Access Issue: RAIN & WET ROCK
Details
DO NOT CLIMB WHEN WET!! LET THE ROCK DRY COMPLETELY!!
Saddle Peak is made up of the small crags encountered as one hikes West along the Backbone Trail from the trailhead off Stunt Road. The main crag is the Corpse Wall, which is a North facing crag with both sport and gear protected routes.
Saddle Peak is located in the Santa Monica Mountains. Park at the Topanga Lookout Trailhead, located at the intersection of Stunt Road, Saddle Peak Road and Schueren Road. The trailhead for the Backbone trail is 100 yards down Stunt Road on your left. Limited parking can also be found across the road from the trailhead and a larger pullout exists a short distance further down the road. Hike west up the Backbone Trail, passing the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District water tower on your right. Shortly after you pass the water tower and where the asphalt ends, a smaller singletrack branches left. Stay on the wider jeep trail, continuing west. After about five minutes you’ll encounter the first small crag (Morpheus Wall) on your left. Continue a few minutes further to a group of brown state park signs where the trail splits again. The left trail heads south to Saddle Peak and the microwave facility. The right fork continues heading downhill to the norrh and skirts the Watchtower, on the right, and yet another fork in the trail. Going left leads to the top of the Corpse Wall while going right leads to the base of Corpse Wall.
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due to the corpse we found at the bottom of the route "R.I.P. Arete" where the cross is located.
All the routes were put up by Abraham E. Benjamin M. Brahm H. Darren A. Mike O.
I also wanted to add that the corpse was a guy that committed suicide. We know this because he left a note.
There was a strong effort to make everything bomber. We did not put anchors on the top
of all the routes because it was not needed and would have been a much bigger footprint.
The routes have all been put up in the last 5 years. There are some more recent routes that
have not yet been bolted but can be TR.
I would also like to add that there are some random bolts on the wall that someone
put in for no known or obvious reason.
There are some routes that use pro as well as draws. In general. the routes were never intended to be sport routes.
If anyone's interested, I'll post the names and ratings of all the routes in the next couple of weeks.
Climb Safe and be good to our planet.
Benjamin M. Jun 4, 2009
SLC, UT
SLC, UT
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Pasadena, CA
I think all of the routes are toprope-able (I haven't tried, but it seems pretty possible). Jan 31, 2012
La Crescenta, CA
Bishop, CA
PS: @Benjamin- We are definitely interested in the real route names. If you have the time to send us the info, we'd love to edit the route index for this wall to reflect the names that were originally chosen. Apr 7, 2012
I've been climbing here a lot lately. Cool spot.
I shot this interactive photo from the top of the wall...not really a beta shot, but cool to look at.
brandonriza.com/Tour/Crag/T…
iPhone/iPad:
brandonriza.com/Tour/Crag/A…
Also here:
360cities.net/image/climbin…
Cheers. Jan 27, 2013
Bishop, CA
Yes- there are anchors at the top of this formation.
This west-facing pocketed face rates 11-ish (?). Top-side access up the bushy south-face gully. Some 5.0 climbing involved to get down to the bolts. You'll need LONG webbing to extend the anchor since the rope drag is gnarly. We anchored and belayed off the boulder over by the RIP Arete to reduce rope drag. The rock quality is poor compared to Corpse Wall.
The north-facing big slab-climbs are a grunge-fest. Belay is only possible from the topside-down because of the manzanita jungle* at the base. The big gullies that split the slab make it less fun than it looks.
That being said.. it definitely will liven up your day if you are bored with the 5.9 slab climbing.
- *Please note that cutting manzanita is against state law and the park service has prohibited any new access trails being created around the formation.
Feb 1, 2013Big Bear Lake
Bishop, CA
Fun routes, especially the crack climbing at the beginning Jan 19, 2014
Small Town, USA
1986 Toyota 4x4 P/U
I'm gonna ge going to this spot this sunday and i've never explored these mountains and i would like some beta about stealth camping. the sites are expensive and i also have a dog. I looked on the NPS page and dogs are allowed in the park just not in the bc. is this spot considered bc or fc? I saw the approach is like 1/2 a mile long so whats the scoop. any advice would be swell. or at least a section where you know is decent and i could scope it out when i get there.
cheers
-M Jan 6, 2015
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
I also found one spinner. Apr 11, 2015
Bishop, CA
There are private property markers to the west and north and the remnants of a fence line not far from the base. Based on the location of the fence line and markers and the NPS maps, it *seems* like the climbs are on NPS land. Rangers I've run into out there while climbing never mentioned it being private land.
If the land has been resurveyed, that private property line may have been moved up to the the cliff itself. With the proximity to several heavy-use hiking trails, imminent domain already allows hikers to cross private land in at least one section of the approach BTW, but I'd just keep a low profile out there people. Stay clean and safe. Be polite with any person claiming to own the land - they may be telling the truth. Apr 19, 2015
Small Town, USA
Los Angeles, CA
Additionally, with all the rain we've had this year the paths to the anchors (for top rope) are becoming overgrown. Not terrible, but it could use some cleaning up. There are also some plants and moss on the wall that weren't there when I climbed here last year.
Still great climbing here as always! May 13, 2017
Calabasas, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
venice
Today i counted around 40 people in that confined space, one in the top of other, and we are in COVID era.... Jun 27, 2020
Los Angeles, CA
Philadelphia, PA
San Diego
Los Angeles
This Crag is in a sensitive habitat on national park land (at least partially), and is beginning to suffer the effects of overuse.
It has been getting very crowed on the weekends, with way too many people crammed into very limited space (covid party anyone?), and I've recently started seeing a lot of toilet paper and garbage. Also, the approach is on State Park property. Dogs are not permitted on backcountry trails anywhere on state park land in the Santa Monica mountains...and yet...dogs abound.
The land use is partially disputed (see older comments below) so if this keeps up, it might be a matter of time before residents and land owners nearby complain about the garbage and noise and access is restricted by the NPS. I hope this never happens.
So...please: limit your party size, go during the week, leave the beer, dog and blue tooth speaker at home, pack it in pack it out, and leave no trace.
:) Oct 19, 2020
California
Moorpark, CA
Small Town, USA