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Virgin Rock
A San Luis Valley climbing gem
Getting Started
GETTING THERE Penitente Canyon is about 13 miles north of Del Norte, Colo., off US Hwy. 285. From Del Norte, drive north on 285 for 3 miles, turning left onto County Rd 33. Follow signs to Penitente Canyon on ten miles of dirt road.
OVERNIGHTING Camping is maintained by the BLM near the Penitente Canyon trailhead. Water is available. The La Garita Cash Store is a few miles east of the camping on County Rd. G. Del Norte has several restaurants, fuel and groceries.
BOOK Rock Climbing the San Luis Valley by Bob D’Antonio (FalconOutdoors.com) is the bible for climbing Penitente and surrounding canyons.
RATINGS The climbing is lead oriented, and routes under a 5.10 are few. “It’s a little top heavy in the 5.10 to 5.12 range,” said D’Antonio. A “stick clip” came in very handy, allowing us to clip the first high bolts safely from the ground.
WATCH OUT Watch your step — rattlesnakes!
Millions of years ago in southern Colorado, volcanoes erupted, spewing ash that blanketed the San Luis Valley with a
layer 2,000 feet thick. Later, mastodons, giant bison and wooly mammoths roamed the landscape followed by ancient
hunters. Centuries of nomadic peoples came and went. By 1650 A.D., fortune-seeking pioneers had penetrated the Valley
via the Spanish Trail. They erected a string of communities, some of which are still in place today. A secluded
religious sect, Los Hermanos de Penitente, found solitude in the maze of canyons just north of Del Norte, where they
lived in seclusion. Present day, in these same volcanic corridors of slick sienna molten walls and tenacious gritty
tuff - now called Penitente Canyon - a new breed of believer has taken up sanctum among the steep walls. For these
rock worshippers, Penitente Canyon holds some of the best sport climbing in North America.
Penitente Canyon, part of the 7,529-acre Penitente Canyon Special Recreation Management Area of the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), is located on the western side of the San Luis Valley, an 8,000-square-mile desert atop the Rio
Grande Rift. The San Luis Valley is visible from space, shown dividing the San Juan and the Sangre de Christo
mountains. Barely a speck on its western edge, Penitente Canyon and its labyrinth of canyons harbor hundreds of
bolted routes up edgy and pocketed rock.
The history of climbing in Penitente Canyon is short and not too glamorous. In 1984, two men jogged through the area
on a hunch. "I knew it was special," said Bob D'Antonio, one of the joggers. "Really good rock, excellent climbing.
Just really unique."
D'Antonio, a talented, motivated Colorado Springs climber known for first accents at infamous Shelf Road near Cañon
City, would spend years exploring, trail building and establishing routes in these canyons. In summation, he wrote
Rock Climbing Colorado's San Luis Valley, "the" book on climbing in the San Luis.
With the book in hand, two cohorts and I set out from the parking lot up the Penitente Canyon Trail in search of the
walls, discovering unleashed burnt-orange and green metamorphic giants around every bend. As baffling as they were
thrilling to look at, rounded towers crowning sheer faces rise out of a thick, lush environment. This overgrown
desert jungle is alive with songbirds, least chipmunks, wild berries and rattlesnakes, a stark contrast to our sandy
camp near the trailhead where we pitched tents among sparse cacti, piñon and desert dandelion; where random lizards
and beetles skittered about.
The climbing, easy to rank as stellar, is on cold, solid rock, although the starts on our climbs were difficult and
the high clips had our hearts racing. We warmed up on some 5.10s before heading to the classic lines of The Virgin
Wall where the ratings edge toward 5.12.
The Virgin Wall has a virgin on it, literally; a painting. Nate Scarritt, a BLM Forest Protection Officer, gave us
the story: "Around 1937, some members of the Penitente Brotherhood roped up and painted the Madonna on the wall there
- quite an accomplishment." The devout artists sat in tires suspended by a cord, painting an image for its secretive
followers to behold. Even, perhaps, to this day. "At times you'll still see someone walking through the canyons,
counting their beads," Scarritt added.
The difficult 5.11+ routes near the Virgin are the highlight of the Canyon, and climbing them can certainly make you
penitent, yearning for atonement - a redo. Thin edges burn the fingertips and pumpy moves have you breathing hard
right off the ground. High first clips send you sailing if you miss a hold. "A lot of these I hand drilled on lead,"
D'Antonio said. "They only had three or so bolts on them." The lines are not over-bolted now, even with a few added
over the years. A drilling ban is in effect to maintain the integrity of the climbs.
When in the canyon, a notion of endurance pervades it, a feeling of imperviousness to outside modernization. Wagon
tracks from settlers are worn into the sandstone. Homemade crosses and hand-painted rocks mark a small church
graveyard just two miles east of the canyon. Spanish violin and guitars echo into camp from nearby La Garita, an old
Spanish trading post. Climbing in the valley is an experience unto itself. "I don't consider it part of Colorado,"
said D'Antonio. "It's more connected to a Spanish history."
Lowering off a final lead, I felt the rumble of distant thunder roll through the canyon. It was time to go, leave
this phenomenal country. "It's a good resource for the valley," remarked D'Antonio, who received a Volunteer of the
Year award from the BLM for his contribution to the area. "The main thing is what it turned out to be. Just hanging
out here is so peaceful. It's a special place."
BRANDON MATHIS climbs, writes and rides around the Four Corners but buys his groceries in Durango, Colo..
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