Mosaic Rock, 5.7-5.12

Overview/Approach

Mosaic Rock is the largest formation (both in mass and height) at Tres Piedras.  It is also home to the most established routes at Tres Piedras.  It is sandwiched between South Rock (the first feature you come to from the parking area) and Middle Rock.  All three of these formations run parallel to each other and offer mostly south facing options. The more popular set of routes are located at the west end.  The majority of routes on Mosaic offer mixed climbing (bolts and gear).  Some have rap anchors, many don’t.  There is no established rap from the summit itself.  The walk off to the east is benign.

Mama Jugs and Serpentine Crack are the more popular easier climbs (5.8).  Seaman Girl and Black Streak are two of the more popular moderate climbs (5.10).  The east end provides more shade opportunities under large trees.  The west end is fully exposed to the sun.  Circumvent South Rock as approached from the trailhead parking to the west.  Mosaic’s broad southern face will come into full view. 

Route Descriptons, Listed West to East on the South Face

Seaman Girl- 65’-5.10/ Jackson’s guide has this route rated 5.10b-c and MP.com has it at 5.10b.  Seaman Girl, Mamma Jugs and MSMACITU essentially share the same starting area on the obvious ramp at the west end of Mosaic.  From the base of Mamma Jugs, climb easy ground up and left to clip the lone bolt (Jackson’s guide references “suspect” bolt, but it is modern as of 2022) on the route.  Make a crux move (sort of a slight mantle) or two above that bolt protecting with small cams in the right leaning finger seam.  You never really commit to the seam, rather you are face climbing out right using the seam for protection.  Keep angling up and right to the shared fixed rap with Mamma Jugs.  Small cams, off sets helpful.  See topo photo.  Dow

Mama Jugs- 60’-5.8/ I normally am a stickler about seeing an entire route before offering beta, but in my opinion, the routes at the west end of Mosaic do not offer the same incentive to top out as Serpentine Crack and other routes to the east.  Mamma Jugs is cute, short and relatively easy for the grade.  Climb through, feature that, jugs.  There is plenty opportunity for wires and small cams in the plated rock that reaches a fixed rap.  I found no need to sling any of the features.  It starts at a small dead tree (2022), just left of a healthy small tree on the obvious ramp below the west end of the south face of Mosaic.  See topo photo. Dow

MSMACITU- 5.9+/

TBOL- 5.11+R/

Techweenie- 5.12/

Tech-No-Star- 5.12/

Dirty Diagonal- 5.7/

Five Years After- 5.7/

Chickenheads- 5.7/

Fried Chickens- 5.8/

Better Red Than Dead- 5.10/

Serpent Face- 5.10+R/

Serpentine Crack- 200’-5.8/ This is a popular trad route up the center of Mosaic’s south face.  It climbs the left side of the obvious wide off-width crack.  You use the crack to place gear as well as using intermittent slots up the left face.  Most of the route is quite juggy and below grade, but fun.  You pass a fixed rap anchor on a ledge half way up and the crux of the route is shortly after as you make easy ground up to a finger traverse in an overhang up right.  Easy to set up a gear rappel, make two raps to the ground and clean up your gear rap after climbing other routes to the right. If you make Bienvenidos your final climb of the day, you can clean up any stations near the summit and rap this route with a 60m rope without the need to ever walk off Mosaic.  Single rack to #2 with wires.  The gear rap I found took small to medium gear.  Jackson's guide mentions extra large gear, but I found no need for anything larger than a #2.  Dow

Hothouse to Hell- 5.11+/

Learn to Forget- 5.11a/

Bolts to Nowhere- 5.12b/

Hothouse in a Haulbag- 5.11d/

Crying in the Rain- 5.9/

Dirty Black Nightmare- 5.11d/

Black Streak- 120’-5.10b/ MP.com has this route at 160’, but in reality, with a 70m rope, you can rap the route from a good trad anchor at about 120’ and land atop the boulder where you started.  This is a solid and fun lead at the grade.  It shares the same fun bolted roof pull with Clean Green Dream atop the significant boulder to the right of Serpentine with several bolted routes in between.  Easily climb the boulder, step up to clip the bolts, make the fun and positive pull below the grade and start climbing the black runnel.  Place solid gear in a finger crack and step up to clip a bolt at a bulge and make the crux move of the route: an interesting shallow stem that looks like it laybacks left, but is better leveraging your weight right.  It is a full on move at the grade.   Follow the black streak through bolts to where the angle eases way off and build a small gear rap anchor that can be cleaned later if you climb Bienvenidos with no walk off necessary. Single rack to #.75 and wires.  70m rope just makes it down. Dow

Clean Green Dream- 125’-5.9/ MP.com has this route at 140’, but like Black Streak, it can be rapped with a 70m from a gear belay that can be cleaned up if you climb Bienvenidos near the end of the wall with no walk off necessary.  Start the same as Black Streak, pulling the fun roof and placing a piece in a finger crack or clipping a bolt out left.  Then traverse right via face moves to clip a bolt and climb directly up from there clipping another bolt and placing sporadically placed gear via below grade climbing.  The description on MP.com is written such that someone could be misled to follow the small dike up and right to the next line of bolts, which is a route named Walking Dead.  Small gear belay after the angle backs way off, just makes it down with a 70m rope. Single rack to #.75 and wires.  Dow

Walking Dead- 5.10c/

Bienvenidos- 100’-5.10b/ One of the more interesting 5.10 routes on the wall.  It starts to the far right behind a large pine tree.  Make several unprotected moves up to the right leaning tight hand crack. Continue through a bolt to the crux move.  Some find it easier to face climb up and right.  The route goes well straight up the weakness however.  Stem left and up to assist with clipping the 2^nd bolt and make the crux mantle.  Easier ground up a water runnel from there to the fixed rap.   Single rack to #1 and wires.  Dow

Baby Cakes- 5.8/

Raise the Titanic- 5.12/

Summer Dreams- 5.7/