Pistol Whipped

Description 

A good area with a nice variety of climbs. Although somewhat remote, the climbing quality, concentration, and difficulty insures that this areas still sees a good amount of traffic. Most climbs reside in the 10+ range with a few 5.11 classics.

The buttress faces west and as a result gets good sun later in the day. With proper timing it's a good choice on both hot or cold days.

Getting There 

From the Hwy 211/Beef Basin road junction head south several miles until you encounter a fence and cattle guard. A few hundred yards past this (the *second* road on the left) look for a well-maintained road that angles back to the northeast.

Take this road through an active creek (good 2WD's can make it) past the cottonwoods to another road junction. Turn right and go about a mile until you are directly under the point of the buttress where it starts to jut back east. Pull off the road and park. Road improvements in the past several years have trivialized the drive and taken a large chunk off the approach.

Find a cairned trail that follows a shallow wash (please take a second to find it!) and then up the talus to the base. From here, climbs fan out to either side, but take a topo or a knowledgable friend as very few plaques exist.

Featured Route For Pistol Whipped

Spaghetti Western 5.11+  UT : Indian Creek : Pistol Whipped

One of the longest and best routes at Pistol Whipped. This follows the obvious overhanging right facing hand-crack-dihedral 30 feet to the right of Coyne Crack Simulator. Some moderate liebacking leads to the beautiful hand crack which is the meat of the route. Most people will find the 5.11+ rating is a little bit generous so give it a go!...[more]