All Locations > New Mexico > Taos Area > Tres Piedras

Far Rock Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map This is our best guess at this area's location.
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Routes in Far Rock

L › R R › L A › Z

	Gollum TR 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Left or Right T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Look Mom, No Friends T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Slammin' and Jammin' T 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
	Tossin' and Flossin' T 5.10c/d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b

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Elevation:	8,422 ft	2,567 m
GPS:	36.6608, -105.9829 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	4,040 total · 21/month
Shared By:	Chris Wenker on Mar 23, 2009
Admins:	Mike Howard, Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Some rocks in this area are on private property. Seasonal Raptor Nesting. Details

The remainder are on US Forest Service land. A map detailing the public areas can be obtained from the ranger station en route to the rocks from the village of Tres Piedras.
According to Jan Studebaker: "The property line mountainproject.com/v/new_m… runs from approximately the current east corner by the access gate in a straight line over the top of South Rock to the top middle of the Chicken Heads/Mosaic Wall mount, and from there west down the mount slope to the meadow just south of the Alley climbs. Some of the most popular routes are completely on private property. There are survey markers on the top of South rock (the mysterious aluminum stake stuck in the rock) and on top of the Mosaic rock (most of the time buried in water in a pot hole.)"

An online Tres Piedras Route Guide lamountaineers.org/Tres_Pie… from LA Mountaineers has been updated with the latest access information, and should be read by all Tres Piedras climbers. Group climb leaders, and Climbing Directors (future or past) should take particular note.

The landowner requests NO fires, no trash, no chalk and "please close any gates". Basically, be a good steward of the land.

In order to nurture greater landowner acceptance of climbers, participants of group climbs are requested to organize quick clean up activities before leaving the area; this should include the climbing area as well as the access roads (trip leaders could supply plastic grocery bags). Small parties should practice "leave no trace" principles.

Seasonal Raptor Nesting:
This climbing area is shared with raptors that nest on the cliffs. Help us maintain access and please avoid climbing near active nests/ledges that raptors are using. If a raptor is disturbed during nesting season it may exhibit aggressive defensive behaviors like vocalizing or dive-bombing. If you witness this behavior, retreat from your climb immediately and find a location on a different formation or a different part of the wall far enough away from the raptors that they are no longer noticeably agitated. If they remain agitated, then please leave the area immediately.
Raptor awareness is especially important during nesting season from mid-February to late May but needs to be considered through the end of August. Please report disturbed and/or nesting raptors to the Carson National Forest the appropriate district office (see below) and share relevant information here on MP. Human-raptor encounters can have negative impacts for the birds and climbers in the area. The Cason NF wants to maintain climbing access while protecting raptor reproduction and relies on climbers to recreate responsibly and share information in order to avoid the need for formal raptor closures.

Questa Ranger District
(575) 586-0520
Camino Real (Comales Canyon) Ranger District
(575) 587-2255
Tres Piedras Ranger District
(575) 758-8678
El Rito Ranger District
(575) 581-4554

Description

This seldom-visited little 'dome' hosts a few easy, short trad routes (none of the routes are longer than probably 70 feet, if that). Although it is included in the old-school online guide, none of the current guide books even mention this crag (maybe for good reason; it may not be worth the walk over there, unless you have a strong urge to get far, far from the maddening crowd).

Far Rock is split into two formations by a gully known as the "Great Crevice". The "Great Crevice" is a flat, smooth dirt area between the two formations--it's a great little haunt.
There are two known routes on the west formation:

Tossin' and Flossin' (5.10c/d): A steep crack with a bouldery crux to fun face climbing.
Slammin' and Jammin' (5.10c): Easy, fun face climbing to a crux bulge and finger crack finish.

There are four routes on the east formation that are listed in the online guide are (from left to right):
Short N' Sweet (5.7): A short low angle face leads to a blocky finish. Didn't look too interesting.
Left or Right (5.8): Fun mix of crack and face.
Look Mom, No Friends (5.7): A sweet fist crack, but sadly too short.
Look Mom, Friends (5.8): We weren't able to confidently identify this climb. At the north end of the east wall, there's a couple of possible crack or face climbs. Where a dilapidated wooden fence leans against the wall, there's a fallen tree just a little farther north. Left of the fallen tree, there's a couple of jugs that may be this route, but looked too short to be a real climb (anyone know about this one?).

Getting There

From the Sundeck Wall/Aspen Alley area, head due west across the slickrock for about 400 meters. Alternatively, one can drive almost right up to Far Rock via FR 64G and a spur road. See this image for details on this alternative approach.