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1806 Hits
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76.66% Score
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7 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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36.14543°N / 115.42639°W |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
Elevation:
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3890 ft / 1186 m |
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Overview
Although it isn't really that far from the trailhead, Civilization Crag feels like it once you're there. It's almost as far from the First Pullout as First Pullout crags get, and it's also in the opposite direction from what seem to be the most popular walls in the Calico Hills at Red Rock: the Hamlet and Panty Wall. While I'm sure Civilization Crag gets busy at times, on the two times I've been there so far, I've seen collectively only one other party.
Civilization Crag has a nice array of moderates from 5.4 to 5.11a, with most being in the 5.7-5.9 range. The crag is shaped somewhat like a peninsula, with routes facing roughly NW, W, and SW. This means you can chase the sun or shade anytime except midday in the summer.
Getting There
From the Scenic Loop entrance station, drive just over a mile on the one-way Scenic Loop and turn off into the large parking area known as the First Pullout.
Work your way down and right into the wash below. Scramble up onto a ramp system-- you'll be just below a bolted area called Circus Wall and keep following the path of least resistance southward, following use trails and cairns, until you reach the base of the crag, which is easily seen from the parking lot.
Approach time will be 10-20 minutes.
The photo below, linked from MP and taken from the parking lot, should help.
Routes
There are 21 single-pitch routes here. 17 are sport, 3 are trad, and 1 is TR. Here they are from left to right:
- The Sun Never Sets, 5.7 S
- Byzantium, 5.10b S
- Mongol Hoarde [sic], 5.10a S
- Ming Dynasty, 5.9+ S
- The Fall of Rome, 5.10b S
- Manifest Destiny, 5.9+ S
- This Is Sparta, 5.9 S
- Babylon, 5.8 S
- Evil Empire, 5.11a T
- Conquistador, 5.10b S
- Meerkat Manor, 5.7 T
- Slava Ukraini! 5.6 S
- East Indian Trading Co. 5.6 S
- The Mayan Pass, 5.6 T
- The Three Kingdoms, 5.7 S
- Silk Road, 5.6 S
- Super Tsardom, 5.4 S
- Five Charter Oath, 5.8- S
- Sultans and Viziers, 5.8 S
- Umayyad Caliphate, 5.9+
- The Hot Gates, 5.6 TR
These routes get up 90'; have at least a 60m rope to lower, rappel, or TR.
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Red Tape
Unfortunately and also unsurprisingly given the explosion in visitation at RR over the past several years, there is so much red tape that I can't list it all and can't keep up with it since it keeps changing.
The daily fees keep going up. During certain periods of the year, you need a reservation to get in. You can't go in early before the gates open, but you'll get ticketed and fined if you're not out by closing time. Late-exit permits are available, but they don't cover you overnight.
For accurate current information, it's best to check the RRCNCA website.
Camping
There's a Forest Service campground close to the entrance that in busy seasons is notoriously difficult to get a site at, and it's closed in the summer. There are very few other legal public camping options in the area.