Sleeping Beauty Rock Climbing

SLEEPING BEAUTY was a great find. Dan Hare and Scott Woodruff did the first route on the wall in 1983 after wallowing up through stickers and brush to the base of the wall. They just winged it and found a line up mossy cracks that got a little cleaner toward the top. I bushwacked to the bottome of the face in 1986 to get a close-up of the wall, and I could not even find the obscure start to the first route, Sleeping Beauty. Dan Hare could not identify the thing either.

I had looked at this wall for years before actually reaching the top from the west side. I was very impressed by the scale and relief of the big northeast face. I came back the next year (1996) with Leah Macaluso and Moe Hershoff and put up the route Aerial Boundaries. Over the next few years, with a variety of excellent partners, I established more than 36 pitches, comprising 20 some routes.

This is still a new crag and the routes are not as clean as those in Eldorado, but it is well worth a visit. Be careful with rappels as the main wall is 200 feet high. Check the info at boulderclimbs.com to get it right.

Richard Rossiter Oct 6, 2003

We did a route yesterday at Sleeping Beauty, but it's not listed here or in either of the guidebooks, nor on Rossiter's web site.

I would like to know what it was that we climbed. It was a short route, 5 bolts to a two bolt anchor. Start on a slab with three bolts next to a thin crack (bad fingers) that leads to a small overhang. A solid handjam allows one to reach up and clip the fourth bolt, then awkward climbing leads past the 5th bolt to the anchors. The route is about 35 feet long. I can't describe where on the wall it was since yesterday was my first trip to Sleeping Beauty wall so I know none of the landmarks.

I would guess the route was about 12a plus or minus a letter.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. We did some other routes as well, but only one was in the books/websites. It sure would be great to have more info available on the undocumented Sleeping Beauty area routes.

Anyone? Many thanks in advance.

bob Jul 28, 2004

The route is called "Immaculate Deception", 11c, and is listed on Rossiter's website. Jul 29, 2004

Thx, I figured that out finally. Pitch 1 is rated 11d on Richard's web site (which is a bit of a sandbag unless you are lucky and see what to do), yet the whole (multipitch) route is rated 11c. Funny, huh? Probably the whole route got the lower grade since there is a 5.9 alternate start that bypasses what we climbed.

cheers, Bob Jul 29, 2004

Reminder: There is a rap from the start of Mystic Mile on Ledge 2 to Ledge 1 at which point you are a few feet from the trail. This can be useful if, like happened to me today, you get hit by a thunderstorm and don't want to descend the regular approach which is a bit treacherous even when dry. Aug 22, 2004

I've posted a preliminary beta photo of the Sleeping Beauty left side routes as an "action photo" under Crack of Dawn. After working on this photo some more, and doing some more of the routes, I intend to post it as a beta photo.

I've done only 5 of the 15 routes on this photo. The other lines are drawn in based on Rossiter's descriptions, eyeballing the crag and the photo, and from what I could tell when on nearby climbs. Rather than argue about minor details here, it would be better to e-mail me corrections and suggestions. If I am wildly wrong on any of the routes, feel free to post corrections here. Aug 22, 2004

The upper part of the Sleeping Beauty approach trail, Ledge 2 and the scramble up to the Left Pillar are getting badly damaged by the increased traffic. The soil is eroding rapidly and the plants that hold the soil together are being destroyed. Try to minimize the damage. It looks like some rocks have been trundled off the ledge. If you are doing this for fun, don't. The rocks hold the soil together. Sep 10, 2004

What Rossiter calls the "West Approach" on his website is a much easier/safer way to get to Sleeping Beauty when the water is high. Park at Easter Rock, walk downstream a bit (100 feet or so), and skate down the steep bank to the creek. My partner and I easily crossed the river at the eastern most tip of the small island in the creek. Once across the river, walk up hill until you see some cairns and then do your best to follow this to the top of the wall. The cairns are easy to follow on the descent, but a little more difficult on the way up. There is a faint trail in spots. Don't bother with this approach if it looks like you can cross the creek at the Boulderado parking area. A tyrolean would be nice to have near the Boulderado parking area, making it easy to get to Sleeping Beauty, the Beer Can, Trout Rock, and Black Widow. I know that there has been one there in years past, but it always gets taken down. How come? Jun 5, 2006

BE IT KNOWN THAT TWO NEW TYROLEAN TRAVERSES LEND ACCESS TO SLEEPING BEAUTY. ALSO: as of 1 August 2006 it is easy to hop boulders across the stream from the parking pullout for Animal World, the Boulderado, Trout Rock, Black Widow Slab and (of course) Sleeping Beauty. Look for an opening in the trees and brush on the far side of the stream. Cross here and pick up the North Trail above a short talus field.

NORTH SIDE TYROLEAN and THE NORTH TRAIL: Find the tyrolean just upstream from the parking area for ANIMAL WORLD and the BOULDERADO. Once across the stream, hike south into a talus field and look for a relatively clean line up the talus into a steep path that leads up toward the Beer Can. Then follow a good trail east along the bottom of the wall. The trail gets steeper toward the end and climbs to Ledge Two (the big ledge that runs across the Main wall) in the vicinity of the routes LIGHTSPEED and KAMA SUTRA.

WEST SIDE TYROLEAN and THE WEST TRAIL: Find the tyrolean just downstream from the parking for Easter Rock. Once across the stream, look for cairns and an opening through the forest slope. Hike straight uphill for maybe 150 feet, then follow a long climbing traverse right for 200 feet. Cairns lead back left into a narrow gully. Hike up the gully, then break right and follow cairns (as usual). This beautiful trail passes through open forest and leads to the top of Sleeping Beauty. Descend east maybe 100 feet to a staging area near the upper belay/rappel anchors for the CRACK OF DAWN.

It is also possible to branch left just before the highest point along this trail and follow a less distinct path west to an open area above the rappel rings for Lost Highway and the Orgasmatron. A short but very exposed downclimb (just left of a scrub juniper) leads to a small ledge and the belay/rappel rings. Aug 2, 2006

Someone (Richard I assume) has done some extensive work on the trail. Thanks for your efforts. Last year it was getting very overgrown due to lack of use during the winter and the high water season. There are several areas where the soil is very fragile and obviously so, including getting to the South Pillar. Tread as lightly as you can. Aug 21, 2006

Thanks are due to Richard Rossiter and Pebby Johns for extensive work on trails at Sleeping Beauty, Watermark, and Avalon. See the photos Richard has submitted recently for these areas. Aug 21, 2006

Why??? The tyrolean on the west side has been cut on either end? This feature allowed access to the beautiful trail that leads to climbs on Lost Highway, South Pillar and The Main Wall.

Three Boulder climbers took time, energy, and their ropes to install this feature for the access of Sleeping Beauty. Why was it cut down??? Sep 21, 2006

There's a tyrolean again right at the Boulderado/Animal World parking lot. The afternoon shade in this 90 degree heat was most welcome up there. Jun 19, 2007

Condition Report

As of 6/8/09, the Sleeping Beauty tyrolean (by the Boulderado/Animal World parking area) is no more. All the ropes have been removed and there is no trace left. The removal happened some time in the past month, perpetrated by persons unknown.

Climbers wanting to climb at Sleeping Beauty or the Beer Can during periods of high water (like now) will have to use the Vampire Rock tyrolean, several hundred yards downstream, and hike back up the far side of Boulder Creek. Jun 9, 2009

More Recent Condition Report

As of this evening, the Sleeping Beauty tyrol is in (this is the one at the west end of the Animal World/Boulderado parking). 2 strands of static line that should keep us out of the quickly rising water when the creek goes over the top of Barker Dam tomorrow or the next day. Thanks to all the MP folks that donated static line when I put out the call a few weeks back. This is another tyrol done with that rope. I still have a few more to hit, but we're making progress.

Hope this will last a while before someone cuts it down -- I wish I knew who was cutting these down and why. Jun 6, 2011

If you got a cam stuck at Sleeping Beauty recently, and if you want it back, identify the cam and the climb on which it was stuck, and it's yours. Jun 18, 2011

The Tyrol is GONE again. Mar 30, 2012

Remember me from Labor Day? You are the young blonde guy and girl with mom and small that were climbing to our left. Colby, Sally, and I were on MLK. When we were done with that climb, Sally walked left to climb Lightspeed. She set her shoes done at base. Shortly after you left the crag, Sally then found her shoes missing. Sally wants them back, and I won't forget your faces. I believe they posted them missing on this site's Lost and Found. It is time to give them back. Oct 20, 2012

My first trip up to Sleeping Beauty today. Currently the water is high and there was no tyrol for this crag, so we walked down to the Vampire Rock tyrol, then walked the base of Black Widow slab and across and up the talus and through some crappy bushwhacking to get to the base. The bushwhacking sucked. Curious if anyone has better approach beta for when the water is too high to cross the river by The Beer can? Jun 26, 2013

Think I lost a Boulder Canyon guidebook up there somewhere last week. It has silver tape on the spine and my name in highlighter on the end. If anyone has it, please pm. Sep 7, 2014

Beware, Sleeping Beauty has experienced a lot of natural rockfall this spring and summer. The trail at the bottom of the crag is kind of rough, with several downed trees. Jul 18, 2017

The Tyrolean is gone as of summer 2018, we used the Tyrolean from Black Widow Slab and Vampire Rock, followed by 15-25 minutes of semi-bushwhacking, following a overgrown trail. Jun 14, 2018