Pirate Wall  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Page Views:  480. Good page?    Administrators:  Larry DeAngelo, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  chad umbel on Oct 16, 2007 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon 81° | 59° 84° | 63° 84° | 63° 82° | 61° 82° | 57°

Description 

Pirate Wall is located deep in the South/East corner of the South Fork of Oak Creek Canyon. I guess you could really say it's like the West Face of Mt. Wilson or the Cactus Flower Tower. It looks similar to Mescalito but not as wide. It hosts a lot of nice looking cracks as well as face climbs. Yeah. They're all unclimbed. Except for Line Of Addiction.

The rock is good, the crowds are non-existent, and the approach is big. But so are the walls back here so it's well worth the hike. The summit is absolutely stunning and drops off about eight hundred feet from all sides. Be ready for an all day affair no matter what you climb back here cuz it takes at least 2 hours to approach.

Getting There 

Hike past Johnny Vegas and when you come to where the canyon forks to go to Eagle Wall, go left (South/West). Take this through lots of boulder hoppin in the wash until the wash forks again. Go left again (South). This will eventually spit you out at a big dry water fall with a huge slab below it comparable to the Rainbow Wall's.

Hand over hand the black and orange home depot rope and go South for a rope length until it looks like you should start goin up some slabs on your left (East). You will follow a cairned trail up and towards a sort of ridge and eventually start going South again towards the Pirate Wall. You should see a huge, sheer, black streaked wall on your right. This is the Coffin Wall. Keep on thrashin and scramblin till you are sort of lined up with the base of the Pirate Wall. It is the obvious looking spire in the back left side of the canyon.

You will encounter some 5th class, some scrub oak, and a whole lot of cactus back here so don't expect a nice cush trail that is well traveled. Happy climbing!

The Classics