Hidden Jewels is a small Mount Lemmon crag with a little more dust and dirt than many other area crags. All of the climbs are a single pitch. Most of the routes here have a few bolts, but require some gear as well. With a single 60M rope and plenty of webbing + gear to set up anchors, you can TR about anything there. What makes Hidden Jewels nice is the fact that it is low on the road, that it is a reasonable walk in, and that there is a high concentration of moderate grades in this one place. You can go here for a single day and climb everything.
The rock faces primarily West, giving morning shade and afternoon sun, so plan accoringinly.
Getting There
Drive to MP 1.4 up the Mount Lemon Highway, to a pulloff on your left, which can accomodate just a few cars. Hike up the steep Soldier Trail from here uphill through a nice forest of Saguaro Cacti for about 15 minutes, where the trail has leveled off a bit and there is a branch to the left. Along the way you will have seen out across the drainage to your left (west). There are more cliffs out there across the drainage where you can see other climbers for much of the day.The left-hand branch you have taken now leads out over the South set of Cliffs at Hidden Jewels and then further north past the base of the Northern set of cliffs in about 5 more minutes of walking.
The right and left ones on the upper blocks are okay climbs, the left one has runout between bolts 3/4 (a good small nut/cam works quater inch or so) and 5/6, the gear between 5/6 is no good.
I'd have to agree that it might not really be worth the hike, can't comment on the stuff down below. The view and hike are worth it in there own right though. Rock was cold and shady, but climbable.
To get there, once you get up pretty high on the soldier trail, you'll see a cairn and a big hill to the left, a big rock formation across the valley to the right, and a ridge in front of you. You want to get around the ridge towards the left side. You will be above most of the climbs, but keep following the top of the cliff and you'll see a few big fomartions/walls/chimneys. The 2 moderates are on the obvious big face. I bet you could walk off the top, but not sure.
Good view of left hand wall, and you can hear the climbers down there yelling.
Hidden Jewels
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