All Locations > Arizona > Northern Arizona > Sedona Area > Village of Oak… > Castle Rock Area

Castle Rock Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Castle Rock

Gargoyle Wall 2 / 9 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 11

North Face 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Drawbridge, The 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

South Face 11 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 11

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Elevation:	4,537 ft	1,383 m
GPS:	34.79016, -111.77388 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	23,384 total · 178/month
Shared By:	Derek Field on Apr 10, 2015
Admins:	Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

Castle Rock (also known as South Castle Tower) is a classic sandstone fin that appears as a spire from two aspects, and as a butte from the complimentary two. The tower itself is a down-dropped fault block which thereby presents the golden Coconino sandstone at a lower-than-usual elevation. Various styles of routes abound on the broad flanks, mostly on upper Sycamore Pass sandstone (orange) and lower Coconino sandstone (golden). The north face is notable in that it features the Gargoyle Wall: a pure sport-climbing venue (rare for the area!) on a gently overhanging plaque covered in patina holds.

Looming directly above the Village of Oak Creek, this is a great local hang. The climbing is pretty fun too, thanks to a smorgasbord of moderates. Short approach, iconic summit, fun routes, year-round sun/shade options, and a hybrid suburban/wilderness vibe.

Getting There

Just north of the Village of Oak Creek, park at the Bell Rock Trailhead parking lot then, looking both ways, cross Hwy-179 and head west on the Templeton Trail. After about ten minutes, the trail makes a U-turn to head back east. (Coordinates here are approximately 34.792587, -111.769852). Look for an unsigned (but still well defined) trail that continues westward, ascending to the saddle between Castle Rock and North Castle Tower.

The approach hike will take less than 30 minutes and follows a well established hiking trail the whole way up. Upon reaching the saddle, you will find decent little trails connecting the different ledge systems on each formation.

Note that you can also park directly under the formation on the side of Red Butte Road near the Red Agave Resort, thus shortening the approach to 15 minutes but introducing potential controversy with residents. We ask that you please use the standard Bell Rock trailhead approach for the sake of keeping these amazing chunks of sandstone accessible to climbers. After all, 30 minutes is still pretty damn good for access to Coconino sandstone.

25 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Castle Rock

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 16 ● Royalty Trad S Face
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a 25 ● Transylvania Trip Trad 6 pitches N Face
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 6 ● Jester Trad S Face
5.10- 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 7 ● Gargoyle Trad Gargoyle Wall
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b 4 ● Coronation Sport Gargoyle Wall
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b 8 ● Mid-Evil Times Trad S Face
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b 14 ● Excalibur Trad S Face
5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 5 ● Nights of the Round Table Sport Gargoyle Wall
5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 5 ● Welcome to the Royal Family Sport Gargoyle Wall
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 9 ● Tweaker Sport Drawbridge
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 4 ● King's Cup Sport Gargoyle Wall
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 5 ● Pitchfork Uprising Sport Gargoyle Wall
5.11 6c+ 23 VIII- 23 E4 5c 5 ● Elfo's Revenge Sport Gargoyle Wall