Sulli on a fun Mickey's Beach traverse photo: Tell...
Description
Mickey's Beach offers some of the toughest sport climbing in the area, along with some interesting bouldering. Almost all climbs are on the beach, and some are tide dependant. The area can be quite windy, making some of the balancy moves more interesting. Climbs offered range from beginning to expert.
The whole area is free.
A brief bit of history tells that the bouldering area west of the main rock was once a part of the hillside, and in a huge storm in 1986 it fell into the surf as one large chunk. Seven days later, the rock split into pieces, directly in front of an unsuspecting picnicing couple.
The main rock also had some storm trouble. In 1993 a huge storm knocked several classic climbs off the main rock and into the ocean, including a classic 5.12 finger crack known as Mickey's crack. A word of caution for people who travel to Mickey's beach, which is that it's a spot frequented by a rather large group of nudists, so if that bothers you, you should probably climb some place else.
Getting There
From S.F. Take the 1 north. Follow the signs to Stinson Beach. Follow the road down the canyon, and then follow it down the beach. It's a ways, but the main parking lot is .3 miles north of the sign to the Steep Ravine campground and cabins. This sign is on the left side of the road.
From the east bay: Take 580 west to the 101 south, until it intersects with the 1, then follow the above directions.
This route is the leftmost route on the north face of the rock. It can be seen from the downhill approach.This is a TOUGH "5.11b". Clip the 1st bolt before you get off the ground or you'll really be sorry. Finding the non-existant feet on the bottom part of the route is what makes this tough, though if you're flexable there's another (scary) option. This is a 5.11b after you get to the second bolt, where the climbing gets searchy, reachy, and int...[more]
By Aron Quiter Administrator From: Berkeley, CA Jun 22, 2003
Currently, highway 1 from San Francisco is closed to traffic going to Mickey's Beach fromthe South. To get here, instead of following the 1, follow the detour that heads toStinson Beach, and once you get to the fork where the detour hits the 1, hang a LEFT andthe Mickey's Beach pullout will be about .7 miles on your right.Heading a right at thefork will lead you into the touristy beach town of Stinson Beach, where there is food andsupplies.
By Aron Quiter Administrator From: Berkeley, CA Sep 25, 2003
No more construction, but you might want to keep note, since there probably will be again at some point, since California is, after all, falling into the Ocean.
By caughtinside From: Point Richmond, CA May 6, 2007
directions from the east bay are incorrect. take 580W to 101S, not north. then continue up the 1.
By Aron Quiter Administrator From: Berkeley, CA May 13, 2007
correct! Good catch, I've changed them now to say the correct directions from the East Bay.
Mickey's Beach
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