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Boy Scout Rocks Rock Climbing
| Elevation: | 1,575 ft | 480 m |
| GPS: |
37.8469, -121.9267 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
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| Page Views: | 147,565 total · 529/month | |
| Shared By: | Aron Quiter on Jun 24, 2002 · Updates | |
| Admins: | Aron Quiter, Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes |
Access Issue: Falcon Nesting Closure at Castle Rock
Details
Description
The Lower Tier: sport routes, trad routes and top ropes all exist on this lower section of climbing. The sport routes are slab/face climbing. The trad routes follow sandy, but fun, crack features. The climbs are tall for the Bay Area, up to about 100 feet in height.
Amazing Face, Bolt Route, and Dinosaur are the area's classic .10, .11, and .12 respectively. However, some newly bolted lines give them a run for their money! Ozone (.10c) is also a classic that climbs under a unique feature.
The Middle Tier: Originally home to almost all top-rope climbs, there are now four sport lines in addition to two leadable cracks. Generally different in style than the Upper and Lower Tiers, routes here are as short as the huecos are large. (See, e.g., Secnar (.12-).)
The Upper Tier: A tall piece of sandstone about 90 feet tall 100 feet across. There are a handful of top-ropes, a weird crack, and an excellent mixed trad/sport line (The Route Formerly Known as Face (.10+)).
Warning! Please save the rock! The sandstone at Mt. Diablo is very fragile. There are several important ways that climbers can help preserve it.
(1) Do not climb for at least three days after a rain storm.
(2) Many of the anchors are set over the edge of a lip in order to minimize rope-scarring. In order to set up a top rope, use a tree or the upper anchors to rappel in. Do not top-rope off of the upper anchors/trees!
(3) For climbs on the Middle Tier, there are only “upper” anchors. These need to be extended with at least five feet of webbing/cord/slings in order to get the masterpoint over the lip. If you don’t have the materials to do this, then set up your top rope on a different climb.
Getting There
Be aware of lots of poison oak in the area.
To get to the Boy Scout Rocks, head into the park from either entrance, though the south entrance is a little closer. Park at the Rock City picnic area, and head south road on foot. A little ways down (150 yards or so) you will see a large rock (60'+) on the right with an obvious large crack in the middle, and a CLOSED climbing area. Don't climb this rock, or other areas in the park will be endangered as well.
Instead, hang a left downhill on a trail a little past this rock. There are several trails, most are infested with poison oak, so beware. One steeper trail that is LESS infected is found by locating the top of the rock, which is a little downhill from other paths. It is also located just to the left of the top of the upper tier, which stands about 15 feet tall next to the road. Follow this steep windy trail down about 50 yards, and you will be standing in the corridor between the upper tier (uphill) and the middle tier (downhill). Head downhill another corridor, and you'll be in the corridor between the middle tier and the lower tier. Head a little further down, and you'll be on the ground floor with the lower tier on your right.
The ground floor is where most of the lower tier established climbing lies, though there are also a few routes on the north side of the rock.
Classic Climbing Routes at Boy Scout Rocks
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