PRINT: Rock Climb Animal Cracker, City of Rocks

Animal Cracker

5.10a, Trad, 200 ft (61 m), 2 pitches,

Avg: 3.6 from 257 votes
FA: Greg Lowe & Dick Dorworth 60s
Idaho > S Idaho > City of Rocks > Animal Cracker Rock

Access Issue: (1) Weather Wall, Yellow Wall, & all the crags north of Twin Sisters are CLOSED. (2) No trash cans. (3) Highlining temporary ban in place for CIRO and CRSP Details

(1) The area, crags, and routes just north of the Twin Sisters are on private land and the landowner recently posted no trespassing notices at the gated road/trail to the area. Any access of these areas and routes is trespassing. The area was closed by the landowner due to trespassing, illegal camping, fires & trash, and disregard of owner's privacy.
Please be respectful of the land owner's wishes and do not climb or hike here until further notice. This includes White Lightning, Skinner Roof, Weather Wall, Yellow Wall, Larry's Annihilation, Needle Rock, Mississippi Fred's, and Secret Tom's. Park officials and CRAG are working to regain access to this valuable climbing resource. Be patient and check back for updates.
(2) No trash cans anywhere in City of Rocks: urlzs.com/c4eZH
(3) HIGHLINING IS PROHIBITED
By the authority of the park manager, Highlining at City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park is temporarily prohibited as of August 28, 2019.

The park(s) is reviewing highlining activities. Here are Google Drive links to the closure and the updated Code of Regulations for CIRO. drive.google.com/open?id=1y… and drive.google.com/open?id=1Y…

Description

Animal Cracker is the prominent flake leading into an offwidth on the Southwest side of Animal Cracker Rock. Start up the finger crack in the flake, traverse a bit right to a hand crack, then follow the flake up and right. Finally grunt up the offwidth through a roof to a set of chain anchors. Rap from here or continue for another pitch.

Pitch 2 angles left into a hand crack. Climb this, which seams up quickly for a runout, yet easy finish on jugs to the top of the formation. Gear anchor needed, with a walkoff to the climber's right.

Protection

Finger sized gear up through #5 C4 (or 4.5 camalot) for the first pitch. Hand sized pieces for the second pitch. Walk off.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Resting up, getting ready for the crux

Aaron Peterson sending Animal Cracker. Photo by Fallon Rowe

The exciting roof reach-around on Animal Cracker, 5.10a.

Brock on the flake section of Animal Cracker.

The route...

The upper "roof" on Animal Cracker.

It's a good idea to have your chicken wing technique dialed before building a nest of cams under the roof

Racing the sunset. Also a shirtless ascent of this route is a bad idea...

Near the flake.

Getting into the biz. It's all there, the hand jam around the roof is locker. Chicken wing moves are over quick. Place the 5 and fire it off

Limited offwidth technique needed

the flake on Animal Cracker

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Guy H.
Fort Collins CO

You might be able to protect the final crux moves with some RPs instead of a giant cam. I left mine on the ground. A single set of old style camalots to a #4 will protect this route well until the exit moves. If you like to sew it up, add an extra #1 or #2. A #6 friend or maybe small nuts will give you pro at waist for the fun exit moves. Sep 20, 2006

susan peplow
Joshua Tree

5.9

FUN, FUN, FUN and worth the wait at the base. This route provides clean cracks which are easily protectable. I'm a girl with poor off-width skills and I can tell you none were needed at the top. Standard climbing technique with a single ankle scrapping heal toe for one move only. Holds appear all the way making this an enjoyable route.

Susan Aug 14, 2007

Brian B Ballard
Laramie, WY

Wonderful route. I liked walking a 4.5 up the OW and then a .75 before cramming around. May 16, 2010

Wooderson
Seattle, WA

Pitch 2 is chossy and probably worth passing.

A #5 Camalot would help with the gnarly off width, but two #4's made it work for me.

Save some strength for the roof, it's really more of an endurance test than any single hard move. Oct 16, 2010

Eric Haye
Boulder

5.10a

Great route and I don't think it sees much action for some reason a my belayer stated that debris was coming down during the climb.

The start demands your attention and focus. Better to stay low when moving right after your first piece to gain the next crack.

I only brought 1 #4 BD and wasted a lot of enery placing nuts in the crack. Bring 2 and leave the #5 down below and you'll be dandy. Awesome jug hold for pulling the roof can be found on the left just above your head as you begin. Sep 3, 2012

Greg Gavin
SLC, UT

If interested in topped out this climb I recommend going to climbers right off the p1 belay into the crack labeled as "Unknown 10?" in the guide book. It provides a fun 5.6 hand crack to the top. Jun 23, 2013

Charlie S
NV

Do it!

Used 1 #4 and 1 #5 for the top. Aug 17, 2013

Dr Worm

5.10+ PG13

One #4 and one #5 was enough for the OW (french free). This may feel like 10a to an 'offwidth climber'. It felt much harder than thin slice or bloody fingers to me. At the roof, the flake is pretty close below you - don't blow it there, even with good gear. I would have hit it if I'd fallen there. Nov 9, 2014

zach cook
Boise, ID

Good rock, good location and great climbing! Be careful up top of the OW, left side of Ow on the face is an exfoliation flake that makes for a great jug but is quite loose, it wiggled pretty good for me. Otherwise everything else is solid. Jul 30, 2015

Tony B
Around Boulder, CO

5.10a

A bit thuggy at the crux, but all in good fun. Jun 16, 2016

Ascensionist H

5.10a

An excellent climb (one of my favorites in the City.). Book indicates gear to 4 inches. It’s certainly doable with 4-inch gear; however, I recommend taking one 5-inch piece (as a 5-inch piece protects the crux beautifully.).

Also, at the beginning of the climb you quickly trend right to a crack. The question I had: “Do I traverse low and right, or do I move up higher and then right?” Staying low and moving right looks slightly daunting; moving higher and then right looks easier (but is unprotected.). I decided to stay low and move right—not as daunting as it looked—you get a nice finger lock from which to plug in a small cam.

I recommend skipping the second pitch (the first pitch is the money pitch); however, if you do climb the second pitch, the descent is a walk-off scramble to climber’s right (there’s a rappel station (cord and a quick-link) to assist in descending the last steep bit.). Sep 24, 2019