The Smell Of Red Rocks

“Some climbed faster to escape the smell. Some cried, ‘Ewww’ as they sprinted past the worst sections. Others held hands and shirt collars over their nose as they huffed up the stairs,” he wrote. “Me? I inhaled a couple deep breaths of the oddly rank mountain air – finding shades of vomit among flirtations of human urine and hints of fecal matter (is that week-old stomach acid?) in addition to an impressive, Argonaut-scale spectrum of stale beer aromas – and wondered where things had gone so wrong this summer.”

Baca explained it’s typical to see concertgoers ducking the rail and climbing around in the rock to do “a number of acts best done in private.”

“The result of a hard and busy summer at Red Rocks: The east stairs now smell like the worst port-a-potty experience you’ve ever witnessed, only with a stunning view of mountains and wild flowers and red sandstone and mule deer and high-altitude fauna.”

Officials for Denver Arts and Venues, which manages Red Rocks, responded that the smell was news to them.

“Honestly, that’s the first I’ve heard of it,” director Kent Rice told the Post. Jordan Bishop, a spokesperson for Denver Arts and Venues, added that no one has made an official complaint and there will be an investigation into the matter. Bishop also added that Red Rocks seating areas are pressure washed after shows and restrooms are cleaned.

“Simply put, the venue is thoroughly clean,” he said.