Big Gypsum Valley Up Date

Mary Jane Draw is located at the west end of Big Gypsum Valley in Southwest Colorado. Over the past few years this area has seen some climbing activity. The canyons walls are made up of four main layers of sandstone (Wingate forming the bottom layer, a shwag layer of Kayenta, Dakota forming next layer and Navajo forming the upper layer). In addition, the canyon can be broken up into east and west sides—each have their own approaches. All of the rock climbing to date has been on the top and bottom layers of rock. Climbing exploration began here many years ago. The lower band of Wingate (east side) has seen three new routes since the Wild Wild West Guidebook was published (see photo). This area has many new climbs to offer.