All Locations > California > Joshua Tree NP > Indian Cove > Indian Cove Cam… > Indian Cove CG West

Iron Hand Rock Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Iron Hand Rock

L › R R › L A › Z

	Brown Cave, The T 5.2 3 8 II 8 D 2c R
	Dogleg Right T 5.10c/d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b PG13
	Iron Hand T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a PG13

Order Wrong? Sort Routes

Explore this area in 3D

Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

GPS:	34.0907, -116.16414 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	3,277 total · 13/month
Shared By:	Brian Reynolds on Apr 28, 2004 · Updates
Admins:	Greg Opland, Mike Morley, C Miller, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes, Gunkswest Page Updates (admin only)

See Weather Forecast

Access Issue: Climbing Regulations/Seasonal Raptor Closures Details

The Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent's Compendium states that:
1. Vegetation is not allowed to be used as an anchor.
2. Only neutral or rock colored bolt hangers are allowed.

For a complete list of climbing rules and closures visit:
nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/…

Description

The guidebooks list three routes on Iron Hand Rock: a couple of 5.10 crack climbs and the Brown Cave (5.2). I can't speak for the two cracks -- the only reason we were up there was to climb the Brown Cave (inspired by a night of drinking around the campfire ... yeah, let's go climb the Brown Cave ... heh, heh). The picture in the Vogel guide makes it look like a tiny little cave just behind Apparition Rock. Rest assured that the cave is MUCH bigger and MUCH further away than it looks in the picture (or, for that matter, from the road). A lot of the rock in the area is crumbly ... hell, crumbly is a major understatement. There's a bunch of rock up there that disintegrates if you look at it funny. It made for a bit of an adventure.

Getting There

The Iron Hand is located high up on the hillside behind Apparition Rock and the walk-in campsites, over toward the west end of the Indian Cove campground. From Apparition Rock, cross a large gully and scramble up the bouldery slope, tending a little to the right. The easiest approach seemed to be to go west up the gully itself until you're directly under the formation, then head straight up the hillside. It's a lot further than it looks.