Tradgirl
Red Rocks

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Original Route Beta
DYNO [Red Rocks Index]

Approach Beta from Dawn Alguard

The guide book says you can start from either the Oak Creek parking lot or the Pine Creek parking lot. Start from Pine Creek. Oak Creek looks more direct but the path quickly ends in the drainage which is a nightmare to navigate with packs on. The Pine Creek path winds around more but it won't dump you in the drainage until there's no alternative. You should immediately have to crawl between two large boulders, otherwise you're in the drainage too soon. 

We got estimates ranging from 2 1/2 hours to 6 hours for the approach. I'd say plan on 6 to 10 hours depending on how heavy your packs are. If you get there in 3 hours, bully for you. But if it takes you 8 hours, like it did some of us, you'll have planned ahead for it and won't end up feeling as demoralized as I did. 

There are fixed ropes at the start/worst of the slabs but there's lots more slab above that. Some of it can be avoided by scrambling/bushwacking up the left side of the slabs but some of it can't be avoided. It's pretty sketchy in hiking boots with heavy packs. You might want to plan on having someone go up without a pack and fix a line directly down the slabs to use as a running belay. In retrospect, we might have moved faster (and certainly would have felt safer) if we'd done that.
 

Approach Beta from Jeff McCoy

If you start at the Oak Creek spur which leaves on the N or NE corner of the lot (not the trail by the sign, which goes into
Oak Creek but the one at the other end of the parking lot which heads WNW towards Juniper canyon), stay straight on the trail at the first intersection, then take the left option at the "T".  From there, if you stay level or go slightly up at the various Y's, you will find yourself at the double boulder area.  (I say "slightly up" because there are steeper options that lead you up to routes on Rose Tower or maybe are descent trails from folks coming down from Olive Oil) 

Then you merge with the main wash and take the smaller left-hand wash option a little ways up.  This wash drains RBW and it's surroundings.  Aim for the large pine trees, find the nice path and go west with one hitch left (south) to the base of a steep slab, which the trail follows west.  After scrambling over a few boulders, you end up in the wash that drains RBW. Further up it, you get to cross to the west and climb the dirt hill. Traverse left (south) back into the wash, cross to the left side and pick your way up to the bivy cave.  A little ways above the cave is a short steep section, then a short scramble leads to the pool at the base of the fixed rope slabs to hell.
 

Recommended Gear List from Jeff McCoy

(assuming an aid ascent) 
(substitute your fave products where desired)

60m lead rope
60m haul line
30m lower out line
1 each #4 and #5 Camalot
2 each #2 and #3 Camalot
1 each #.75 and #1 Camalot
1 each #00 through #4 Metolius cams
1 each #1 through #2.5 Aliens
2 each #.75 and smaller Aliens
1 set of nuts from #1 to #7 Walnut or equivalen
1 set of HB Offsets from # 0 to #8
5 extra small to mid sized nuts including a #3 and #6 Super Rock
2 each #2 and 3 Lowe Balls
1 each #.5 and #1 Lowe Tricams
1 each short medium Bugaboo
1 each short thick Knifeblade
2 each #4 Lost Arrow
2 each #3 Lost Arrow
2 or 3 double length runners
10 full length runners
4 half length runners
4 quick draws
~60 biners
~10 lockers
Wall Hauler
Personal aid gear, harness, etc.

If you want to move fast, consider a stick clip
 

Descent Beta from Jeff McCoy

Walk to the North side of the red domes until you can traverse slabs and talus to the pass between the final two. The last one is less red and more orange than the others. 

Cross the pass to the south and contour on slabs towards the WSW to reach the white talus ridge. Cross it towards the SW and drop into a slabby gully that deposits one in the upper section of Oak Creek. None of the slabs to this point are at all scary. There are a couple of spots lower in the canyon where the slabs are a little slick, but no biggie. 

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