Elephant Rock

BETA PHOTO: The Worst Error-Elephant Rock. Photo by Blitzo.

Description 

Elephant Rock is a great shady destination similar to the Rostrum. The lower reaches are home to some great climbs such as Hotline, Pink Dream, and Fatal Mistake (all on the Worst Error Pinnacle), whereas the upper wall (the Killer Pillar -- approached via HW 41) has a few wild sport climbs. Fatal Mistake is the insanely good-looking splitter visible from the road, and commonly confused to be Hotline (also clearly visible from the road if one knows what to look for).

Getting There 

For the Worst Error Pinnacle and routes at the base: From the intersection of HW 120 and 140, head just over 2 miles west on 140. Park at the long, paved pullout by the stone wall (commonly used to approach Cookie Cliff). Walk downstream and descend (in the vicinity of the retaining wall) down to the river and cross opposite a giant boulder (the Monster Boulder) on the far shore. Pick up a trail up to the base of the wall. You may end up doing a bit of bushwacking as this trail is difficult to locate on the way up. This trail cuts back upstream towards the Worst Error Pinnacle. In any case, be careful of Poison Oak.

For the Killer Pillar: Drive 41 out of the park through the Wawona tunnel. One mile after the tunnel is a long stone wall, followed by a roomy dirt pulloff that is the Rostrum parking. Do not park here, but continue on the road for a quarter mile or less past some sharp bends and park in the first small gravel pulloff you come to. On the left there is a small rockcut in the road, and on the right is an open, rocky area. Hike from this rocky area towards the top of the cliff following an obvious trail. The Killer Pillar is a sloping ramp with large knobs down from the NW side of the summit of Elephant Rock. Bolts allow easy rapping into the climbs.

The Classics

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Me on the third pitch of Hotline. Arguably the bes...