Via ferratas offer a thrilling experience in which climbing meets hiking, allowing people to travel along steep, exposed cliffs using cables, rungs, and ladders with special double-clipping safety equipment. In Colorado, via ferrata locations often feature stunning mountain landscapes, granite gorges, and historic mining settings.

Given the technical nature of this activity, if you lack experience or the right gear, you should book a guide. Some via ferrata routes around the state are private and require booking a trip while others are open to the public.

Here are some of the best via ferrata routes in Colorado:

1. The Telluride Via Ferrata

Perhaps the most well-known Colorado via ferrata, Telluride’s Via Ferrata route consists of about two miles exposed on the East end and South-facing wall of Telluride’s boxed canyon. At the route’s most challenging section, climbers are suspended on a small iron foothold by a harness at 500 feet. The route is for experts only, and guides are recommended. Also note that not all sections of this route are protected by utilizing via ferrata gear – a fall risk exists.

2. Ouray Via Ferrata

Located in the Uncompahgre Gorge, this via ferrata course features two routes, Upstream and Downstream. It includes a 75-foot “Sky Ladder” and optional “Sky Climb,” which is steep and demanding. The Ouray Via Ferrata was also the first free public via ferrata in the U.S. built to modern safety standards.

3. Royal Gorge Via Ferrata

With the Arkansas River below and Royal Gorge Bridge high above, this via ferrata features a mix of hiking and vertical climbing along cables and steel rungs. To visit this via ferrata, you’ll need to book a trip with the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.

4. Via Ferrata at Cave of the Winds

Cave of the Winds has a via ferrata route, and it’s geared toward inexperienced climbers – perfect for giving via ferratas a try. Guests will also have the opportunity to enjoy a trip back on the Frontier Canyon Zip Lines.

5. Mount Blue Sky Via Ferrata

Located in Idaho Springs, this route gets its name from nearby fourteener Mount Blue Sky. Climbers traverse the cliffside with views of the Rocky Mountains and historic town of Idaho Springs.

6. Granite Via Ferrata

This via ferrata course in Buena Vista offers an excellent way to experience Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. With a backdrop of the Collegiate Peaks of the Sawatch Range, this route also includes the Flame Line, where climbers jump from the cliff face into a 78-foot freefall. Parts of this via ferrata can feel more like a high ropes course than traditional rock climbing, and that’s not a bad thing.

7. Arapahoe Basin Via Ferrata

A-Basin offers two via ferrata options. The full-day tour ascends 1,200 feet to a 13,000 foot summit with 360 degree views. The shorter climb reaches an old mine shaft where guests will learn more about the area’s history. Read more about what this via ferrata is like here.

8. The Cloud Ladder

This is an advanced via ferrata route located in Estes Park. The route takes the most extreme line up the Deville Rocks. According to the website, the route is “not for the faint of heart” and is physically and mentally demanding. The route travels up and over many vertical, blank expanses of rock and goes onto the overhanging edge of the entire formation.

9. The Peregrine Arete

If you’re looking for an easier via ferrata route in Estes Park, this is the original route on the Deville Rocks. No previous rock climbing experience is necessary and difficulty level can be adjusted.

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