaven. This traverse must be reversed back to the notch.

Continue up the ridge to the summit. Some might find the downclimb to the ground the crux of the climb. Downclimb to the east from slightly north of the summit. This is a steep slab with some tricky moves on mossy rock.

From the ground you can descend south along the base of the east face of Stairway to Heaven back to the base. This involves some 3rd class scrambling.

See Gerry Roach's classic and out of print "Flatiron Classics" guidebook. Gerry lists this as one of his Top Ten Flatiron routes. Despite its discontinuous nature this climb is on excellent rock with great positions and fun moves. And there is lots of it - this climb is almost a thousand feet long.

If you park at NCAR, follow that trail westwards until you hit the Mesa Trail and turn north. Continue north on the trail past the bridge at the bottom of Skunk Canyon until you see a brick wall about 3 to 4 feet high. Behind that is your trail. Do not take the creek bed! Too overgrown.

The GPS coordinates are 39.98127, -105.28468 (I am not sure these are right), and the climber's trail is plainly visible on the other side of the wall.

Head up Skunk Canyon to the base of this ridge (the first ridge), and start climbing up the bottom of the slab heading toward a big roof. Heading up skunk canyon you'll sometimes be in the wash and sometimes on the hillside to the north. The route starts out of the wash on rock.

Like many Flatiron scrambles, there will probably be large runouts, but on this route the terrain seems easy most of the way. A typical Flatiron rack is sufficient: light rack of stoppers, and cams through a #2 Camalot.