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Frontera Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Frontera

L › R R › L A › Z

	A Star is Born T 5.12 7b+ 27 VIII+ 26 E6 6b
	Andromeda Pain T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Artemis Bliss T 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
	Astroglide T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Blue Shift? T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Orion T 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b A0
	Partial Eclipse T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Red Shift? T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
	Serpens T 5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a
	Space Cowboy T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	Space Oddity T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a A0
	Spaceport Fronterica TR 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b
	Stardust T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a

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Elevation:	7,586 ft	2,312 m
GPS:	32.34143, -106.55808 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
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Shared By:	Erik Lehnhoff on Apr 11, 2021
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Access Issue: Power drilling is prohibited in the Organ Mountains Wilderness. Details

Description

Frontera is the border between the excellent granite of the North Organs and the beautiful, but poor quality Rhyolite of the South Organs. The rock of Frontera is generally of excellent quality, but there is not much of a known climbing history (Edmund Ward and others climbed three routes here in the late 70's), so the potential of loose rock certainly exists. The wall faces approximately southeast, and thus gets nice winter sun and likely too much summer sun. Some routes will get afternoon shade even in the summer.

There is a summit register near the Ponderosa Pine on the summit. It is in a hole in the boulders near where some of the branches lie across the rock.

Getting There

While Frontera is grouped with Needle and Squaretops, the formation is quite a bit lower and takes a different trail than the Needle hike. If you know the trail and hike reasonably quickly, the approach is <2 hours, which qualifies as a short Organs approach! Unlike most other Organs climbing approaches, the trail is pleasant and there is no bushwhacking.

Park at the La Cueva parking lot. Begin on the trail to the Needle / Fillmore Canyon. After about 0.75 mile go left through the cattle gate. In another few hundred meters look for a small trail on the right possibly marked by a cairn. This is where you split from the Needle trail. Take this trail which climbs gently for a <2 miles. Eventually you will catch a glimpse of a beautiful granite wall straight ahead. The Fillmore trail continues to the right through the Narrows and toward Organ Peak, and there is a lesser worn trail to the left, probably blocked with branches. Take the left trail watching carefully for cairns. After a while, the trail crosses the drainage to the right side and then quickly goes back into the drainage. Follow the drainage and cairns. There are numerous huge boulders blocking the drainage, and you will pass each of these on the right side. At one point (just 20 m) before the huge cave created by a boulder over the drainage) the trail splits. The left trail takes you to the climbs on the western side of Frontera, while continuing straight and following the directions below takes you to the base traverse start of Astroglide and the start of Stardust).

After climbing past one last huge boulder in the drainage, go past another boulder with a big roof and cross the drainage to the north. From here climb a ridge from which you have a perfect view of all of the Frontera wall. Don't go straight for the wall, but rather, pick your way upward and through the maze of yucca to finally reach the wall right at the traverse start of Astroglide.

3.3 miles; 2,213 elevation gain.

If headed to routes on the west side of Frontera check the description on those routes to see where to split from the trail described above.

Here is a gpx file for the trail: https://www.dropbox.com/s/td67eo6mln5bfkj/Frontera_Trail.gpx?dl=0

Here is a kml file for viewing on Google Earth: https://www.dropbox.com/s/52geajjexvt4egq/Frontera_Trail.kml?dl=0

13 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Frontera

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

5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 6 ● Space Cowboy Trad 4 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 9 ● Astroglide Trad 3 pitches
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 4 ● Stardust Trad 3 pitches