Elevation: 260 ft
GPS: 18.352, -66.478 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views: 16,646 total · 266/month
Shared By: Byron Igoe on Dec 29, 2013 with updates from Luis Benet and 2 others
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Description

Caliche is a beautiful climbing area in a vast valley filled with limestone in the town of Ciales in the north of Puerto Rico. This crag has been one of the island gems for more than 10 years. This small sport area has more than 40 sport lines between 5.7 and 5.13d. The short and clearly marked trail is easy to find, but there's not a lot of parking space.

A few classics have been rebolted with titanium. All sketchy bolts should be replaced with Titanium Glue-ins by the Summer of 2017.

Get the guide from Aventuras Tierra Adentro (aventuraspr.com)

Getting There

Parking (a triangular grass/dirt area):
18.350807, -66.477412
https://goo.gl/maps/Zs1Uh7vHwVn

Trailhead (marked with a carabiner sign):
18.351528, -66.478306
https://goo.gl/maps/GZT89ivCiq92

Crag:
18.351975, -66.478798
https://goo.gl/maps/SqXuXVd7wAw

40 Total Climbs

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Location: Caliche (Ciales) Change
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Classic Climbing Routes at Caliche (Ciales)

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.8- 5b 16 VI- 14 VS 4c
 11
● La Escalera
Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 31
● Blanca Nieves
Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 8
● La Esquina Famosa
Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 8
● Que Siga La Rumba
Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 6
● Bola de Fuego
Sport
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a
 12
● Triboro Bridge
Sport 2 pitches
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 14
● Triboro Direct
Sport 2 pitches
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 9
● Pompi Pompi
Sport
5.11a/b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
 9
● My Right Foot
Sport
5.11b/c 6c+ 23 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 6
● El Gringo Loco
Sport
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a
 5
● Existencia Dinamica
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 7
● El Pelotero Malo
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 4
● Revolucion
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 4
● Resistance
Sport, TR
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 3
● La China Dulce "The Sweet Orange"
Sport, TR
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
● La Escalera
 11
5.8- 5b 16 VI- 14 VS 4c Sport
● Blanca Nieves
 31
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport
● La Esquina Famosa
 8
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
● Que Siga La Rumba
 8
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
● Bola de Fuego
 6
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
● Triboro Bridge
 12
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a Sport 2 pitches
● Triboro Direct
 14
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Sport 2 pitches
● Pompi Pompi
 9
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
● My Right Foot
 9
5.11a/b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c Sport
● El Gringo Loco
 6
5.11b/c 6c+ 23 VIII- 24 E4 6a Sport
● Existencia Dinamica
 5
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a Sport
● El Pelotero Malo
 7
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
● Revolucion
 4
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
● Resistance
 4
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport, TR
● La China Dulce "The Sweet O…
 3
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport, TR
More Classic Climbs in Caliche (Ciales) »

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Photos

Perspective of Caliche Crag from the north. The two shaded faces are ideal in the morning and then by 1pm the remainder of this east/southeast facing cliff goes into the shade for the remainder of the day.
Perspective of Caliche Crag from the north. Th…
 2
Cara in the crux of Que Siga La Rumba. Rated 10a in the guidebook but no harder than 5.9, a super classic!
Cara in the crux of Que Siga La Rumba. Rated 1…
 2
Luis Benet engaged on the upper half of the fun route "My Right Foot". I prefer to clip the first two bolts in the roof then it makes the most sense to climb straight up, skipping the third bolt in the roof (contrived) and f
Luis Benet engaged on the upper half of the fun…
 2
Drone view of the shady wall with climbers on (L) Blanca Nieves "Snow White" and (R) Que Siga La Rumba "Follow the Rumba (music)".
Drone view of the shady wall with climbers on (…
 1
The peaceful neighborhood of Caliche where you park to walk to the cliff. Without blocking the driveway on the right, you can fit four or five vehicles like the one shown and another on the right side off the road. Please b
The peaceful neighborhood of Caliche where you…
 2
Rincon local Leslie enjoying one of her first rock climbs ever at Caliche.
Rincon local Leslie enjoying one of her first r…
 1
Starting moves of the classic power pocket and balance test-piece at Caliche: El Pelotero Malo
Starting moves of the classic power pocket and…
 1
Audi at the start of "La Otra Esquina", listed in the guidebook at 5.9, this is a fun 5.7 that is very vegetatef but worth doing and easiest route on cliff.
Audi at the start of "La Otra Esquina", listed…
 1
Happy belayer below the classic 5.8, Blanca Nieves.
Happy belayer below the classic 5.8, Blanca Nie…
 1
one of the Triboro routes
one of the Triboro routes
 1
The far right route on the shady wall, "La Esquina Famosa" is a high quality pitch, climber about 15' below the anchor.
The far right route on the shady wall, "La Esqu…
 1
Sue Kligerman near the top of La Grieta (10c)
Sue Kligerman near the top of La Grieta (10c)
 1

3 Comments

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Dustin Clelen
Boulder, CO
Dustin Clelen   Boulder, CO
To expand a bit on the directions - go to the town of Ciales. Once you're in town, head toward the (now closed) Juan Jose Jimenez bridge on road 6685 (a right turn out of town just after you cross the bridge over the river). As you drive along this road you'll notice the rocks to your left a few hundred feet above the road. There is a small neighborhood beneath the rocks. Turn onto the road that seems to lead to the base of the rocks (and into this neighborhood). Stay on the main road in the neighborhood until you get to a basketball court with a grass parking area across the street and park there. Walk up hill (initially backtracking on the road about 50 feet or so) and toward the rocks. At one point when the road ends, you'll have to almost walk into the walls of a family compound, but not quite because the trail switches back away from their property. Eventually the trail narrows and you'll find yourself at the base of the rock looking at Tiboro Direct. Total time is less than 15 minutes from the car. Mar 13, 2014
Eli Helmuth
Ciales, PR
Eli Helmuth   Ciales, PR
Here's a google map pin to show the parking location and other key information for the visiting climber: Ciales Area Climbing Map I am also available for climbing instruction or as a skilled partner for the day and check out the local beta on ClimbingLife.com Dec 9, 2016
Eli Helmuth
Ciales, PR
Eli Helmuth   Ciales, PR
We have high quality and affordable Airbnb lodging available at our home in Ciales, with two great sport crags in town and a short drive to beautiful beaches including Mar Chiquita (snorkel), Tubos (surfing), and Playas Esperanza (surf and snorkel) this is a perfect basecamp for climbers and adventurers visiting the island.
airbnb.com/users/28477224/l…
Ciales is central to all of the climbing and ocean activities on the north coast which is where the majority of rock climbing on the island is located. The largest crag of Bayamon is just 40 minutes away, the DWS in Arecibo an equal distance to the northwest, and as a family of climbers we can assist with your planning to maximize the time on the rock. Ciales is the gateway into the Toro Negro Mountain Range with the highest peaks on the island at over 4,000' high. Swimming holes, cliff jumping, world class caving, and many more adventures are close by and there's no better place in Puerto Rico to be central to outdoor adventures. May 4, 2018