Southwest Ridge [Suggest Change]

This is a worthwhile route for those with adventurous spirits. It's a long way to hike and route-find through the washes and bushes and slabs for some short pitches on crumbly granite. I would not say that this is a route for the new 5.6 leader due to unprotected runouts off the belay ledges. Regardless, it's a fun way to the top of the Lizard Head.

Pitch 1: Climb through a dead Manzanita into the wide crack/chimney for 20'. Plug a #4 Camelot, then head up and right 20' through more wideness to a ledge. Place a piece and trend up and left onto a face with some knobs and small flakes for 25' to a groove - a little crumbly, but okay - unprotectable. You can get a piece of gear here for a final 15' section to the obvious tree on your left (85').

Pitch 2: Step back out right from the tree and pull some steep knobby unprotected moves for 15' onto the slabby ridge above. Follow the slab for 30' to a point - sling the point with a 48" runner (not much else here for gear minus a thin crack - small stopper); step down right and move onto the ledge that leads you traversing toward the obvious large tree in the corner (85').

Pitch 3: Climb the low angled offwidth for 20'(larger than a #6 Camelot) - its an easy layback... Then continue up the crack and gully to the summit (60').

Pitch 1 and 2 could be done in one pitch.

Descent: From the Rap Rings on the summit, rappel the West face with two ropes (maybe a 70m rope would do it???). Or, with a 60m rope, rap back over across to the top of Pitch two and keep rappelling down past the tree to the ground. A single 60m reaches perfectly and pulling the rope around the corner was fine.

Make your way around to the SW side of the formation. There is a decently flat-ish area under a tree to organize your stuff and rack up.

Rack - single rack #1-#4 Camelots (or doubles if you are nervous). A few small stoppers. Cordellettes or slings to belay off the trees. 48" runner to sling the "point" mentioned above to protect your follower.