Solar Asylum Rock Climbing

There are THREE ways to reach this crag:

Q) If you are already in The John Dunn Bridge area then the simplest approach, if you don't mind the hike, is to scramble up the left side of John’s Wall then follow a cairned climbers trail that climbs up and back to the East first passing under The New Buff Wall, a smaller cliff with various short sport and trad routes and a good place to warm up. Continue past this wall to reach the Solar Asylum, about twenty min. from car park.

If the river level is low you can save hiking time by parking and crossing the Hondo Creek about 0.3 mi East of  John's Wall. Follow a faint trail east and up the switchbacks to base of crag, about ten min.

If the mesa roads are dry there is an obscure drive to the top of the cliff. This is the best access for summer mornings to avoid the steep hike up. Follow B0001 West off highway 522 north of Arroyo Hondo. Stay right up onto the mesa. Continue right and down the hill to the north on a DIRT ROAD passing left of an old pick-up truck and the Spanish Peaks road. Now head West toward the Rio Grande Gorge for one mile then turn left at the four way and head southwest continue just under a mile and park on a flat clearing. You should be just East of the confluence of the Hondo and the Rio Grande. HIGH CLEARANCE or 4WD vehicle. AVOID IF MUDDY! The Solar Asylum cliff top is Southeast from here. Rap the routes or find the Gully about 100 yards to the west that is also the approach to The New Buff Wall. Stay right (West) Along the base of the cliffs at the bottom of the gully to reach The New Buff Wall And left (East) for Solar Asylum. "trail" is faint but may be cairned from here.

A nice single track mountain bike ride, Horsethief trail, also takes off to the northwest from this parking lot.