Jailhouse Rock

But! Watch out for loose rock and "temporary" holds. I have seen three holds break off with each resulting leader falls. No injuries in those cases but... . This area, although convenient and home to several fun climbs has a lot of bad rock.

Climbs on Alcatraz wall can be top roped by approaching via a trail to the left of Dragon Tower, slinging a boulder as an anchor and belaying to the chains.

GPS Coordinates for Jailhouse Rock: N32.33323 W110.72487 WGS84

there is no hanger on the bolt on Parole (5.10+) so it's an all gear climb

It's a very short and easy hike to access this area and very easy to set up topropes, so expect crowds and monopolizing of routes for long periods i.e. don't go there deadset on doing one route, have some back-ups in mind.

Has anyone ever looked at the rock about a third of the way to Rivendale from prison camp along the same trail/wash. I only looked at it from the satelite photos on google, but it looks like it is the same size and shape, if not bigger that the prison camp L.

Does anyone know the name and difficulty of the route that's immediately right of the large, obvious crack just to the right of Mr. Meanor on the N side of the creek? It's got an interesting, hemispherical feature about chest level when standing at the base. People often avoid the harder, direct start and opt for using the large plate leaning against the wall just to the left of the direct line.

Jerry, I believe the climb you are thinking of is "Off Scott Free". It is a 5.9+. I just added the description. I believe I found a description after climbing it on the old tucsonclimbers.org site. I think the original post was by Vince Greene, but it must not have carried over.

So where is "Mug Shot". I was thinking this might be it except that in the Lemmon guide Mug Shot is listed as a gear route...

I believe Ben added bolts to Mug Shot, so it's mixed gear now despite the trad listing in STL. I was confused for a moment myself because I was pretty sure I had climbed Mug Shot last winter but also don't recall any pure trad routes on that wall. But I seem to remember a post to that effect a while back. I haven't been to the wall in a few months, though--you know, that triple-digit temps thing...

So... Mug shot would be the route a few feet to the right of "Off Scott Free"...?

Okay, I decided I was confused, so I went and looked at the Mr. Meanor wall to sort out the climbs. There are five routes. From left to right they should be 40 to Life, Mr. Meanor, Mug Shot, Off Scott Free, and St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Mug Shot starts with the bowl-shaped feature on the face, Off Scott Free is directly in front of the tree, right of Mug Shot. (I had them backward before, sorry.) A second opinion wouldn't hurt, but I'm pretty sure that's right. I fixed my route descriptions. (See Mr. Meanor Topo for details and proof that I have too much free time.)

And, in response to Joseph Stover's older question about the next bend in the stream: it looks killer from space on Google Earth, but it's pretty chossy in person and all the tall faces are broken by ugly, loose, vegetation-infested ledges. Not much promise. Now, the crag up on the hill directly north looks fantastic (aside from the approach).

Thanks for the topo Scott

Nice topo Scott. However, there's no way that Mug Shot is 5.8+ if started from the ground directly under the first bolt. If you step up on the large flake to the left, yeah, but not the way it's drawn...

Where are hoosgal, machinegun, scarface and solitary with respect to the climbs drawn on the nice looking topo above in this post?

The Alcatraz Wall is basically around the corner from the climbs on the topo i.e. as you're looking at the topo climbs, you head right and then turn left at the corner and trudge uphill, should only take a couple of minutes..

I think the topo is wrong. The route to the right of the crack with the round dish was put up by Kevin Carmichael. I will get the name at dinner tonight. Mug shot was a single bolt by the tree. Contact Ben Burnham or Vince Greene to get the lowdown.

Eric, Did you ever get a chance to find out what the "bowl" route's name and official difficulty rating are? Jerry

Anybody know anything about the routes just around the corner from Jailhouse Rock? I don't mean The Exercise Yard, but rather the east-face just before it, on the same side of the wash.

Hey Braxton, Check out this site under Jailhouse rock. They are all listed. I think it is a great wall for beginning climbers.

Ah, I think I get it now. It seems to me that Assault With Battery is on the face I was wondering about. It's just before The Exercise Yard, and on the same side of the wash, right?

Any word on the route name and rating corrections?

I climbed "Mug Shot" today, the one starting in the dish. Even coming in from the boulder on the left is a bit sandbagged at 8+ if you ask me. I would call that at least 9- and the direct start 10a or even 10b or harder, but what do I know. I thought it was a fun route. After the start it is a reasonable 8.

Braxton, Assault with Battery is on a South facing wall on the same side of the canyon as Jailhouse rock. It's between The Exercise yard and Jailhouse Rock. Look for 2 bolted routes. Assault With Battery is the right one closer to the wash. The left one is Ben's route and takes a few bits of gear.

Found a nice New Balance shoe in the wash. Brand new, couldn't find the other one. If it's yours, PM me and I'll get it to you.

Also: watch out for kids(campers, etc...) playing around the top of the cliffs. Saw some uninformed youngsters tumble a huge death block down by the entrance to the canyon. It didn't come too close to the base of the Dragon's Back route, but never-the-less is a scary hazard.

I have to say I've contemplated posting for a bit now and as I see my name on so many of the climbs I'd like to leave a bit of info about what is in majorty, Ben Burnham's legacy to the climbing community. Ben isn't climbing all that much any more and I've had a litany of injuries but back when Ben and I put these climbs up which have my name, his name or both we were climbing both weekend days three weekends a month. It was the good life.

Ben took me to Prison Camp, seemingly to us Jailhouse rock being the tough wall after the stream drops off for the second time, to help with an area he felt would add moderates to the mountain. It sure did.

The cell blocks were the first to have me be a part of them, Ben had already put up two climbs on the Misdemeanor(Miss Demeanor, Mr Meaner) wall. We did them from the top down with a set of chains placed at the top and as I remember at least one set revised later to a lower location. The scramble up was not fun. The numbers on the climbs referred to their difficulty and only cell block six is all bolts, the other two taking some gear, or "mixed climbs".

That is what in some way prompted me to write as I saw a party low on CB9 when the leader yelled out "are you sure this isn't a mixed climb?" From across the way I answered., it was.

Ben and I next moved to the guard tower, the six on the left was there so I could do toprope laps on the 10b. Never thought much of the 9 on the right, seemed to lack aesthetics.

One day Ben and I walked downstream to take a look at what is called the Exercise Yard. I will always lament that I didn't put anything up on it, and often thought about it, but Ben and I had other projects more moderate. I spotted what is now the Alcatraz wall, which initially we thought lacked promise thinking it probably too chossy, but it turned out to be pretty popular for newbies and beginners and when I haven't climbed in ages I still go back to get my head straight. Again we walked out and put in the chains and then the climbs followed. Best guessing from the bottom, looking at the lines to place the chains above. The bottom was pretty untamed compared to the way it now looks and the belayer was in peril of trundling down the slope, perhaps this explains some of the belay anchors. Vince Greene and Ben have put the best route up on the wall, though, and kudos to them, it remains a favorite of mine. I'll post a few other comments on the individual climbs and wax nostalgic but it seems,for now, the best(?) of what we put up is missing: Hard Time which is opposite the Alcatraz wall and just slightly up stream from Exercise Yard and sits perpendicular to the stream bed. After we put the chains up I tried and tried to make it go to the right where I understand there is now a 10d(I don't know the name) but finally resigning myself to my limited abilities, stepping off the rock with the traverse and reach to the bolt and beyond.kas

My understanding of the routes:

Mr. Meanor Wall (Upstream To Downstream)
~~~
40 To Life (BC)
Mr. Meanor (BCG)
Off Scott Free (BCG)
Mug Shot (BCG)
St. Valentines Day Massacre (BC)

Alcatraz Wall (Downhill to Uphill)
~~~
Hoosgal (CG)
Solitary (BC)
Scarface (CG)
Birdman (BCG)

Does anyone have a current Topo of the area? As best as I can figure the routes on the main wall from left to right are Solitary Refinement, Safe cracker, Yard Boss, Crime & Punishment, Armed Robbery, Climb Spree, Sentenced to Hang, Jail Break, Finger Prince, Prison Overcrowding.
Does that look right?
Thanks

I think you have it Myk.