Pipeline Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3A I (v3a1 I) Raps:3-5, max ↨135ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:Required Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Best in Spring and Fall, Hot in Summer
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39.1042, -108.7361
39.1036, -108.7374
39.1080, -108.7360
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Introduction[edit]
Pipeline's unique feature is following an old pipe through the canyon, but in many ways this makes it more of a challenge than interesting. Be careful getting ropes stuck on the first rappel.
Nearby Speaker offers the same quick pay-to-play with a shuttle without the brush, pipes or awkward starts of Pipeline. However, it might be worth checking out for the novelty as a combo with Speaker if the group is up for it.
Approach[edit]
Set a Shuttle Vehicle at the Balanced Rock Trailhead.
Drive up Rimrock Dr to Park roadside before the Park Service entrance road.
Hike across the road and walk down the drainage to the first rappel.
Descent[edit]
R1: 135' from a tree DCL. This rappel would benefit from being broken up into two rappels to help with rope pull and decrease the likelihood of getting a rope or pull cord stuck on the pipes mounted to the sandstone wall.
R2: 70' from a tree DCL over an awkward edge. Share the rappel with a vertical section of pipe.
Beware of the False Floor where the pipe turns downward from horizontal. If the false floor were cleared, rappelling through the man-made hole might provide an additional rappel rather than bypassing DCL. The folks in the 2018 YouTube Video rappelled through this hole.
R3: 10' drop using a 30' rope for an anchor further back.
Exit[edit]
Boulder hop and hike a short trail back to the Balanced Rock Trailhead and parked car below.
Red tape[edit]
A National Park's pass or a Colorado National Monument entrance fee is required
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
2018-08 YouTube Video
March 2025 Beta populated in ropewiki. Ira Lewis, Wayne Herrick
