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The Highside Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in The Highside

L › R R › L A › Z

	Adrift S 5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
	Dire Wolf T,TR 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
	Highside S 5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
	Raven Dance S 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Shadowcat S 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
	Welcome to Hard Times S 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
	Welcome to High Times S 5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b

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Elevation:	8,628 ft	2,630 m
GPS:	38.88817, -106.1382 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	483 total · 84/month
Shared By:	Jeff G on Mar 15, 2026
Admins:	Joey Chicharrones, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

This is a newly developed wall situated directly above and left of Transmitter Tower. It is visible on the drive in as the highest wall in the Transmitter Tower area. The crag has climbing on the W, NW, and N faces. You can climb in the shade on warm mornings or chase the afternoon sun in the winter on the W face routes. All routes are new in 2026.

Currently there are 7 routes at the Highside ranging in difficulty from 5.9 - 5.11b. There is one mixed route that requires some gear (Dire Wolf) all other routes are fully bolted. There are anchors at the top of every route for lowering. A 60m rope works well here. The rock is a little coarse in texture, and is still cleaning up, but there are nice flakes and patina edges. The movement is enjoyable, and the routes tend to be sustained, and technical. The namesake route for the crag, Highside, is unique for the Buena Vista area offering overhanging climbing on big edges with a tricky finish.

All hardware is stainless steel. The bolts are 3/8" by 3 3/4" double wedge bolts with stainless hangers. The hardware is painted to decrease visibility. The anchor stations have SS quicklinks or SS lowering hooks.

Getting There

Park at the Split Rocks parking area. Hike over the little pass on the East side of Split Rocks. Once you are over the pass, continue North for 50 yards or so until you come to the Vitamin B mountain bike trail. Turn West on the bike trail for just a few yards, then look for a cairned trail leading directly North towards Transmitter Tower (this is the Transmitter Tower approach).

The Highside trail splits off to the West by a pinyon tree one minute before arriving at Transmitter Tower. There will be cairns leading straight ahead to transmitter and there will be a large cairn off to the left which is the start of The Highside trail. Follow the cairns slightly West and then North heading up a main gully parallel to the crag. The trail will eventually turn hard right, through the rocks, bringing you to a beautiful opening under the NW wall of The Highside. We spent a lot of time finding the best route through the boulders to get to the base. Please follow the cairns to avoid undue scrambling and to help preserve the fragile desert eco-system.

The approach time is about 15 minutes from the parking lot (7-10 minutes past the main Transmitter Tower crags).

7 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at The Highside

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

5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 8 ● Raven Dance Sport
5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 7 ● Adrift Sport
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 7 ● Shadowcat Sport
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b 5 ● Highside Sport
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c 5 ● Welcome to Hard Times Sport