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Yucca Flower Tower

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Yucca Flower Tower

Submitted By: Anthony Stout on Sep 20, 2006
Administrators: Aaron Hobson, Anthony Stout, George Perkins
Latitude: 35.2015  Longitude: -106.4450 
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The rap into Yucca Flower Tower during some questi...


Description 

Though not really a tower, this formation has a high concentration of of some of the best routes in the Sandias!


Getting There 

See approach information for Echo Canyon, which will lead you to the junction where you will either continue down into the canyon, or stay on the La Luz trail (if you are climbing on Yucca Flower Tower). From the trail junction, continue 10 minutes or about 0.3 miles on the main trail, paralleling the canyon. Here, the La Luz exits the trees and head northeast. Leave the trail, and head west down a climbers trail to the cliff-band. A large block is at the top of the Great Escape. Rapping from here will get you to the Yucca Flower Tower. It is also possible to hike down Echo Canyon to the base of the formation. This will get you to top of Great Escape (this is also where the GPS coordinates listed for this area will take you).

From the top of Great Escape, a single rope rap (60m rope, it's close, so tie the ends!) will get you to a large ledge at the base of the route. There is a nice set of anchors for this. From the ledge, scramble across an exposed "catwalk" to another large block. This is the summit of Yucca Flower Tower. Two, two rope raps will get you to the base of the formation. Make sure to head right instead of rappelling into the gully!


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Yucca Flower Tower:
Aces and Eights   5.8+     Trad, Alpine, 1 pitch, 180 feet   
Yucca Flower Tower   5.10b     Trad, Alpine, 3 pitches, Grade II   
Great Escape   5.10c     Trad, Alpine, 1 pitch, 100 feet   
Rawhide   5.10c     Trad, Alpine, 2 pitches, 300 feet   
Browse More Classics in Yucca Flower Tower

Featured Route For Yucca Flower Tower
Mike finishing the second pitch of <a href='/v/new_mexico/albuquerque_area_climbing/sandia_mountains/106185220'>Rawhide</a> while another climber is finishing the second pitch of <a href='/v/new_mexico/albuquerque_area_climbing/sandia_mountains/105862618'>Yucca Flower Tower</a>.

Rawhide 5.10c  NM : Sandia Mountains : ... : Yucca Flower Tower
Pitch 1, 10c 140 feetStart up easy face climbing to reach the superb fracture ahead. Place pro and jam and lieback the strenuous finger crack (crux). Continue up past a small dihedral, to a thin section through discontinous fractures. Angle left to the shared anchors with Squash Blossom.Pitch 2, 5.9 150 feetHead slightly left off the belay and climb a nice finger and hand crack up through a slightly tricky section, to easy low angle climbing to...[more]   Browse More Classics in NM


Comments on Yucca Flower Tower Add Comment
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By George Perkins
Administrator
From: Los Alamos, NM
Jul 8, 2007

Did the approach hiking down Echo Canyon yesterday. It is a hassle to get between Bush Shark Area base to Yucca Flower Tower base- 4th class in gnarly gully required. Next time, will do the rappel approach instead.