Virgin Islands Area

Indian grinding holes near the Volcano formation.

Description 

The Virgin Islands, despite it's ease of accessibilty, remains one of the quieter and less frequented climbing areas in the Park. The crowds are few here and a sense of solitude, especially away from the road, is noticable. Climbs here was first done in the early 1980's by the ubiquitous Tony Yaniro and Vaino Kodas, who climbed the bulk of the best crack lines. Since then a number of quality crack and face climbs have been done with limited development continuing to this day.

Recommended cracks of the area include Thumbs Down Left (5.9), Light Sabre (5.10b), Cedric's Deep Sea Fish Market (5.10d), Perpetual Motion (5.10d). Recommended face climbs include Hot Lava (5.11a), Rapture Of The Steep (5.12b), Dictators Of Anarchy (5.12c) and New World Order (5.13b).

Getting There 

The Virgin Isles are reached by drving down the Geology Tour Road about 4.5 miles and parking in any of several pullouts along the side of the road. The formations are easily visible from the road and hiking times vary from 5-20 minutes with some scrambling typical. Take care if driving a 2WD vehicle to park pointing downhill, that way if you become stuck you can drive further down to a turnabout without getting stuck; the parking area for Squaw Tank, another 1.25 miles down the road, has a large spot to turn around without getting stuck.

Featured Route For Virgin Islands Area

Perpetual Motion 5.10d  CA : Joshua Tree National Park : Perpetual Motion Wall

An absolutely classic overhanging hand crack. You'll wish it were three times as long. Toward the right side of the Perpetual Motion Wall two cracks form a giant "V". The left crack is Perpetual Motion, the right is Gross Chimney. A bulging thin hands bit at the start gets the crux out of the way early. Plug perfect hands (and occasional cams) up the overhanging wall while the pump clock ticks away. It widens just a bit at the top, but that...[more]