As rock climbing becomes ever more popular, crags in the cottonwood canyons are getting more crowded. Approach a spot like Challenge Buttress or School Room on a weekend, and be prepared to wait for your turn on the rock. But if you don’t mind going off the beaten path a bit, you can find quality climbing and have the cliff all to yourself. Red Rock Wall in Big Cottonwood Canyon is one such place.
Red Rock Wall is located just down canyon from the large Cardiff Fork parking lot, where people start the hike for Doughnut Falls. On the north side of the canyon, you can see a large series of cliffs made from red rock. The rock is not sandstone like climbing in southern Utah, but is in fact “red limestone.”
There are several moderate to challenging routes on Red Rock Wall, but each climb can be dirty due to lack of use. That’s the point though, isn’t it? To escape the crowds you have to get adventurous. Hell, even getting to this wall requires some adventure.
GETTING THERE
To approach Red Rock Wall, walk down the canyon from the Cardiff Fork parking lot in Big Cottonwood Canyon until you come to a thick evergreen forest on the north side of the road. There is a small, red and white checkered highway sign here. Leave the highway and start hiking up the obvious trail. The path winds up through the woods, but be careful to stay on the main trail as game paths can get you confused. When you come to a section of talus, follow the cairns and stacked rock walls that direct you up and to the left. From here, use fixed ropes to aid your ascent up steep, loose dirt to the base of the climb.
SUGGESTED ROUTES
There are a variety of routes at Red Rock Wall, varying in difficulty. Below are two that I’ve personally climbed. Both are moderate and a great intro to the crag.
Baked Bean Sandwich
This 5.8- sport route is the best one to climb first. Overall it’s pretty easy with just a few crux sections to keep you honest. However, it is a consistent 5.8, so it will work the novice climber. Featuring a ton of nice moves this climb is just plain fun. Careful lowering climbers though, as the last two bolts require the climber to meander a bit, creating serious rope drag. Therefore, this route is best rappelled when finished.
You can find Baked Bean Sandwich on the far right side of the crag, marked by a large block on the climb that resembles a ship’s prow. It is a bolted sport climb with bolted anchors.
Jen’s French Kiss
Rated at 5.9-, Jen’s French Kiss is a good route to climb after warming up on baked Bean Sandwich or as a warmup in its own right. The moves at the bottom are easy, with a couple fun sections where you can do some laybacking with awesome hands. The crux is near the top where you have to unlock the moves to pull a roof. Protection is good though, so falling here would not be a big deal. Overall, this climb is fun fun, fun, fun.
Jen’s French Kiss is a bolted sport route with bolted anchors. Bring 12 quickdraws (10 for the route, 2 for the top). You can find the route left of Baked Bean Sandwich to the right of a big corner.
There’s a lot more climbing to explore at Red Rock Wall, but these two routes are a good intro to the area. For information about these and all the other routes, I suggest you visit mountainproject.com.