El Sendero Luminoso (The Shining Path) is one of the most famous and coveted climbs in Potrero Chico - and deservedly so. Visible from miles away as one looks southwest towards Potrero Chico, it is a stunning, sinewy line of clean rock that winds its way from the ground to the top of a prominent pinnacle directly beneath the true summit of El Toro in 15 wonderful pitches. Considering how much vertical terrain it covers, the fact that it not only has very little vegetation or loose rock, but also such sustained and high-quality climbing makes it a truly world-class route. This is the area's king line (with Time for Livin', perhaps, being the queen line).
Some other considerations: During prime season, the wall receives zero sun so it can often be climbed comfortably in warmer conditions with minimal water. On the other hand, in cold or inclement weather conditions can be pretty unpleasant with a constant up-draft of cold, damp air. The approach takes about 25 minutes. The climbing is divided neatly into two halves by a bivy ledge (La Quinta Santa Graciela) which can sleep up to four in relative comfort (bring WAG bags and don't even think about leaving human waste on this ledge). Five long pitches - the most difficult of the route - lead to this ledge, and then another ten - shorter, with more brief cruxes - continue from the ledge to the top. The upper pitches can be rapped with a single 70m rope whereas the lower five require two ropes or an 80m rope and some shenanigans. A common and logical strategy is to climb with a lead line and a tag, hauling a light pack, to the bivy ledge and then leave the bag and tag there while blasting the upper half. There are many uncomfortable hanging belays - a belay seat and/or your approach shoes would be luxuries.
P1 (5.12a, 140’, 14x bolts): One of the longest and hardest pitches on the route. Easy 5.11 climbing for the first half, then hard and insecure climbing up fingercracks and sidepulls for the second half. Hanging belay.
P2 (5.12c, 115’, 14x bolts): The crux. Again easier 5.11 climbing for the first half with a few good rests to a crux followed by sustained climbing trending left on fingerlocks and sidepulls. Hanging belay.
P3 (5.12a, 100’, 9x bolts): Easier than the first and second pitches but still hard. Intricate face climbing up crimps and sidepulls. Stance belay.
P4 (5.11b, 150’, 16x bolts): The longest pitch on the climb follows chossy blocks and cracks. Hanging belay.
P5 (5.12a, 115’, 10x bolts): The Palm Tree Pitch: Sustained tricky face climbing takes you to the bivy ledge. Comfortable belay.
From here, there are still a lot of hard pitches but they are shorter and generally have more brief cruxes than the previous pitches. Put another way, this is basically the halfway point in terms of effort.
P6 (5.12a, 90’, 11x bolts): Easier bottom leads to a cool, short boulder problem pulling the small bulge. Stance belay.
P7 (5.11c, 70’, 9x bolts): Clip a bolt off the belay then drop down and traverse left then back up. There are a few good stances before busting a boulder problem traversing right, across a bulge, to a crack which is liebacked to the anchor. Poor stance belay. Hint: If you do it the way Honnold does it this pitch is 5.12, but there's a trick that makes this pitch much easier!
The next two pitches ascend a beautiful grey slab dubbed "Homero's Finger". Link them to avoid a hanging belay, but prepare for battle.
P8 (5.12a, 110’, 9x bolts): Climb some slightly steeper blocky rock (awesome and a taste of things to come) to a small roof. The crux is establishing over this roof - you can go left, right, or straight up. Climb a sustained thin face on immaculate rock. Poor stance belay.
P9 (5.11b, 100’, 7x bolts): A hard move off the belay leads to incredible thin face climbing on perfect rock. Link with previous (P8) to avoid a hanging belay or next (P10) which is short and easy. Good ledge belay.
P10 (5.8, 40’, 5x bolts): Follow the edge of a vegetated corner to an anchor. Good ledge belay.
The route moves out left here to climb wildly exposed, beautiful red rock that is slightly different in character from all the climbing below but just as excellent.
P11 (5.11c, 100’, 12x bolts): The Kung Fu Farm: Work out left (consider long draws or back cleaning) and then up a cool feature with blocky sidepulls to a roof. Pull the roof on decent holds. Stance belay. Remember you don’t rap to this anchor: Scope out the rap anchor on the wall out right while here.
P12 (5.12b, 90’, 10x bolts): El Naranjo: Sustained, insecure climbing with slopey feet and weird sidepulls on red lichen and dark gray rock. Beautiful climbing that gets the grade because of how relentless it is. Climb to the roof (crux) then do two traverse boulder problems working right towards a crack. Good stance belay.
P13 (5.11a, 100’, 10x bolts): Awesome face climbing up slanting jugs. Sloping stance belay.
P14 (5.10a, 100’, 8x bolts): Climb broken, blocky rock up the left hand arete of the upper tower. Link with previous (P13) or next (P15) pitch. Good ledge belay.
P15 (5.7, 40’, 1x bolt): A short scramble up a tetris of loose blocks to the actual summit. Good ledge belay.
16x Draws.
One 80m rope. The upper half can be rapped with a single 70, the lower half requires an 80, but you can get by with a 70 by using anchors on neighboring routes.
Most bolts on the lower half of the route were replaced in the 2000's. Remaining bolts on the lower half, and most bolts on the upper half were replaced in 2023. The route should be good to go for many years.
Denver, CO
Is this route mostly technical slab climbing. If so, edges? Pockets? Slopers?
Thanks! Sep 19, 2011
Bridgton, ME
Los Angeles
youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D5…
My mittens got sweaty watching it. Aug 17, 2014
Denver
It has very interesting, surprisingly sustained and even pumpy long sequences on crimps, edges, shallow pockets, smears and fingercracks throughout all 10 first pitches we managed to climb. It's not your typical cruxy fingernail crimping slab and imo is way better quality than anything in virgin canyon. Line is amazingly clean for front side and holds, even the most suspiciously looking little flakes, are solid.
A few considerations:
1. shoes. Toe pain from technical shoes was the main reason we had to bail early. At the same time you do want a good performing shoe to both smear and edge.
2. ropes. Pitches are long and rock is sharp, so bring the lightest you can get your hands on.
3. almost every belay is a hanging one, bring a seat.
4. water - we brought 2L on the wall on a 75F day, that lasted 10 pitches. I guess 3L for a full route.
5. stash - there is a cave/mine at the base equipped with bolts to hang your packs Dec 24, 2014
Squamish, BC
A good way to do this is to bring a 70 and a tag line, haul the backpack, and leave the bag and tag line (and belay seat if you have one) on top of P5. (You can rap the top 10 pitches with a single 70) Aug 12, 2015
Denver, CO.
youtube.com/watch?v=gwnQh9W… Oct 30, 2015
Phoenix, AZ
Also, I second Mr. Marshall's hauling beta. Unless you cruise following 5.12 with a backpack on, the leader hauling on as light a tag line as possible for the first 5 pitches takes a bit of the strain off! From there a bulk of the route (especially a bulk of the hard climbing) is done. We did not summit this trip, but looking forward to another crack at it. Jan 10, 2016
Santa Cruz, CA
El sendero luminoso
1. 12b
2. 12d (crux #1)
3. 12a
4. 11d
5. 12a/b
(Bivy ledge with trees and short traverse right)
6. 12b
7. 12c - hard, reachy traverse sequence off the belay (before first bolt)
8. 11d/12a
9. 10d
10. 8 - short, probably worth linking with pitch 9
11. 12b
12. 12d (crux #2) - I pulled off a torso-sized block left of the anchors before the last few traverse moves. Rock on most of the pitch is great, just avoid the obvious chossy corner if you can
13. 11c
14. 10b
15. 7 - pretty short, 1 bolt then runout 5.2 on big loose blocks. Just keep going up, there is an anchor!
The first five pitches are amazing and long, consistent 5.12ish climbing with great rock and interesting moves. There is a bivy ledge and short traverse after pitch 5. After the ledge you can climb and rappel all pitches with a single 70m rope so we stashed our second rope there. You can rappel from all anchors you belay at EXCEPT for the top of pitch 11 (when rappelling pitch 12 go straight down and look for additional rap anchors instead of swinging back right).
The climbing is varied but expect a lot of time on your feet (if there were any feet), small crimps, and some burly vertical crack moves. Engaging, clean rock, cool cruxes, sustained climbing... your calves usually get pumped before your forearms.
Approach via the trail off the road behind Edgardo's margarita truck. Cross the wash, go through the cattle gate and follow the obvious trail traversing slightly uphill toward the climb. Take the SECOND spur on your left heading straight uphill to the base. Climb a short section of 4th class slabs heading up and right past an old mine entrance to the start of the climb. Took us about 25min from La Posada with gear. Jan 18, 2016
Bishop, CA
Your moms house
Merion Station
Salt Lake City, UT
However, if I did the route again I would use a tagline to get to the big ledge on the top of pitch 5, and then go single rope from there. The bottom pitches are the hardest and longest on the route, and you will be climbing heavy if you really bring enough water to do the whole route. We skimped on water to stay lighter and paid for it by being super dehydrated for most of the climb. It would have been way more enjoyable to tag up a few extra liters, have a nice water chug and lunch on the ledge, and then continue up the second half of the route.
Some beta (spoiler alerts!)
Park in the large gravel lot right before the entrance to the park. Walk down into the wash to find a white (not red) gate where the trail starts (gps cords 25.953770, -100.478507). Hop the gate (or walk around it) and hike down the trail. You will pass one left turn with a red dot (don't take this turn), and eventually get to the next left turn with a wooden sign in a tree. Take this left turn and head up. There are some random turns off this trail, don't take them, just keep heading straight up towards the base of the cliff. Eventually you get to some fixed lines, take those up and head right to the base of the climb.
Pitch breakdown (spoiler alert!)
1. One of the longest (and hardest) pitches on the route. 5.12. Easy 5.11 climbing for the first half, then hard and insecure climbing up flaring fingercracks and sidepulls for the 2nd half.
2. The crux - 5.12+ . Again easier 5.11 climbing for the first half trending right with a few good rests, followed by hard, sustained climbing trending back left on fingerlocks and sidepulls for the 2nd half.
3. 5.12 face climbing. Easier than the 1st and 2nd pitches. Intricate face climbing up awesome crimps and sidepulls
4. 5.12- (but more like 5.11+). The longest pitch on the climb follows chossy blocks and cracks. Not too hard
5. 5.12 The palm tree pitch. Sustained and intricate face climbing takes you to the party ledge.
From here, the next 3 pitches are still 5.12 but are shorter and not as sustained as the previous pitches
6. 5.12. Easier bottom leads to a cool, short boulder problem pulling the small buldge
7. 5.12. This was my favorite pitch on the climb. Traverse left and then climb up on immaculate gray rock. Get some good stances then bust a boulder problem traversing right to a crack past a small bulge. This is the Honnold solo pitch highlighted in the North Face video.
8. 5.12. Climb some slightly steeper blocky rock to a small bulge. We clipped the bolt over the bulge then traversed left under the roof to pull the lip before traversing back right. This is where the chalk went so we just followed it. It looked possible to go straight up over the bulge as well, but maybe harder. After you pull the bulge and get back right, cruise on easier 5.11 terrain on immaculate rock.
9 + 10: 5.11 and a short 5.10. Fun face climbing on perfect rock. We linked these two. Pretty easy and a nice break from the 8 pitches of 5.12 below
11. The topo said 5.12 but we bought though it was more like 11+. Step out left and do some weird blocky climbing (probably the crux), followed by a cool roof pull on pretty good holds
12. 5.12+. The top crux - easier than the bottom crux, but took everything we had left in the tank to send with the fatigue. Sustained face / slab climbing with slopey feet and weird sidepulls on licheny red and gray rock. You go straight up to get to the first roof (probably the hardest climbing), and then do a few traverse boulder problems heading right towards a crack.
13. 5.11. Finally an easy pitch. Awesome face climbing up jugs. You earned it!
14 + 15. Easy climbing to the summit. The first part is 5.10, and then there is a short 5.7 scramble up a tetris of loose blocks to the actual summit. Jan 14, 2020
However, please do not leave quicklinks on bolts. Carabiners are lighter, more versatile, and chances are you’ll have a few already if you’re climbing this route. Case in point: there are already two quicklinks on bolts on Sendero that are so completely rusted that they are just in the way now - yet they cannot be removed without a saw or bolt cutters. Bailing is cool, but do it in style! Jan 21, 2020
Come pay tribute to Brad by making sure you tie into the end of your rope if you simulrap down the route. One fatal accident is enough. The route isn't over until you are safely on the ground. Feb 29, 2020
Yosemite Valley
youtu.be/5oaoRDR5leY?t=248 Nov 30, 2022
Las Vegas, NV
We went up the last 5.12 crux (pitch 12), and then decided to start our descent since the sun had set. In my opinion the climbing from the base to the top of Homero’s Finger (pitch 10) was the best, the quality of the route degrades a bit after that. I’m not much of a peak bagger, especially when the peak isn’t even the proper summit of El Toro and it is dark and I can’t see shit anyways. Props to all the parties going to the top of 15, but if I were to do it again I would have stopped at the top of Homero’s Finger and started our descent from there. The climbing up to that point might just be the best limestone sport climbing I’ve ever done. It truly is amazing how a route can be such good quality for so many pitches back to back.
Thanks so much to all the people who provided the hardware and effort for us all to have fun clipping bolts the whole way up this thing. Mar 8, 2023
Durango, Colorado
At the anchors of pitch four we decided to rappel back down. Moments later a softball sized rock flew by us, going faster than I've ever witnessed a rock move. The rock was probably from the climbers hundreds of feet above on Sombre De Muerte, as the route moves up above Sendero, something I didn't realize until later.
Figured I'd pass this experience on...I definitely wouldn't climb Sendero again with a party above on Sombra.
Also: two ropes are useful to have it you're working the first few pitches. They are long! Feb 13, 2024
Indiana