Overview

The infamous “Freeway” route on the 2nd Flatiron in Boulder, CO earns its name. Freeway is perhaps the busiest 5th-class scramble in the United States. Just like a car freeway, it comes with a share of deaths and sever injuries. This leads to me say:

IF YOU ARE NOT ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITY TO CLIMB THIS ROUTE, YOU SHOULD NOT BE CLIMBING IT WITHOUT A ROPE. DO NOT MAKE THIS YOUR FIRST OUTDOOR ROCK CLIMB!

If you are confident in your abilities, the route is approximately 600ft of pure, sandstone-y fun!

Difficulty

Most of the moves sit in 4th class territory with some 5th class sprinkled in. There is almost always an easy move available, and if you doing something hard, you are off-route.

Logisitics

Start early in the morning (5AM-8AM) from the parking at Chatauqa Park (39°59'58.0"N 105°16'57.9"W). I departed the half-full parking lot at ~6:30AM, and by the time that I returned at ~9:00AM, it was entirely full. There is a shuttle option from somewhere else in Boulder, but you will not want to fight the Flatiron crowds anyways. The approach is roughly 30 minutes, followed by 30-45 minutes of scrambling, and finished with a 30 minute hike back to the car.

Stiff-soled shoes or comfy climbing shoes are recommended.

Be prepared to get cozy with some other scramblers as there will almost certainly be some.