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Diablo Canyon Rock Climbing
| Elevation: | 5,817 ft |
| GPS: | 35.805, -106.139 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
| Page Views: | 199,044 total · 1,283/month |
| Shared By: | Anthony Stout on Feb 12, 2006 |
| Admins: | Shirtless Mike, Jason Halladay, Anthony Stout, LeeAB Brinckerhoff, Marta Reece, Drew Chojnowski |
Description
Diablo Canyon is located outside of Santa Fe New Mexico, and offers fine climbing on basalt cliffs up to three hundred feet tall.
With over a hundred sport lines and many good crack lines, Diablo offers a wealth of climbing with easy, quick access from Santa Fe. Grades range from 5.8 to 5.13 and vary in steepness and exposure. Many routes are in the moderate 5.10 arena and, for 5.10-5.12 climbers, this is one of the best sport climbing areas in northern New Mexico. With the greatly increased popularity of Diablo Canyon, by now traffic has cleaned much of the loose rock from many of the more popular climbs, but some remains.
Climbing in Diablo can be found nearly year round, with shade in the summer and sun in the winter.
Approaches to the various crags can range from 5 to 30 minutes.
DANGER: Please wear a helmet while climbing at Diablo, rockfall is a significant risk here. South facing rock appears, and is, chossy and loose. This is due to the extreme fluctuations in temperatures during the winter, where the rock temperature can swing from over 100 to below 0 F in a 24 hour period. This freeze/thaw cycle is associated with tremendous thermal expansion and contraction, which can make rock that was solid yesterday become airborne today. Tread lightly while leading, belay from a spot out of the line of fire, and (if they have brains worth protecting) WEAR a HELMET.
NOTE: The majority beta text and photos are reprinted here from the website, losalamos.com/diablo/, by permission of Rick Bradshaw, who was kind enough to allow me to use his material here.
Free, undeveloped camping available in a few BLM developed campsites at the parking area.
With over a hundred sport lines and many good crack lines, Diablo offers a wealth of climbing with easy, quick access from Santa Fe. Grades range from 5.8 to 5.13 and vary in steepness and exposure. Many routes are in the moderate 5.10 arena and, for 5.10-5.12 climbers, this is one of the best sport climbing areas in northern New Mexico. With the greatly increased popularity of Diablo Canyon, by now traffic has cleaned much of the loose rock from many of the more popular climbs, but some remains.
Climbing in Diablo can be found nearly year round, with shade in the summer and sun in the winter.
Approaches to the various crags can range from 5 to 30 minutes.
DANGER: Please wear a helmet while climbing at Diablo, rockfall is a significant risk here. South facing rock appears, and is, chossy and loose. This is due to the extreme fluctuations in temperatures during the winter, where the rock temperature can swing from over 100 to below 0 F in a 24 hour period. This freeze/thaw cycle is associated with tremendous thermal expansion and contraction, which can make rock that was solid yesterday become airborne today. Tread lightly while leading, belay from a spot out of the line of fire, and (if they have brains worth protecting) WEAR a HELMET.
NOTE: The majority beta text and photos are reprinted here from the website, losalamos.com/diablo/, by permission of Rick Bradshaw, who was kind enough to allow me to use his material here.
Free, undeveloped camping available in a few BLM developed campsites at the parking area.
Getting There
1) Get on the Santa Fe Bypass route (Veterans Memorial Hiway 599) either from I-25 south of Santa Fe or off of Saint Frances Drive NW of Santa Fe.
2) Exit onto Camino La Tierra heading west toward the Rio Grande, setting your odometer to 0 at the turnoff. After 4.7 miles, turn right on Old Buckman Road, which is a reasonably well-maintained dirt road. At 7.7 miles you'll pass a large blue/green colored frame (apparently used to be a windmill painted like a daisy) on your left as you follow the main Diablo wash toward the river. At 12.2 miles you should reach the first turn off into the Diablo parking area on your left. The canyon is clearly visible beyond. 2WD vehicles make it there all the time. They get stuck in the sand or mud on their way out at a somewhat less frequency.
Watch out for rattlesnakes basking and tarantulas looking for mates in the middle of the road. This is their home we're visiting, please give them the right of way.
2) Exit onto Camino La Tierra heading west toward the Rio Grande, setting your odometer to 0 at the turnoff. After 4.7 miles, turn right on Old Buckman Road, which is a reasonably well-maintained dirt road. At 7.7 miles you'll pass a large blue/green colored frame (apparently used to be a windmill painted like a daisy) on your left as you follow the main Diablo wash toward the river. At 12.2 miles you should reach the first turn off into the Diablo parking area on your left. The canyon is clearly visible beyond. 2WD vehicles make it there all the time. They get stuck in the sand or mud on their way out at a somewhat less frequency.
Watch out for rattlesnakes basking and tarantulas looking for mates in the middle of the road. This is their home we're visiting, please give them the right of way.
Classic Climbing Routes at Diablo Canyon
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
Weather Averages
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Photos
![A late afternoon view of the [[105796958]] from [[105803240]]. November 2008.](https://cdn-files.apstatic.com/climb/106298585_smallMed_1494095511.jpg)
26 Comments
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Guidebooks (4)
mountain center ,CA
Albuquerque, NM
Los Alamos, NM
Tucson, Arizona
Morrison, CO
ABQ, NM
Santa Fe
"Sandia Mountains, near Albuquerque
The Tooth of Time, Cimarron
The Basalts, near Santa Fe"
Maybe that's what Diablo used to be called? Ring a bell for any of you oldsters? Nov 12, 2009
Loveland, CO
ABQ, NM
Santa Fe, NM
Its best to do when the road has some moisture, pointless when it is dry. Jul 26, 2011
Grape Ape, Humbolt, Chicken Out, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Evil Paradise, Ergo, Solar Eclispe, The other Side, Chicks with Ricks, El Bolto del Diablo Apr 2, 2012
Morrison, CO
Where the Wild Things Aren't
Clovis Hunter
Cock-a-Doodle-Do
Grape Ape
Mastadont
Pale Face
Unnamed Arete (Left of Tweak Fuck)
Schmeming
Good (more memorable than good!) Apr 2, 2012
Grape Ape
Two Wheel Drive
Evil Paradise
El Bolto del Diablo
Chicken Out
Waiting to Procrastinate
Chicks with Ricks
Good
Ergo
Humbolt
Haven't climbed The Other Side but I hear may bump Humbolt off the list. The other interesting thing is the distinct difference between the pillow basalt vs. vesicular column climbing. The pillow climbs are generally more sustained with less defined cruxes while the vesicular climbs have distinct cruxes but less continuous at the grade IMHO.
Cockeyed Apr 2, 2012
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, NM
Albuquerque
The 505
I love this question and would enjoy the story of anyone who approached Diablo from White Rock. Hats off to that adventurous soul. Dec 27, 2012
Washington
Santa Fe, NM
Los Alamos
Los Alamos, NM