BETA PHOTO: Suzy bouldering at base of Druid, early 90s
Description
The Druid is a great locale most of the year. The base of most of the climbs are shaded by nice pines, so its easy to stay cool when the heat is on. It also offers some spectacular views of the city.
There are a lot of clip-ups, as well as some gear leads here. With ratings ranging from 5.5 to 5.11+ and routes up to two pitches long, there is something for everyone. There is also lots of easy toproping to be done at the far right end of the crag.
Recommended routes include In Lightning (5.8), and The Gripes of Wrath (5.10), among others.
Getting There
Driving up the Catalina Highway, turn left on Organization Ridge Rd. just before the Palisades Ranger Station. Take this dirt road toward Shower's Point Campground. Park in the pullout just past the right turn into the campground. Walk through the campground and up a gated dirt road for a couple hundred yards. When the road turns right, look for a trail leading off left into the forest. Follow this trail down a ridge for another few hundred yards to the back of the Druid.
When you see the back of the Druid, veer left and pick up a good trail leading down to the face with climbs. If you are bushwhacking, try again. The trail is fairly obvious.
If you are planning to camp, remember that Shower's Point is a group campground requiring advanced reservations.
Following James DeRoussel's description for the crag, In Lightning will be one of the first routes you encounter. Look for the continuous bolt line that ends about 120' up the crag; it lies immediately to the left of two other bolted lines that have their anchors halfway up. Follow the bolts to the two-bolt anchor. For the second pitch, it is wise to move the belay 40' to the large, flat ledge to the right. The moves to the ledge are un...[more]
Be carefull during monsoon season! Storms here can drop over you in 5 minutes from blue skies. Been struck by lightning there on one occasion. We were lucky, but why push your luck!? Otherwise extremely fun climbing! Definately a classic Mt. Lemmon crag.James Higginson
Today we hiked out to climb the druid but had to take a hour detour to find a ranger and enough water to put out a huge smoldering log at the fire pit at the top of the druid. Apparantly some climbers came out there saturday night and camped. While camp/climbing is fun, please remember the following:
1. follow posted guidelines for camp fires. (in this case it is a permit from the ranger station.)
2. Please put your fire out all the way. Please use good sense and not drag the bench logs into the fire and then leave.
3. Please pack your trash out. I do not appreciate having to make room to pack out another party's zillion cigarette buts, 8 beer cans (Tecate and Coors), and other miscalenous crap out of the fire pit and from the base of the climbs.
Most folks reading this will already know how to show respect to their fellow climbers and know where I'm coming from. As we were leaving the druid, a monsoon was breaking nearby, but going the other way, giving no moisture and 45mph winds. Had we not put that log out, it could have started a fire in one of the few areas that was relatively undamaged by the recent forest fires in the Catalinas.
Have to agree with Andy on this. Why would you assume it was a climber that camped there? Odds are it wasn't. Besides what climber would waste their money on Tecate and Coors. We know it wasn't Sparky!
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