Just east and a bit north of the city of Prescott is this incredibly beautiful and vast field of rounded granite formations. From a good vantage point, the sight of the Dells just before sunset is worth a hefty admission fee. The rock is a medium-grained desert granite that tends to be a bit grainy on some formations.
For years, most of the climbing in the area was done in the High Rappel Dell area, which has seen it's share of access issues. This area features mostly traditional routes on skin-rending rock. More recently, climbers have established routes within the formations on the north shore of Watson Lake with bolt-protected sport routes and the area continues to gain popularity.
Please be aware that access to the High Rappel Dell area sort of comes and goes, so tread lightly and be accomodating in case of conflict.
Getting There
Both of the Dells areas are located off highway 89, a few miles north of the intersection of 89 and highway 69 into Prescott.
Featured Route For Granite Dells/Watson Lake Dells
If you are looking for hard trad in the Prescott area you have plenty of options, but don't miss out on this J-Treesque finger system. Start out on good holds/jams and climb up to a small left facing dihedral. Move up over a small bulge and you are staring down the crux. There are a handful of different ways to do this section, though it doesn't seem all that much harder than anything else on the route. After the crux, Fred keeps his eye on y...[more]
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Granite Dells/Watson Lake Dells
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