Sentinel and Specimen Rocks

Take it it's trad climbing?

This area is not called Tenney Crags. Tenney Crags is the summit of the mountain high above. These are Sentinel and Specimen Rocks. There is a climber trail to Specimen and there are many established routes that have been done in the past 50 years. So, it is not a great unknown crag or area. The directions to access the cliffs are way off. It is advisable to approach by parking lower on High Drive, and hiking up the Palmer-Red Rock Loop before cutting up a long steep ridge on a climber/mineral collector trail. The area, besides climbing, is also renowned for its excellent smokey quartz specimens dug from pits below the cliffs. Before posting information like this on "new areas," it is probably a good idea to ask around and see what's been done. If anyone wants beta, contact Pete Gallagher or myself for route info.

Stewart, could you give more details on where the trail breaks off the Palmer trail? Is it down low at the 1st hair pin turn on the Palmer trail or up high off the ridge straight away? I ride that trail a lot and the only turn I've ever noticed was way down low. Still looks like a grunt to get to it, but the rock looks beautiful from a distance. It's calling me....

Reuben Gershin and I climbed Directissima on 27 July 2007. There is a sign at the base that states the rock is closed from Apr 1 to July 15th for nesting. Judging by the amount of birds flying around the rock and the cries from the falcons, it is probably a good idea to stay off the rock during nesting for your own safety. Stewart Green has a great topo and route description on his website. All in all we thought the route was a bit sandbagged, however not out of the norm of other old school routes in the area. We did a different variation for pitch 2: we lied back and stemmed outside of the chimeney. It is probably around 5.9 and you need a #5 and #6 C4 Camalot to protect. The roof on pitch 2 that you can clearly see in the picture felt like 5.10+, but it protects well with a #4 Camalot and is a clean fall if you blow it. We took the easy way out on pitch 5, so I cannot comment on the crux offwidth pitch, but if you try it bring some big bros. Classic Route!

I did a hike to Specimen this summer. I found the trail after some searching. To answer your question, if you wait for the first sharp turn on Palmer trail, then there is a blocked off clearing that continues straight ahead. Look in the clearing and up to the left on the hillside for the trail. I left a small cairn, but I don't know if it is still standing. If all else fails, then just start climbing the hillside and follow the ridge up to the rock, you'll find it eventually. I was thinking about climbing it later next year. Does anybody have any other info or be willing to climb it with me?