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Rabbit Ears Area Rock Climbing
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| Elevation: | 7,678 ft | 2,340 m |
| GPS: |
32.36825, -106.57724 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
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| Page Views: | 135,073 total · 975/month | |
| Shared By: | Marta Reece on Jul 23, 2013 | |
| Admins: | Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown |
Description
The area includes the Rabbit Ears proper with their extension northward as well as Rabbit Ears Towers on the west side of Rabbit Ears Canyon and the western foothills below including Southern Comfort Wall.
There are three Rabbit Ears (this being New Mexico, the home of Trinity with mutations rampant). The South Rabbit Ear is the smallest and getting to the top is a fourth class scramble if you start from the col between South and Middle Rabbit Ears. This is also the start of the Normal Route up the far more technical Middle Rabbit Ear, which is the highest of the three. North Rabbit Ear is home to the longest routes. This is because they start lower in the canyon. All three Rabbit Ears have huge faces of high quality rock. South Rabbit Ear's is primarily to the South, the other two to the East and North.
To the north of the North Rabbit Ear is Cwm with its slanting but surprisingly flat top riding up the flank of its huge neighbor. (Cwm is not really visible in the picture on the right, being tucked behind its large neighbor.) North of it Last Peak, with a similar summit plane, has a fourth class route to its summit, but many more possibilities.
The line of Rabbit Ears Towers makes the west wall of Rabbit Ears Canyon. From the south it starts with Rabbit Ears Massif and continues with ORP and Lesser Spire. Farther north the ridge splits into two. The eastern branch leads to the Citadel, the western one to Zoonotic, Shortline, and Rabbit Ears Slabs.
Little north of Lesser Spire a fin of rock juts out to the west. Its southern face is the Southern Comfort Wall, its end in the west The Fin, and its norther face Northern Exposure. Hot Gates are on a smaller such fin one canyon over to the north, and just west of the Citadel are Rabbit Ears Slabs.
There are three Rabbit Ears (this being New Mexico, the home of Trinity with mutations rampant). The South Rabbit Ear is the smallest and getting to the top is a fourth class scramble if you start from the col between South and Middle Rabbit Ears. This is also the start of the Normal Route up the far more technical Middle Rabbit Ear, which is the highest of the three. North Rabbit Ear is home to the longest routes. This is because they start lower in the canyon. All three Rabbit Ears have huge faces of high quality rock. South Rabbit Ear's is primarily to the South, the other two to the East and North.
To the north of the North Rabbit Ear is Cwm with its slanting but surprisingly flat top riding up the flank of its huge neighbor. (Cwm is not really visible in the picture on the right, being tucked behind its large neighbor.) North of it Last Peak, with a similar summit plane, has a fourth class route to its summit, but many more possibilities.
The line of Rabbit Ears Towers makes the west wall of Rabbit Ears Canyon. From the south it starts with Rabbit Ears Massif and continues with ORP and Lesser Spire. Farther north the ridge splits into two. The eastern branch leads to the Citadel, the western one to Zoonotic, Shortline, and Rabbit Ears Slabs.
Little north of Lesser Spire a fin of rock juts out to the west. Its southern face is the Southern Comfort Wall, its end in the west The Fin, and its norther face Northern Exposure. Hot Gates are on a smaller such fin one canyon over to the north, and just west of the Citadel are Rabbit Ears Slabs.
Getting There
Either come to the peaks from the west, up Rabbit Ears Canyon, or from the east, up from the trail to Baylor Pass.
West Side Approach:
Access to Rabbit Ears Canyon is from Topp Hut Road, which takes off Baylor Canyon Road just north from where Baylor Canyon Road stops being paved. The entry to Topp Hut Road is marked, to the side of it, with a gate made of pipe. Few rock crawlers still do make it all the way to the old mine, but most standard suspension vehicles will stop short of the hut. The road gets harder quite rapidly, so you end up walking most of it anyway.
The road will branch eventually. Take the left branch for everything in the Rabbit Ears Canyon (Buckey Blue, Citadel, the Rabbit Ears themselves, and Orgy on ORP) and the right for the foothills (Southern Comfort, The Fin, Northern Exposure, and Hot Gates) and Lesser Spire.
If on the left fork, continue past the mine up a trail. All versions of this trail will converge shortly and continue fairly obviously to the mouth of Rabbit Ears Canyon. There is one spot where the trail seems to go to the left of a largish boulder. Step up onto the boulder instead and go right.
The terrain gets more interesting as you enter the canyon proper. It's what passes for a paved highway in the Organs - a mix of stepping boulder-to-boulder, walking on sloping rock, and scrambling up short steps.
The Rabbit Ears and their companions will show up when the canyon makes a turn. The North Rabbit Ear is the most prominent, the Middle Rabbit Ear is originally mostly obscured by it almost completely, and the South Rabbit Ear is seen as a smaller tooth to the right.
The right fork will widen at the end and the beat-up trail on the left leading up will wind all the way to the bottom of Southern Comfort and company.
East Side Approach:
As you drive into Aguirre Springs Campground, the trail to Baylor Pass will be the first trail to take off to the right. Go up from it to the saddle of your choice.
West Side Approach:
Access to Rabbit Ears Canyon is from Topp Hut Road, which takes off Baylor Canyon Road just north from where Baylor Canyon Road stops being paved. The entry to Topp Hut Road is marked, to the side of it, with a gate made of pipe. Few rock crawlers still do make it all the way to the old mine, but most standard suspension vehicles will stop short of the hut. The road gets harder quite rapidly, so you end up walking most of it anyway.
The road will branch eventually. Take the left branch for everything in the Rabbit Ears Canyon (Buckey Blue, Citadel, the Rabbit Ears themselves, and Orgy on ORP) and the right for the foothills (Southern Comfort, The Fin, Northern Exposure, and Hot Gates) and Lesser Spire.
If on the left fork, continue past the mine up a trail. All versions of this trail will converge shortly and continue fairly obviously to the mouth of Rabbit Ears Canyon. There is one spot where the trail seems to go to the left of a largish boulder. Step up onto the boulder instead and go right.
The terrain gets more interesting as you enter the canyon proper. It's what passes for a paved highway in the Organs - a mix of stepping boulder-to-boulder, walking on sloping rock, and scrambling up short steps.
The Rabbit Ears and their companions will show up when the canyon makes a turn. The North Rabbit Ear is the most prominent, the Middle Rabbit Ear is originally mostly obscured by it almost completely, and the South Rabbit Ear is seen as a smaller tooth to the right.
The right fork will widen at the end and the beat-up trail on the left leading up will wind all the way to the bottom of Southern Comfort and company.
East Side Approach:
As you drive into Aguirre Springs Campground, the trail to Baylor Pass will be the first trail to take off to the right. Go up from it to the saddle of your choice.
Classic Climbing Routes at Rabbit Ears Area
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
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Photos
![Scott Jones topping out on the Middle Rabbit Ear. [[105934873]] and [[105931614]] are visible behind him.](https://mountainproject.com/assets/photos/climb/106005338_smallMed_1558390122.jpg?cache=1701315017)
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