Big River Wall Rock Climbing

The approach takes anywhere from 35 min to an hour, depending on pace, familiarity with the trail, and psyche. It is a beautiful trail in its own right, so taking your time is not so much a labor as it is a treat.

Park at the Forest Service area at the end of Buckman Road (well past Diablo Canyon) where it hits the Rio Grande. There are pit toilets here and bear-proof trash cans, though they are usually overflowing with beer bottles and boxes. Walk 20 yards back up the road to a gate heading north, then through another big gate that closes access to the service road. 

Continue on this service road for about 10 minutes, you will pass a first large arroyo with another cattle guard and cut gate, then through a section of bosque (forest) canopy. At the end of this section of bosque there is an opening for a swimming hole that sometimes has a rope tree, that is about 10 yards before the second arroyo system that leads to the trail heading up to the crag. Turn right here and head upstream, and right where you pass an old earthen trestle section of the Historic Chile Line that is being devoured by 4-wheelers (now just looks like any old dirt road), pass through a three-fencepost barrier that blocks access of vehicles onto this arroyo trail (the one remaining sacred spot). Keep heading up this scenic arroyo for about 5 more minutes. There will be a distinctive side arroyo entering from your left that should be well-cairned right where the cutbank ends. This marks the beginning of the BRW trail that guides you up about 600' vertical to the base of a large prominent cliff-band on the mesa above you to the east. The trail dumps you at the cliff right below Cutthroat and Rainbow. The climber's map tool on this crag page shows the trail path and does a good job summarizing all the text I just barfed onto this section. 

Note that the 4-wheeling community regularly cut both gates so they can rip it up across the wetlands and floodplains in the area. Lately, due to the almost daily activity of 4-wheeler traffic, you can drive in easily and park at or near the base of the arroyo that you take to the cliff, saving you maybe 10 or more minutes of flat walking along the beaten road. The USFS has made no effort to control the traffic over the last 5 years, despite some of my protests and newspaper articles about the devastation to this area from vehicles. So, since you would probably be walking along with passing recreationists anyhow, I wouldn't worry about driving in and parking. On wet years, there may be some muddy puddles at the entrance, or through the bosque section, so make good choices relative to your vehicle. I will also say, the camp sites along the sandy banks of the Rio look pretty amazing along several spots where the first large arroyo system meets the river. Idiots have been leaving a fair bit of trash in the area, so take it for what it is. And if you do camp here at these gorgeous riverside camps, take some of that trash out with you.