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The Bullet Rock Climbing
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| Elevation: | 5,500 ft | 1,676 m |
| GPS: |
31.97843, -111.5257 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
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| Page Views: | 4,080 total · 26/month | |
| Shared By: | Charles Vernon on Oct 24, 2011 · Updates | |
| Admins: | adrian montaño, Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen |
Access Issue: Access is via PRIVATE land and may be CLOSED! Dogs Not allowed
Details
The access for Mendoza Canyon is via the good graces of the owner of the King Anvil Ranch you pass through to get to the canyon. Dogs are not allowed per land owner request.
READ THIS DOCUMENT AND OBEY!
concernedclimbers.com/Mendo…
Update from Jeff Mayhew 3.12.14:
Extended Access Info
Matt Walton from the AZ Game and Fish Dept. advised me that extended access to Mendoza Canyon will be allowed to hikers and climbers through a pilot project again this year. The normal closure begins March 1st and runs until September 1st. From March 1st thru April 30th you can contact Matt at 520-400-4022 or at mwalton@azgfd.gov to apply for access. You must have a valid AZ State Land Permit and apply with Matt 10 days to 2 weeks in advance.
You will then be given the combination to the gates on King's Anvil Ranch that lead to Mendoza Canyon. These combinations will be changed every week or 2. Consecutive days of access may be allowed, but overnight camping will not be allowed.
Matt asks that we NOT approach the ranchers about access during this period. All questions should be directed to Matt.
Update from Charles Vernon (12.6.10):
We ran into John King's daughter herding cows yesterday, on the way into the canyon. She was very nice, and we talked to her for a little while. She believes that the missing traps that led to loss of access last year were a result of hikers (climbers? hunters?) whose dogs got caught in the traps, leading to the dog owners taking or destroying the traps to free their dogs.
Regardless of what exactly happened, she made it clear that dogs are not welcome. It sounds as though just heading out there with dogs, without more, could be enough to cause them to rethink access. So please, do not bring dogs to Mendoza!
READ THIS DOCUMENT AND OBEY!
concernedclimbers.com/Mendo…
Update from Jeff Mayhew 3.12.14:
Extended Access Info
Matt Walton from the AZ Game and Fish Dept. advised me that extended access to Mendoza Canyon will be allowed to hikers and climbers through a pilot project again this year. The normal closure begins March 1st and runs until September 1st. From March 1st thru April 30th you can contact Matt at 520-400-4022 or at mwalton@azgfd.gov to apply for access. You must have a valid AZ State Land Permit and apply with Matt 10 days to 2 weeks in advance.
You will then be given the combination to the gates on King's Anvil Ranch that lead to Mendoza Canyon. These combinations will be changed every week or 2. Consecutive days of access may be allowed, but overnight camping will not be allowed.
Matt asks that we NOT approach the ranchers about access during this period. All questions should be directed to Matt.
Update from Charles Vernon (12.6.10):
We ran into John King's daughter herding cows yesterday, on the way into the canyon. She was very nice, and we talked to her for a little while. She believes that the missing traps that led to loss of access last year were a result of hikers (climbers? hunters?) whose dogs got caught in the traps, leading to the dog owners taking or destroying the traps to free their dogs.
Regardless of what exactly happened, she made it clear that dogs are not welcome. It sounds as though just heading out there with dogs, without more, could be enough to cause them to rethink access. So please, do not bring dogs to Mendoza!
Description
The Bullet is the right of two large domes on the upper left skyline of Mendoza, with the left-hand dome being the Potato. From lowest point to summit it is about 900', yielding what may be the longest climbs in Mendoza. The rock on the north face is high-quality and seemed consistently better than the lower, more popular domes. There are at least 3 established routes, ranging from 5.9 to 5.11. Collectively, these routes have probably seen less than a dozen ascents. The Bullet offers much more shade than the more popular climbs lower in the canyon and hence can be comfortably climbed much earlier in the fall (it was 100 degrees in Tucson the day we climbed Lock and Load and we were comfortable in the shade up on the route). Conversely, it might be a bit chilly in Dec.-Feb. which are often thought of as prime Mendoza season.
Getting There
The approach is not as bad as you think. Approach as for Table Dome, but where the drainage forks just before that cliff, take the left branch. Very nice hiking (surprisingly little nasty vegetation) leads to a large slabby open area; here take a smaller drainage, marked by a cairn that leads up to the base of the Bullet (note that another route, also marked by cairns, continues up the main drainage to the White Walls). This last bit is pretty brushy in places but hardly heinous. Thanks to Jeff Mayhew, the entire route is well-marked with cairns.
Took us about 2 and a half hours at a moderate pace. I thought it was easier and shorter than the approaches to Table Mt. and Leviathan Dome.
Took us about 2 and a half hours at a moderate pace. I thought it was easier and shorter than the approaches to Table Mt. and Leviathan Dome.
Classic Climbing Routes at The Bullet
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
Sun Angles Details:
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