All Locations > New Mexico > Albuquerque Area > Sandia Mountain… > Pinnacle Valley > Watchtower

Cry for Merlin

Name: Cry for Merlin
Rating: 2.9

5.12b YDS 7b French 26 Ewbanks VIII+ UIAA 26 ZA E5 6b British PG13

Routes in Watchtower

L › R R › L A › Z

	Alchemy T 5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
	Cry for Merlin T 5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b PG13
	Crybaby S 5.12+ 7c 28 IX 27 E6 6b
	Excalibur T 5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b PG13
	Seventh Sojourn T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Sword In The Stone (Clarent), The T 5.12 7b+ 27 VIII+ 26 E6 6b
	Watchman's Secret T 5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a PG13
	Watchman's Secret, Variation T 5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a PG13

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Type:	Trad, 275 ft (83 m), 3 pitches, Grade II
GPS:	35.22188, -106.45432
FA:	Bryan Pletta (~1993, from NMMC bulletin archives)
Page Views:	1,150 total · 5/month
Shared By:	Orphaned on Nov 11, 2007 · Updates
Admins:	Jason Halladay, Mike Hoskins, Anna Brown Page Updates (admin only)

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Explore this route in 3D

Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Access Issue: SANDIA CREST CLOSURE ALERT - Beginning APRIL 30, 2026, 140 acres at the top of the Sandia Mountains is under a closure order. Details

Beginning APRIL 30, 2026, 140 acres at the top of the Sandia Mountains will be under a closure order so the Forest Service can complete two different projects. The first project is an extensive "fuel reduction project" and the second is the demolition/remodeling of the whole upper parking lot and crest house. The Crest Road and all parking areas above the 10k parking lot will be closed in addition to the 140 acres of forest that will be under going the fuel reduction work. The closure will be enforced from April 30, 2026, at 6 a.m. through January 15, 2027, at 6 a.m., unless rescinded. You can find the official area closure order 03-03-05-26-02 on the forest website, where it describes the parking areas and trails that the agency will close at: fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/alerts. For more information visit fs.usda.gov/r03/cibola/news… or contact the Sandia Ranger District Office at 505-281-3304.

Description

Pitch 1: climb the first pitch of Excalibur to a modern anchor with brown hangers/hardware (the anchor was upgraded in July 2025). You'll see two bolted anchor options - Merlin traditionally uses the right anchor, leaving the left free for parties on Excalibur.

Pitch 2: Place pro high in the corner then move right to the first bolt (pg13). Continue up good holds to the first crux on the arete. Get a rest underneath a roof then fire the second crux to a good stance on the arete. From here it is easy to be suckered left into Crybaby. Stay right on the arete through some more balancey moves, plug a cam, and pull onto the ledge.

Pitch 3: There are two options. Immediately above the anchor you'll see bolts the bolts of Alchemy moving up the face. This is the preferred and most logical finish. The original exit pitch moves to the right and finishes up the corner you rapped in on (standard sandia rack, 5.9).