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Sheep Trail

5.10 R, Trad, 120 ft (36 m),  Avg: 2.9 from 44 votes
FA: John Bachar, Mike Lechlinski, and Richard Harrison, 1983
Nevada > Southern Nevada > Red Rocks > Willow Spring > Ragged Edges Area
Warning Access Issue: Red Rock RAIN AND WET ROCK: The sandstone is fragile and is very easily damaged when wet. DetailsDrop down

Description

50' right of Ragged Edges. Just right of a line with a couple bolts on it.

Boulder up some whitish rock, (crux no pro), then continue up fun climbing to a very shallow left-facing flake/corner system.

Continue to the top and walk off.

Protection

Standard Rack.

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Sheep Trail
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J. Thompson
denver, co
  5.10b
[Hide Comment] The first 30-50 ft of this climb can be confusing.You start by traversing right, then when you reach the "horizontals" you want to head back left-just alittle- and climb up into a "dished out" area. Then traverse up and right alittle to reach the aforementioned shallow, left facing corner/flake thingy. Once there it's pretty much straight up.This climb is a little runout. Apr 13, 2005
Eric Sorenson
Las Vegas
  5.10a PG13
[Hide Comment] The difficulty may be dependent on where you start. I started on the left side of the black streak (there is chalk on the right side also) and found it not too bad. I got protection at approx. the 10 and 15 foot level, then encountered a 20-foot runout. After that, there are many opportunities to place small nuts and cams, some of which are quite shallow and probably would not hold a big fall. Therefore, it is a good idea to place many pieces and not skip any solid looking ones. Apr 1, 2007
Aaron S
  5.10a PG13
[Hide Comment] This line is not at all obvious from the ground but the climbing is awesome once you get on it. May 3, 2007
Jon OBrien
Nevada
  5.10 R
[Hide Comment] awesome route! i followed it and thought it climbed really stout! I wish i had the balls to lead it! an old book says bachar originally called it an 8! Apr 22, 2009
Drew Peterson
  5.10 PG13
[Hide Comment] This would probably be difficult without chalk leading the way, but it truly is pretty straight forward and protectable. Aim for the 'gun sight' crack weakness up high just below the belly ledge. Mar 15, 2013
Jared Dye
Lexington, KY
  5.10a PG13
[Hide Comment] This is a great climb through nice black varnish and not quite R rated. You can start left and traverse or start right and go up direct for a harder climb. Also closer to 140ft to the top. No bolts or rap station so bring some medium-large cams for an anchor (or use tree), belay up your 2nd and walk off climbers right or rap Tonto. Dec 14, 2020
Terry L
North Vancouver, BC, CA
  5.10+ R
[Hide Comment] TL;DR: I found this route to be heady and sandbagged, substantially more difficult than Chicken Eruptus. I'd say 10+ or 11-

Gear: I used a double rack from 0.3 to #3 (used both #3s) and a set of nuts

Beta: midway thru the traverse at the start, you can place a #3 at your knees, it's a bit hidden but it'll give more peace of mind

General comments: Overhanging start, vertical and bouldery throughout with reasonable rests b/w powerful crimpy moves to blind jugs. 2 to 3 cruxes as the route "eases off" but then gets steep and crimpy again. Not super popular so route finding is necessary (very few chalk markings).
For a top anchor, I used a big juniper set back from the cliff edge (~20-30 feet). I climbed on a 70m rope and only had 5-10m left before pulling tight on my follower. Lots of rope drag as well. Feb 17, 2022
Adam Gallimore
Greensboro
[Hide Comment] It is possible to start on Akido Gun boy past the first bolt, traverse hard right on rail to the crack on this climb, follow the crack for a ways, and then traverse back hard left on another rail to finish on good holds and decent gear. Offset nuts and tricams were nice. Mar 19, 2025