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Elevation: 8,388 ft 2,557 m
GPS: 35.81509, -106.532
Google Map · Climbing Area Map
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Shared By: Anthony Stout on Jul 30, 2006
Admins: Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown

Description Suggest change

Beautiful area set in the meadows in the Jemez mountains, Las Conchas is one of the more popular summer sport climbing areas within 2 hrs of ABQ. Because of the elevation, summer days are often cool enough to be pleasant. Many of the crags in the area are situated along the East Fork of the Jemez River, making the climbing environment that much more enjoyable.
That said, Las Conchas is a year-round climbing destination. The wind-sheltered, south-facing walls of (L) Easy Bake Alcove, (K) Hidden Tower, (N) Retirement Wall and (O) The Subdivisions are ideal in the heart of winter given a sunny, calm day.

Getting There Suggest change

From Albuquerque, take I-25 North to Bernalillo and exit at highway 550 (exit #242, DON'T miss this exit, the next exit does not come for many miles). Follow 550 to San Ysidro and head North on state road 4 for about 36 miles. You will drive past picturesque Jemez Springs, Battleship Rock, the small community of La Cueva, just beyond Las Conchas camping area to the second pull out by a well-traveled trail and meadow on your left. From Los Alamos or Santa Fe (or from the north), it is faster to reach the same area by taking NM-4 into the Jemez near Bandelier NP, passing the Valle Grande meadow (watch for elk) and reaching the same meadow.

The obvious cliff seen through the meadow on the north side of the road is (A) Cattle Call Wall Area. Most of the other cliffs are downstream, following a trail that begins on the west side of the creek. The Las Conchas sectors here on Mountain Project are listed alphabetically, A through N, from closest to the highway to the furthest from the highway. 

Resources

Suggest change
There has been a lot of route development at the Las Conchas crags since 2007 making the print resources pretty out-dated. The MountainProject database is the best source of information but these older books do cover Las Conchas to some degree:

*'Jemez Rock' is the most complete guide to the area
*'Rock Climbing: New Mexico also covers the area
*Samet & Jett's out-of-print Sport Climbing New Mexico guide can be found in pdf format on the LA Mountaineers site. It's older, so some newer climbs are missing.
*Topos for Cattle Call Wall and Gateway Rock (the most popular cliffs closest to the parking) are posted on the LA Mountaineers website here
*Drone video showing a lot of Las Conchas, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uBXrP9DXs0 

166 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Las Conchas

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
V5 6C
 12
Buckeroo Banzai
Boulder
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 80
Crucial Taunt
Sport
5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 200
Forrest
Sport
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
 119
Cow Pies For Breakfast
Sport
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
 142
Pumping Huecos
Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 113
Road Rage
Sport
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 36
Udder Limits
Sport
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a
 13
Cryptonomicon
Sport
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a
 36
Metamuscle
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 61
No Sketching
Sport
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b
 21
Silverback
Sport
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b
 30
Happy Entrails
Sport
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b
 9
The Color of Optimism
Sport
5.12d 7c 28 IX 28 E6 6b
 37
Death Grip
Sport
5.14a 8b+ 32 X+ 32 E8 7a
 7
Mainliner
Sport
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Buckeroo Banzai (C) The Grotto
 12
V5 6C Boulder
Crucial Taunt (L) Easy Bake Alcove
 80
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
Forrest (B) Gateway Rock
 200
5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport
Cow Pies For Breakfast (A) Cattle Call Wall…
 119
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b Sport
Pumping Huecos (J) The Sponge
 142
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b Sport
Road Rage (B) Gateway Rock
 113
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
Udder Limits (A) Cattle Call Wall…
 36
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a Sport
Cryptonomicon (K) Hidden Tower
 13
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a Sport
Metamuscle (N) Retirement Wall
 36
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a Sport
No Sketching (D) Chilly Willy Wall
 61
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
Silverback (N) Retirement Wall
 21
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b Sport
Happy Entrails (E) Love Shack Area
 30
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b Sport
The Color of Optimism (L) Easy Bake Alcove
 9
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b Sport
Death Grip (E) Love Shack Area
 37
5.12d 7c 28 IX 28 E6 6b Sport
Mainliner (M) Leaning Tower
 7
5.14a 8b+ 32 X+ 32 E8 7a Sport
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