PRINT: Rock Climbing in Red Rock Wall, Big Cottonwood Canyon

Red Rock Wall

Utah > Wasatch Range > Central Wasatch > Big Cottonwood Canyon

Description

This scenic wall in Big Cottonwood Canyon offers sport climbing on red limestone edges. It has spectacular views up Mineral Fork, looking at the back of Mt. Superior and the Superior ridge line. It faces south, so it is very nice during the Spring and Fall months. You are more likely to see hawks and elk than people here.

As always wear your helmet!

Getting There

Park at the overflow for winter parking at the "Doughnut Falls" area.(This is where everyone sleds in the winter.) Walk back down canyon on the north side of the road to a thick group of pines. After passing the road closure gate, you'll come to a large road sign. Near it you'll see the start of the trail (about 75 yards from parking). You can see the wall up on the mountain above you. Pay attention to stay on the trail through the pine trees as there are many game trails that switch back and forth over the trail. Be sure to exit the first big talus field on the left part way up. Handlines are fixed at the perpetually loose steep bits. Hike with your head up or you'll get off trail.

Routes from Left to Right

5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 5 ● Don't Tell Paul Sport
5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 58 ● Satan's Snowblower Sport
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b 88 ● God's WeedWacker Sport
5.9- 5c 17 VI 16 HVS 4c 89 ● Woody Woodpecker Sport
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b 33 ● Reverend Hilti's Bosch Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 58 ● Jen's French Kiss Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a R 0 ● Red Rock Trad
5.8- 5b 16 VI- 14 VS 4c 80 ● Baked Bean Sandwich Sport
5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b 31 ● Burnt Cheese Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 50 ● No Recess Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 36 ● Reasoning With The Unreasonable Sport

● Don't Tell Paul

5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Sport

● Satan's Snowblower

5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport

● God's WeedWacker

5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Sport

● Woody Woodpecker

5.9- 5c 17 VI 16 HVS 4c Sport

● Reverend Hilti's Bosch

5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Sport

● Jen's French Kiss

5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport

● Red Rock

5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a R Trad

● Baked Bean Sandwich

5.8- 5b 16 VI- 14 VS 4c Sport

● Burnt Cheese

5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b Sport

● No Recess

5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Sport

● Reasoning With The Unreason…

5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

view from belay station

The Autumn view is as good as the trail is bad!

Two Cairns Marking Trail after in first scree area.

updated topo 09/13/08

Approach trail, enter the woods from the road between two tree stumps a few feet from each other, continue west for a while slowly gaining elevation, until the trail goes directly up hill.

Hoping everyone stays on trail.

View from the base at the Red Rock Wall. Gets even better as you climb up!

We accidentally left the trail on the way back and had to hike down all these rocks. I recommend paying attention as you come up so you dont get lost!

sign to mark trail, just west of dog lake trail head parking

the view from the red rock wall

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

tenesmus

Thanks for sharing guys! This looks like it might be also be nice during a wintertime inversion. I hear there was monumental cleaning and equipping involved. And a killer trail to a nice moderate sport area. Nov 14, 2007

Glen Kaplan
Salt Lake City, UT

you boys sure are busy...don't you live in the other canyon?
thanks for doing it right
i wonder how long its gonna take...never mind...we'll just see.
again...kudos Nov 14, 2007

James Garrett
Salt Lake City, UT

You guys are probably already aware that there already is an area called Red Rock in the Wasatch....just thought I'd run it by you. Might prove confusing.
How long (minutes or distance) is the approach?
Can you get by with a 50m rope? a 60m rope? or does one need two ropes for routes like NO Recess?
Thanks Nov 16, 2007

James Garrett
Salt Lake City, UT

Thanks....didn't do much "happy" bushwhacking. Our best views were of Cardiff Fork. Are you sure you could see Mineral Fork? Fun area which I am sure Edwards and Anderson now wish they had done more routes up there! We didn't find the rapping tricky at all even with just one rope. Good job on the anchors. Nov 16, 2007

zoso	[Hide Comment] The trail is SWEEEETTTT! Nice work on that. 20 min approach for me without rests. Rope, rebar, and switches? Nice work. Thanks. Jul 3, 2008

Brittany84

Access to this area needs to improve. Found the trail to be steep and eroding, having too short of switch-backs that blaze straight up. Jun 5, 2010

Luke Douglas

This area has biting ants and flies, vipers, bats, rabid giant squirrel's, horrid trails, and chossy climbing.In general this place sucks sweaty balls, don't go! Jun 6, 2010

split161

fun climbing at this wall, the approach would'nt be too bad if some trail work was done towards the top, expect some thick bush wacking 20-30min... bring a 70m rope Sep 21, 2010

Luke Douglas

If you stay on the trail there is no bush wacking, anywhere. There are even ropes attached to help through the loose sections at the top.
Read the getting there section above. Sep 23, 2010

Jason Smith 324

Big props to everyone who put all the work into this area. The trail was surprisingly well prepared (the fixed lines are a nice touch), the bolting is superb, and the view into Cardiff is amazing. My only (minor) complaint was the amount of loose rock so make sure to take your helmet, but this is to be expected on a relatively new crag. Jul 9, 2011

Broseph L
Salt Lake City, UT

IMPORTANT: Do not head up the talus field, go uphill and down canyon to cross it, to the continuation of the trail; there will be rock carins. If you go straight up then get prepared to hate life and do a shload of bushwhacking, with no fixed ropes to save you. Jul 4, 2012

Austin Gray

Trail is ez to follow, while also weeding out the slackers. we spent all day on the rock with the wall all to ourselves. just be sure to check hands as a few holds busted off Jul 10, 2012

John Steiger

Doesn’t look like much, but this crag has great limestone, better than Hellgate. Steep but easy approach; Reasoning, No Recess, and Satan’s Snowblower, not to mention some of the best views BCC has to offer, are all well worth the walk. The routes go quickly, so there’s plenty of time for an après-climb Epic IPA or Stout at Silver Fork Lodge just up the road. Sep 3, 2012

Garrett Carter
SL, UT

Amazing wall, great exposure. Had a little trouble finding the trail tho. When you reach the talus field with some rock cairns, follow them up north a short way and you'll see some rock cairns on the west side of the talus field by a tree (followed Broseph's advice and we still missed em and continued up - HUGE MISTAKE). The cairns mark a dirt trail you follow west and north a bit more leading to another talus field. Go up and stay on the east side of the talus field to find the dirt trail again and continue up until you see fixed ropes and rebar. If you are bushwacking you are doing something wrong, there is a trail! Steep and gets full sun, but this wall is definitely worth it. Bring a helmet there was a lot of loose rock still. No holds broke on us however. Thanks for taking the time to bolt this great wall. Aug 18, 2013

mikeehale

APPROACH INFO:

The red/white sign referenced in other comments is only about 4 feet off of the ground and about 8" X 8" so be sure to watch for it on the north side of the road.

Also, once you find the trail and head up it watch for Cairns its very easy to head off on game trails. We should all probably build some more on our way out.

Lastly and most importantly, once the trail hits the scree area hang to the left and watch for TWO CAIRNS.. the trail is directly between the two. The trail gets thinner and thinner but hang to the left and eventually you'll come across old climbing ropes that have been tied onto shrubs in an effort to make the approach a little easier.

Sincerely hope this helps!

Oct 5, 2015

Luke Douglas

Mikeehale's picture is the key.
It is located about 40 yds up the first scree slope you encounter on the hike up. It is about 20 feet to the left of the biggest boulder in the scree slope.

If you miss this turn off your day will be more strenuous. Oct 7, 2015

J Saarela
Park City

Hornets (even in October)!! No trouble besides them occupying good pockets. Curious little buggars, they'd stare right at you for a few seconds before flying at your face and away. This happened probably a dozen times (between 3 routes), but they never stung. Be mindful and they won't get ya. Oct 26, 2016

Brian Carl
Coeur d'Alene, ID

Pretty steep and long approach. I would say it took us 40 minutes, all uphill. The area was not crowded, but both of the other groups we met at the crag said they lost the trail and had to do some bushwacking in one case and sketchy, exposed scramble in another. Just look for cairns once you make it out of the pine trees and don't climb too high on the first talus field. Shade was also hard to come by. None of that is necessarily a bad thing if you're up for it. The views were absolutely spectacular. Jun 16, 2019

Kyle Harmer
Cottonwood heights, UT

Not great. Beautiful views. Hornets everywhere. Choss abounds. I’m thinking one visit was enough. Sep 21, 2019

Byron Erard

Just did this hike up from the dogwood parking area. Entered the woods just past the large white and yellow sign, where the pine trees begin. There is a large tree with roots where we entered (didn't see the checkered sign), but we found the trail. There a few ropes out to assist but it could use some more. Truely a treacherous rock slide, dirt slide, steep hill. Up is harder than down. Climbing is great at the top tho. Jun 12, 2021

Cj Heaney
Salt Lake City, UT

Super fun climbing, but you definitely have to work a little bit for it. Had three ticks on me just a heads up. Mar 28, 2022

Brendan Dwyer

One of the harder approaches I've ever done. We followed the path outlined in Tony Calderone's BCC climbing book. I'd recommend ignoring that and just using the maps pictured above Aug 24, 2024

David W

Quality routes for a cooler fall day - they approach trail could use some love though as some of the ropes are shredded and some spots that could use ropes don't/no longer have them. Still worth the effort to get up there, but if you're planning on heading up this way bring some solid shoes and be ready to find and lose the trail a couple times. Oct 12, 2024

Dave Leydet
Salt Lake City, UT

I added a GPX track for the approach to Red Rock Wall. It should appear when you click "climbing area map" in the upper left-hand corner of this page. The track ends in the talus field a couple hundred feet below the crag. Scramble (survive) up the talus and you are there!

My partner and I only climbed a few routes in this area but found them to be quality routes with good movement! Apr 15, 2025