City of Rocks Rock Climbing

City of Rocks is a mecca of climbing, just over the Utah/Idaho border in rural Idaho. Varnished and pocketed granite is the name of the game here. The granite ages with an iron based varnish on it and when the varnish wears through, it forms pockets that wear faster than the varnish. The result is pockets with edges or just edges. The majority of the routes have mixed protection, so caution or knowledge is required as the bolts may stop halfway up the route.

Crag Map for CalTopo users: https://caltopo.com/m/TB39Q

Camping is permitted in City of Rocks in developed sites. Reservations can be made up to 9 months in advance and are required year-round. The town of Almo has the nearest amenities.  Gas, food, groceries and showers are available at the Tracy General Store; Rock City offers pizza, beer, and groceries; and the Almo Outpost Steakhouse is a full service restaurant.

The history here is rich and deserves mentioning. The City of Rocks went by many names early on; Goblin City, Chapel Rocks, Pyramid Circle, and Ancient City were just a few of the monikers that were utilized by the early emigrants. They came through the area on their way to California for a better life, and the rock formations that take on many shapes and figures were a perfect landmark for them to use. As more and more of them came through they left their mark on some of the formations with axle grease.

The climbing history essentially began with the Steinfell Club in the early 1960's. As climbing grew in popularity so too did the impact by climbers. To preserve the nature resources of the area, the NPS enacted strict rules on the bolting of new routes and also closed certain areas to climbing.

For any questions or concerns about existing routes and hardware conditions, or establishing new routes, please reach out to Southern Idaho Climbing Coalition at info@climbsicc.com.