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Castle Rock Area Rock Climbing
| Elevation: | 4,642 ft | 1,415 m |
| GPS: |
34.79127, -111.77409 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
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| Page Views: | 25,350 total · 311/month | |
| Shared By: | Derek Field on Apr 3, 2018 | |
| Admins: | Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen |
Description
Description provided by Matthew.Johnson91 (edited by Derek Field): Year-round goodness to be found here! Castle Rock is the name broadly given to the rock formations that can be seen on the left (west) as you enter the Village of Oak Creek from the south. While somewhat less striking and not as recognizable as nearby Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, it is higher than Bell Rock - with far fewer tourists. From the right angles, you'll see that there are two towers (Castle Rock and North Castle Tower) that are separated from the main wall in a line to the south - making for some shade at any time of day. This is an area with beautiful, classic summits, shade to be found at any time of day, and some great moderate lines. Here, an experienced, cautious, well-equipped party can get a few pitches off deck in the morning and be back enjoying a beer in the Village by lunchtime. Helmets are essential here. Lots of clean, protectable cracks but also a lot of loose rock, particularly on the belay ledges, so use caution and common sense.
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.
Classic Climbing Routes at Castle Rock Area
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