William Henly's depiction of the Silverado Mine. (...
Description
Cool shady canyon in the forest, popular for easy to moderate top rope climbing, and rappelling on broken volcanic rock. Not the most aesthetic location in the park, but closest to the car.
This is the mouth of the old Silverado Mine where in 1883 Robert Louis Stevenson honeymooned and wrote "Silverado Squatters" in a cabin near the present day trailside monument which honors the site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silverado_Squatters The overview map here shows this as a quarry, but it was actually used for mining silver, and mercury.
Getting There
From the parking area walk up the trail until you come to the monument to Robert Louis Stevenson. Head up steep scree to the obvious cliffs/mine to the west. Top rope anchors can be reached by 4th class scrambling around from the south, or via a trail along the North rim. There are a few bolts but bring slings and gear.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Silverado Mine:
Not only is the Silverado Mine the closest climbing area, it is also the coolest during hot weather, with copious shade at the base. At first glance the climbs look unaesthetic and even frightening with broken up rocks, but the holds are mostly solid and clean, featuring comfortable hand and finger cracks and edges in contrast with the sometimes painful solution pockets elsewhere on the mountain. Because most climbs can be safely protected on lead with solid gear placements (there is only one bolt, protecting the crux on the hardest climb), the Silverado Mine is an excellent place for beginning and moderate trad climbing.
Print a Mini-Guide - Includes Routes!
RSS Feed
Slideshow
