Sidewinder Rock - West Face  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Elevation:  4,200' Page Views:  11,518. Good page? (1 like)    Administrators:  C Miller, Adam Stackhouse, M.Morley, Sam Vanderhyden, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  C Miller on Dec 27, 2009 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event

Sidewinder on a windy day

Description 

Guarding the mouth of Steve Canyon and facing The Orc Wall is this popular west-facing wall with a dozen or so crack and face climbs from 5.4 to 5.12b with half in the 5.10+ and under range. The normal descent is a 70' rappel from bolts atop King Pin .

Some of the better routes here include Skinny Pin (5.4 R), Skinny Dip (5.7 R), Sidewinder (5.10b), Diamondback (5.10c), Invisible Touch (5.10d) and Jumping Jack Crack (5.11a).

Routes from left to right:

Skinny Dip (5.7 R)
Invisible Touch (5.10d)
King Pin (5.11a)
Skinny Pin (5.4 R)
Jumping Jack Crack (5.11a)
Venucian Fece (5.11a)
Sidewinder (5.10b)
Diamondback (5.10c)
Kingsnake (5.12b)
Rattle and Hum (5.11d)
Munchkin Land (5.10d)

Getting There 

Two approaches for getting to the mouth of Steve Canyon are as follows:

Approach from the large lot at Hidden Valley Campgound walk along the west face of the Old Woman using a well-worn trail which leads directly to the mouth of Steve Canyon proper.

Park in one of several paved turnouts along Park Blvd. a short distance to the north of the turn into the Hidden Valley CG parking lot and follow a marked trail east to the mouth of Steve Canyon. The west face of Sidewinder Rock and it's distinctive slanting dike system is a good landmark.

The Classics

Featured Route For Sidewinder Rock - West Face

Diamondback 5.10c PG13  CA : Joshua Tree National Park : ... : Sidewinder Rock - West Face

Approach from either Hidden Valley Campground or the Quail Springs Road by way of climber's trails leading through the desert. Start as per Sidewinder at a left-facing flake, above face past a bolt leads to an arching crack system (Sidewinder cuts left here). Pull a small roof and climb past three bolts on featured rock to gain the prominent dike. Traverse left, clip a final bolt (shared with Sidewinder) and make a long balancy traverse up and left to the top. Descent is to the climber's l...[more]   Browse More Classics in CA

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BETA PHOTO: Going skinny dipping.

Sidewinder Rock - West Face with climbers on Sidew...