Lake City A Hotspot For Ice Climbing

LAKE CITY, Colo. (CBS4) - The small mountain town of Lake City has created walls of ice right on the edge of town for climbers to enjoy in the winter months.

Lake City, located east of Ouray and south of Gunnison, has always been a place where ice climbing is an option. Prior to the creation of the Lake City Ice Park, climbers would take snowmobiles to find all the ice climbs nearby the San Juan Mountains had to offer.

Now, they can climb in town or head out into the wilderness to experience all the fun of ice climbing.

The park lies only one block south of the town and it's free if you sign a waiver at one of several selected Lake City stores.

"It was started by a couple of people who used to make ice out by the lake which is kind of far from town," Amanda Caldon said.

One of the park's pleasures is that face that it's hardly ever crowded and the crowd is mainly Colorado-based.

Most climbers come from the Denver area and from Gunnison. Lots of Western State College students give the walls of ice a try.

The water for the ice walls comes out of pipes from the town and comes down through shower heads.

Additional Resources

Get information about the Lake City Ice Park, including news about upcoming ice climbing festivals, by calling (970) 944-8020 or visit lakecityiceclimbs.com.

To get to Lake City start in Gunnison and take Highway 50 west to Highway 149 at Blue Mesa Reservoir. Head south about 50 miles to the town.