Castle Ridge and Fairview Dome (Fairview Peak Area, Lefthand Canyon, Boulder CO)

Waiting on ominous clouds to pass before scrambling up the backside of "Fairview Dome". This felt like 3rd/4th class.

Trip date: March 08, 2020

This was almost my typical Fairview Peak loop but it had two important differences. 

1. I followed the ridge to the north of Castle Gulch to the summit of Fairview Peak and
   
2. I checked out a bizarre dome I'd seen from where Spruce Gulch crosses Lefthand Canyon Drive.  

There's nothing on the maps that mark either of these features, so I've named them "Castle Ridge" and "Fairview Dome".
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I can't find the pictures I'd taken of the dome from the road on previous drives (I'll. try to post one later).  It's hard to see, but once you notice it, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.  It was one of those features that makes me wonder "what the hell is that?".   Until I find those pictures I took, imagine something that looks like this feature from the Walker Ranch Loop

This isn't my so called "Fairview Dome" but it kind of looks like this from the road. (This dome is near Walker Ranch)

Caltopo map here: https://caltopo.com/m/R85P

Looking east towards UN 7201' from "Castle Ridge" (a name I made up)

I've found that whenever I see something on a map that has "castle" in the name, I will like it.

There's a tricky downclimb on the backside of a rock formation (part of the "castle") as you head north.  I'm looking north in the photo above.  I wound up skipping it.  

Looking back (south) at the downclimb I skipped.

Looking across NE across Spruce Gulch

Marble, I think. I don't normally find chunks of it that are this large (~ 1 foot long).

The superb view of Indian Peaks from Fairview Peak. Since I mostly go to Fairview in cloudy shoulder season days, I've never really gotten a great picture that captures the view.

A wider view that includes Longs Peak.

Approaching the long ridge before making the turn to the Dome (to left in this picture).

OK, so from the back it definitely doesn't look like a dome.

Looking down towards Boulder Reservoir.

Fairview Dome beside me on the left (edge in view). I've always admired these cliffs along the ridge from UN. 6201'. You get the best view of them as you descend Left Hand Drive, just before it turns at Buckingham Park.

Why not have one more.

Easy walking over the top on this section. I think the "Dome" I'd been seeing is actually the East Face of this section.

By the time I got to the base of Fairview Dome, it was too dark to get a picture of it.

​At the base, I got a little worried it was actually private property so I climbed back up the hill to south.  Now I actually think it's public all the way to the road, but that's what the bizarre 1000 foot climb at the end was about (which necessitated the 750' climb after that one).