Granite Dells Rock Climbing

Just east and a bit north of the city of Prescott is this incredibly beautiful and vast field of rounded granite formations. From a good vantage point, the sight of the Dells just before sunset is worth a hefty admission fee. The rock is a medium-grained desert granite that tends to be a bit grainy on some formations.

Rusty Ballie and Thank God.

For years, most of the climbing in the area was done in the High Rappel Dell area, which has seen it's share of access issues. This area features mostly traditional routes on skin-rending rock. More recently, climbers have established routes within the formations on the north shore of Watson Lake with bolt-protected sport routes and the area continues to gain popularity.

Please be aware that access to the High Rappel Dell area sort of comes and goes, so tread lightly and be accomodating in case of conflict.

Also, there is a new guidebook available for the Dells: The Granite Dells Climbing Guide. It has several hundred routes, and it is an invaluable resource for climbing here.