Elevation: 6,600 ft
GPS: 31.926, -109.977 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views: 40,124 total · 255/month
Shared By: John Peterson on Feb 3, 2006
Admins: Luke Bertelsen, JJ Schlick, Greg Opland
Access Issue: Closed from March 1 to June 30 Details

Description

Rockfellow Dome is perhaps the finest chunk of rock in Arizona. It has some of the best crack and face climbs anywhere. Anyone climbing in Arizona should aspire to stand atop this rock.

The rock is divided into spires by massive fissures. One of the best outings in Arizona is the Inner Passage - a perfectly formed cleft that passes all the way through the Rockfellow Group, between Rockfellow Dome and Chay Desa Tsay.

This formation is flawless granite. It lacks the seas of chickenheads found on the surrounding domes - most of the climbs are crack and face routes.

Getting There

Approach as for What's My Line. Follow the drainage up from the Rock in the Middle of the Road and turn left when reaching the divide to approach most of the routes. Approach time is a hour if you know the way and maybe 2 if you don't.

You can also get there from the west - the trail crosses the divide about .4 miles from the rock. This trail also goes back to the campground - an alternative to stumbling down the climbers trail in the dark if you have no light.

12 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Rockfellow Dome

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b
 55
● Inner Passage
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 6
● The Labyrinth
Trad 5 pitches
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a R
 5
● Knead Me
6 pitches
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 74
● Abracadaver
Trad 6 pitches
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c R
 5
● Sensory Desuetude
Trad 4 pitches
5.11- 6c 22 VIII+ 22 E3 5c
 8
● The Long, Strange Trip
Trad, Sport 6 pitches
5.11c/d 7a 24 VIII 25 E4 6a R
 20
● Sound of One Hand Thrashing
Trad 5 pitches
5.12- 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 4
● Unknown
Sport 6 pitches
5.12a/b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6a R
 6
● Jabberwocky
Trad, Sport 4 pitches
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
● Inner Passage
 55
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Trad
● The Labyrinth
 6
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad 5 pitches
● Knead Me
 5
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a R 6 pitches
● Abracadaver
 74
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Trad 6 pitches
● Sensory Desuetude
 5
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c R Trad 4 pitches
● The Long, Strange Trip
 8
5.11- 6c 22 VIII+ 22 E3 5c Trad, Sport 6 pitches
● Sound of One Hand Thrashing
 20
5.11c/d 7a 24 VIII 25 E4 6a R Trad 5 pitches
● Unknown
 4
5.12- 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport 6 pitches
● Jabberwocky
 6
5.12a/b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6a R Trad, Sport 4 pitches
More Classic Climbs in Rockfellow Dome »

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Photos

Rockfellow from What's My Line. Abra is on the left in the shade while Days of Future is in the sun on the right side of End Pinnacle. Be All End All is the route up the crack at the sun / shade border.
Rockfellow from What's My Line. Abra is on the…
 2
Rockfellow Domes.
Rockfellow Domes.
 1
A summit pano.... mid January, 2014.
A summit pano.... mid January, 2014.
 0
Clear blue skies right? Two hours from this picture we were getting rained on. Ha!
Clear blue skies right? Two hours from this pi…
 0
Rockfellow Domes. Note the really cool and unlikely pinnacle in the bottom right corner.
Rockfellow Domes. Note the really cool and unl…
 0
Rockfellow Dome.
Rockfellow Dome.
 0
Rockfellow Dome. Closing in on the approach.
Rockfellow Dome. Closing in on the approach.
 0

6 Comments

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Scotty Nelson
Boulder
Scotty Nelson   Boulder
Raptor closures are effective March 1, according to the ranger. Feb 16, 2006
John Peterson
John Peterson  
And from the west you don't have the silly fee just to park your car either. But the drive to the west side is definitely longer from Tucson given all the dirt road it requires.

Feb 17, 2006
Charlie Perry
Charlie Perry  
West entrance is more primitive and there is limited camping sites without access to water. East entrance sports a camping ground. However most routes on Rockfellow Dome have better access from the west side. Jul 15, 2006
Jordan K
Ohio
Jordan K   Ohio
The turn off from trail #279 is marked with a small cairn as of 12/23/06 again. From the west side, shortly after passing the 1 mile marker, look for a small trail descending down and to the left as the main trail switchbacks up and to the right. Follow the trail as it wanders up a drainage, going in and out periodically. On the right, you will see the Rockfellow formation, and on the left is Cochise Dome. We found this easy, but perhaps slightly longer route to the base of the End Pinnacle. Continue in the main drainage for a while, past Cochise Dome, past a large formation immediately to the right -- hike until you are past the Rockfellow formation (it will seem like you've gone too far!). About 1/4 mile past the formation on the right, look for a trail leaving the drainage off to the right (cairned as of 12/06). Follow this up some low-angle slabs, weaving around boulders (again, it might feel you are hiking away from the Rockfellows). Go through a small boulder tunnel, and then turn right up a drainage which leads to the N side of the Rockfellow formation. This should all be well-cairned. Follow the trail that skirts the bottom of the formation to the base of a number of End Pinnacle routes. Dec 25, 2006
ttriche
Grand Rapids, MI
ttriche   Grand Rapids, MI
The drive in from the west side (Middlemarch Road) was 20.1 miles according to my odometer. 9.8 miles to the 687 turnoff and another 10.3 miles to the West Stronghold campground. Even at 10pm, having never seen the place before, it was not too difficult to piece together the drive. Once we got there we did not have to move the truck until we left, and all of the approaches we did were quite manageable. This was suggested by 'Weekend Climbing Arizona', a nice cheap book that contains updated approach beta for Warpath, detailed instructions for getting to the Rockfellow domes and WML, and generally rules if you can't find Kerry's book prior to leaving for your trip. Dec 26, 2006
Christian
Casa do Cacete
Christian   Casa do Cacete
Hey Greg,

You should post that topo you posted on Supertopo on here as well. (of the north(northeast?) side climbs) Feb 27, 2007