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Goliath
5.9+,
Trad, 200 ft (61 m), 4 pitches, Grade III,
Avg: 2.4 from 50
votes
FA: S. Baxter, G. Douglass 1970's
Arizona
> Northern Arizona
> Sedona Area
> Sedona
> Mormon Canyon
Description
This is the spire in front of the Mushroom that you see on the way to Earth Angel. It's a fun little adventure. Most of the climbing is 5.6 and under until the last move, which unless you hang out at Kelly Canyon a lot is a major sandbag at 5.9. Pitch 1 is shady, but the rest of the route is in the sun.
Pitch 1) 5.6 80' Start at the high point of the notch, and climb the easy chimney/flare into a spooky place. The crux is at a little rooflet. Either belay in the spooky place, or traverse left a bit and belay on a cool ledge.
Pitch 2) 5.6 100' Do not climb the choss above your head!! Traverse the limestone band left (south) half-way around the spire. Belay when you can no longer pull the rope. Most of the gear on the traverse is at your feet, in the limestone.
Pitch 3) 5.6 120' Find an easy chimney to go up on the right side of a pillar (left side also looks climbable). Go up to ledgy terrain and build a belay under the bolt on the summit block. Belay takes blue and black aliens (and you can use the bolt)
Pitch 4) 5.9+ 20' Clip the bolt and claw your way past a very strenuous mantle.
Descent: 3 raps to the notch.
Rap 1: 20' Rap off the summit block. The bolts were naked and un-rappable when we were there. After scratching our heads for a while we left webbing but no rap rings, so bring your own stuff. It now occurs to me that the party that placed the bolts must have simul-rapped the summit block.
Rap 2: 20' Rap off a slung block to a 2 bolt anchor at the top of a chimney.
Rap 3: 150' Back to your packs.
Location
From the parking at the end of Jordon Road: drop into the wash and follow the wash north for 1.5 miles until you see the Mushroom and Goliath on your right. There is a very large and open wash inbetween the Mushroom and Goliath. Follow this for a little ways. When possable traverse left into a side-wash that goes up the left (north) side of Goliath. DO NOT go up the main wash on the right side of Goliath. I can tell you from experience this sucks. The route starts at the high point of the notch on the east side of the spire.
Protection
Nuts, 2 each blue Alien to #3 Camalot. Much smaller than your typical Sedona rack.
![Rap Anchor Replacement]()
[Hide Photo] Rap Anchor Replacement
![New rap anchors. Woohoo! Janky anchors removed and patched. They sucked like a Hoover.]()
[Hide Photo] New rap anchors. Woohoo! Janky anchors removed and patched. They sucked like a Hoover.
![Top of the second chimney (the smooth bulge) on pitch 3.]()
[Hide Photo] Top of the second chimney (the smooth bulge) on pitch 3.
![Plenty of room at the top of pitch 2.]()
[Hide Photo] Plenty of room at the top of pitch 2.
![Owen (13) worming up the chimney at the start of pitch 3. We voted this the favorite pitch of the day.]()
[Hide Photo] Owen (13) worming up the chimney at the start of pitch 3. We voted this the favorite pitch of the day.
![Enjoying a snack break at the top of pitch 3.]()
[Hide Photo] Enjoying a snack break at the top of pitch 3.
![Stepping around the first corner on the traverse pitch is definitely exhilarating for the leader.]()
[Hide Photo] Stepping around the first corner on the traverse pitch is definitely exhilarating for the leader.
![View from the end of the 2nd pitch]()
[Hide Photo] View from the end of the 2nd pitch
![1st pitch of Goliath]()
[Hide Photo] 1st pitch of Goliath
![We opted for a third variation (in blue) for pitch 1. Two nice cracks to build anchors on the ledge and room for 2 adults and kids to sit comfortably.]()
[Hide Photo] We opted for a third variation (in blue) for pitch 1. Two nice cracks to build anchors on the ledge and room for 2 adults and kids to sit comfortably.
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Flagstaff, AZ
Lakewood Colorado
Pasadena, CA
Surprise, AZ
Phoenix & Prescott, AZ
Flagstaff, Arizona
Bern, CH
The approach was well cairned after leaving the main wash of Mormon Canyon.
P1: I'd recommend traversing left on a broad, rounded ledge about 20 feet below the obvious blocky roof. Keeps the grade to about 5.5, though pro is sparse. We belayed on a large ledge with a bush and pin/nut anchor directly below the limestone ledge and well left of the 'spooky' place
P2: 5.4 exposed traverse
P3: Favorite pitch. Chimney to dihedral to small roof, which I found to be the crux of the first three pitches. 5.6+
P4: We aided the mantle move using a couple slings
For a rack, I'd recommend a set from blue Metolius to #3 C4, with doubles from 0.5 to #2 C4. Nuts and tricams can also work well for the smaller sizes. Oct 31, 2013
Albuquerque, NM
The sandstone colored anchor webbing is new as of 5/4/2015, but should probably be backed up at some point.
And, BTW, most of this route is not difficult but is kind of scary. Taking a 5.6/5.7 climber on it, in my opinion, would NOT be nice. May 9, 2015
We rapped with one 70m rope in three rappels: (1) from the summit to the chains (skipping the slung boulder), (2) from the chains to a slung boulder near the limestone band, and (3) to the ground. I think a 60m rope might work. Oct 13, 2015
P2 traverse easy climbing but hard to protect, definitely a little scary
Doubles to 1 Nov 23, 2015
Flagstaff, AZ
The first pitch is pretty simple, even for someone with little technical skill like me I was able to do it pretty easily. Lots of big jugs and holds along the main crack. Once you get to the small rooflet (looks like a large square boulder stuck in the major chimney), traverse to your left. You'll find a bolt on a nice ledge about ~5-10' below the limestone band which is a solid place to belay for the second pitch. Also the rocks during this pitch are not the friendliest. Many felt hallow and weak so tread with caution.
The second pitch is not as bad as it sounds. From the bolt, climb up onto the limestone band and begin traversing. The first few meters is the crux of the traverse. Just take it slow. The holds are really there, its just a tad bit exciting. There is one move before you get out onto a major ledge where you have to kinda lean outward to reach a hold. Again, just a tiny bit exciting, but very doable and very fun. This is coming from a 5.7-5.8 climber with little trad experience as well so if you're in the same boat I wouldn't fret about this traverse as much as I did!
The third pitch is money! You'll traverse around the limestone band until you find a very obvious chimney/OW going up about 80(?)'. There is a nice tree to stand on at the bottom of the crack in the shade for belaying. The crux is about 3/4's of the way up where the crack becomes more of an OW and a large bulge without many holds gets in your way on the right side. There is a nice placement for a toe-hook on the right bulge which helped me overcome this part. Once you pop up out of the crack you can scramble up to the fourth pitch, where there is a bolt ~20' below the summit block.
The fourth pitch. Holy crap, this isn't a scary pitch because the summit is right there and you're on a big comfy ledge but this move does not feel like 5.9+... to me a felt like a 5.10something (maybe a v1-v2 boulder problem?). Its a large overhanging mantle. There are two crimps for your hand on both side of the bolt and one nice foot foot about 1/3rd up the rock. My partner who is about a 5.10-5.11 climber could pull this off with elegance and finesse. I however looked like a beached whale. I almost had it, but at the end I got a little pumped trying it too much and had to aid the finish by placing a sling around the bolt. Then its an easy jaunt to the top! Be careful of hallow mudstones in between the sandstones however, they don't sound all that stable.
You're at the top! Awesome summit block. Maybe 10' across.
Rap 1: Rappel down the chains to climbers left. Before you do, you can look down and see the next rap station (maybe 80' down?).
Rap 2: Rap down the obvious chimney to a slung boulder near the limestone band in the SPOOKY PLACE. Really fun rappel, enjoy it! Try to get your rope to go down the chimney however as we suffered some pretty cruddy snags. At one point I had to be taken off rappel and hung out in the chimney w/o protection so my partner above could fix some cruddy rope snags. Avoid it by aiming down the chimney as much as possible.
Rap 3: Rap down from the slung boulder in the spooky place effectively following pitch 1 down to your packs.
FYI: We did this with a 70 m rope and had no problems. Probably could of done it with two rappels with a 70 m, but didn't wanna have to down climb from first pitch. If you're unsure your rope can make it to the second bolts, there is a slung boulder to rap off of between rap 1 and rap 2.
As an inexperienced climber, we spent about 45 minutes per pitch and about an hour and a half enjoying the summit/rapping down. I highly recommend this to first time followers if you're looking for an intro to trad. Your leader however should be confident at ~5.7 leading. Feb 20, 2016
Nevada
Here's how we did Pitch 1: Easy 5.5 chimney, exit left when possible and carefully tiptoe traverse about 30' on pure choss. We belayed from a piton on the agave-covered ledge below the limestone band, backing up with small gear. Next pitch we started by climbing onto the limestone band itself.
Rappel: A single 60-m rope will suffice. Mar 2, 2016
Sedona, AZ
flagstaff, AZ
40 year old rusty Allen bolts with what looks like chewing gum wrapped around them to minimize flex? They didn't move and they held our weight as we gently used them. That said, I would not return without a plan to add at least one modern bolt to this station. How well can you tighten an Allen bolt anyway?.... Nov 15, 2016
Prescott, AZ
Sedona
Approach - plan for about an hour to 1.5 hours. From the end of the parking lot, drop down into the drainage and follow this for about 50 minutes. Don't cut up and right until you see Goliath directly due east of you. There may be a few cairns along the way but don't count on it. Work your way up the drainage until it peters out and find the saddle just below the climb on the east side. You should be looking right at the obvious seam/chimney thing with a giant cave about half way up.
P1 - 5.6/5.7 - Warmup Pitch - Fun, relatively easy chimney/crack/seam thing to a traverse below the limestone band. I tried to traverse too early but found I couldn't protect the traverse. Don't traverse too early! This traverse leads to a 2nd chimney/seam/crack thing which has a couple of moves then you head up to the belay just below the limestone band. You'll see a single piton and bolt for the belay.
P2 - 5.7 - Exposed Traverse - From the belay find a decent way up through the limestone (maybe 5.6 if you find an easy spot) and then work you way through the easy traverse (maybe 5.4). There is a very exposed, step-across move that will make you seriously think that maybe you should have stayed home on the couch with a beer instead! Don't worry, it's easy, but exposed. Belay at the base of an obvious chimney with a mostly dead bush/tree thing. Be gentle with the tree/bush thing and back that up with some cams.
P4 - 5.7/5.8 - Chimney Time! Work your way up the wide, somewhat wandering chimney. Search for pro on both walls and use lots of long slings. The lower chimney then connects to a second, harder?chimney that hooks a bit right. I squeezed myself into this thing and did a bit of thrutching and groveling in order to top out on a cool ledge. Belay at the top of the chimney on gear, or move up and left (if the rope drag isn't killing you) until you see a decent tree. If you can still pull the rope, head up to the big, beautiful ledge just below the HARD summit block move.
P4a - 5.4 - Connecting Pitch - If you belayed at the top of the chimney, you'll need to make a short connecting pitch to get up to the base of the summit block/final pitch.
P5 - 5.10? - Boulder Move - We played around on this for a bit and ended up skipping the final summit move. Definitely harder than 5.9. Aug 11, 2019
Sedona
Coarsegold, CA
LA
Sedona, AZ
The only thing I'll add to the approach comments is that when on the second wash you'll eventually come up to steep slabs and you'll see a game trail on the left. Ignore the trail and climb the slabs, they'll take you to the tower and a nice trail left to the notch. The game trails up are super loose bushy.
The climb was fun. P1 was very hard to protect and where to traverse wasn't obvious. P2 protected really well, all the large steps I managed to put a piece. We took a single rack of camalots up to 4 and nuts and I wish I had doubles both for the p2 anchor (no way I trust that poor half dead tree and a crack in the back looks like it takes bomber #2 and #3 and a crack on the side takes good 0.5) and for p3 (assuming you go all the way to the rap anchors, which I did, entirely fourth class on overhanging hand cracks since all my pro was placed a while back).
Many options for rap anchors, we rapped from the ledge at the top of p3 to the spooky place and then down to the ground.
The p4 mantle isn't hard if you aid it with a couple of slings but the stuff that comes after looks real spooky, some slab moves and then a slopey mantle with no protection (I saw the flake people mention and no way I think gear on it will hold). Looks doable but I had my fill of fourth classing and risking ledge falls at that point so we walked back to the rap station.
The views are gorgeous from the climb. Not recommended for a new leader though since no pitch really protects well and almost the entire climb is a no fall zone. Nov 11, 2023