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1298 Hits
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74.92% Score
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5 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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36.16307°N / 115.4491°W |
Activities:
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Trad Climbing, Sport Climbing |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
Elevation:
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4350 ft / 1326 m |
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Overview
Although the routes covered here are included in the Front Corridor on MP, the Handren guide lists them under the Man's Best Friend area, which makes more sense given how one accesses them vs. how one accesses the Front Corridor.
Pet Wall is the name used by the guys who did the first climbs here. More on that below.
This wall is the site of the extremely popular (and fun) Man's Best Friend, a two-pitch 5.7 sport route that seems to almost always have one party on it and one or two other parties waiting. Get there early if you hate standing around.
In addition, there are a 5.8+ trad route, a 5.8 sport route that the developer calls 5.9 on MP (and I agree it is stiff for a sport 5.8), and a 5.7 trad route (5.7+ PG to the FAist). The trad routes don't seem to get much traffic since this wall primarily attracts sport climbers. Interestingly, the FAists/developers of those routes have different names for them and for this wall (they call it The Pet Wall); accordingly, the routes section will list the MP/Handren name as the primary since that is what most will see but will include the other names in parentheses.
With a west-facing aspect and an approach of about five minutes, this crag is perfect for summer mornings and winter afternoons.
Getting There
From the entrance to the Scenic Drive, go about 3 miles to the Sandstone Quarry parking area and trailhead. The route is visible from the road, but how to get to it is not immediately obvious. Using pictures on this page, find the white slab and scramble up it. Rappel down off anchors that are not immediately apparent, or scramble down just next to the rappel line (Class 4). There is an easier approach from the right, but it is hard to describe. Try to find it; if you can't; use the tried-and-true way.
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Routes
Man's Best Friend starts from the base of the scramble/rappel. All the others start from a slab to the left, and getting there requires some Class 3/4 scrambling.
Shawn Neal and Corey Cogley first climbed all these routes and installed anchors. Mark Limage bolted Man's Best Friend on what he thought was the FA until he reached the anchors. All of this is recounted by Shawn Neal in the comments section of the MP page for Man's Best Friend. I do not know who gave the routes the other names, or why.
From left to right:
- Crusty Creatures, 5.7 (Paislie Pockets, 5.7+ PG)-- Follow four bolts up a slab and over a small bulge and gain a right-facing corner. The crux is moving along and protecting a horizontal that connects the right-facing to a left-facing one. Use something like a #3 or #4 or a large hex for the crux section, though the rock quality in it is not good. 90'
- Sea Anemone, 5.8 (Riley's Revenge, 5.9)-- Sport route. 8 bolts. More 5.9 than 5.8, in my opinion. 100'
- Mollie's Malecone, 5.8+-- Not in the Handren guide. Follows a shallow crack up to anchors. Trad route. 90'
- Man's Best Friend, 5.7-- Two pitches. 180'
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Red Tape
Wait at least 24 hours after a rain before climbing to avoid damaging the rock and incurring the wrath of the climbing community.
There is a daily entrance fee of $15 per vehicle (2018). Annual and interagency passes are available (the Interagency Pass, AKA the America the Beautiful Pass, grants access to all federal fee areas for a year).
Hours the Scenic Drive is open:
13-Mile Scenic Drive
| November through February | 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| March | 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| April through September | 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| October | 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
The BLM (the agency that manages this area) allows dogs in the backcountry. Please keep them leashed and pick up their feces.
When to Climb
All year-- morning shade and afternoon sun.
Camping
There are no campgrounds off the Scenic Drive in RRCNCA. There is a campground outside it, though; see here for more details.
1 Routes