Welcome to the New Mexico section of Mountain Project!
The contributions that are made to this site are greatly appreciated; this site is made up of an awesome community of users that make the site what it is.
Although there is very little information regarding “rules” for submitting climbing areas and routes to this site, the New Mexico Administers all agree that the following guidelines may be helpful to truly make this site go “Beyond the Guidebook”.
1) Don’t be a jerk (this one states the obvious). 2) Route and area submissions should truly be helpful to those out climbing. Before posting, you should have some first hand experience actually climbing the route. This always results in a much more useful description. 3) Please, please, please… Don’t copy route descriptions directly out of guidebooks, online publications, etc. This is plagiarism! Remember, BEYOND the guidebook! 4) Please use the spell check and make an effort to use correct grammar.
Again, the Mountainproject community truly appreciates the efforts taken to make good route descriptions. If you feel that a route or area description is not up to standard, a brief email to one of the area admins for suggestions on improvement will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to make the New Mexico section of Mountain Project quality! We look forward to seeing you out there!
Description
Roughly, Pinnacle Valley lies west of the Sandia Crest between The Needle to the north and Chimney Canyon to the south. Established climbing areas within Pinnacle Valley include from north to south: The Anvil, Wildflower Wall, The Watchtower, The Tombstone, and The Knifeblade. Many of the climbing areas are on west facing rock and so tend to be shady until mid-day.
Getting There
In most cases, the shortest approach begins by heading north from the Crest parking lot and communication towers along the North Crest Trail. Another beginning is at a dirt pullover on the east side of the highway just below the tower complex, then head up hill to the North Crest Trail.
In about 1/4 of a mile north of the communication tower complex, the main trail arrives at the ridge top at a kind of junction of trails. At this point there will be a gray sign for the North Crest Trail. In the direction one just came from, the sign indicates 1/2 mile to Highway 532. To the north, it indicates 1.5 miles to Del Agua Overlook. At this point there is also a vague trail heading south and up hill that is blocked by four short posts near a loose sign stating "Electrical Site Ahead." Other minor trails head off to the west from here.
Continue north on the North Crest Trail for another ~50 yards to a fairly open view down the west side of the ridge top. This looks down into Pinnacle Valley and is very near the descent to Tombstone. For other climbing routes in Pinnacle Valley, the point at which one leaves the ridge and descends west depends on the destination.
Pinnacle Valley
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