Home - Destinations - People - Partners - Forum - Photos - What's New
 ADVANCED
The Gallery
This is a Favorite Area
What's New in this area
Best Routes for You in this area
Photos > Recent | Best | Popular

Show routes:
Select Area...
Far Side 
Fish Wall 
Incredible Hulk Boulder, The 
Menses Prow 
Mural Wall 


Browse this area on a map

The Gallery

Submitted By: Jesse Ryan on Jan 1, 2001
Administrators: Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac
Elevation: 6,600 feet
Latitude: 38.6192  Longitude: -105.2367 
Aerial photo/map | Weather
Views: 39,566 page views

Add Area  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event 
 Printer Friendly View

BETA PHOTO

Description 

Visible to the west of the Sand Gulch Campground is the Gallery consisting of three walls (1) Far Side the southern (left) side of the canyon facing NE (2) Menses Prow the central south facing buttress (3) Mural Wall on the right side facing west. Menses Prow includes the prow proper as well as Bulge Wall around the corner. Both this area and Mural wall have high concentrations of quality routes on good rock. Ratings run from 5.7 to 5.13, most routes in the 10-12 range. There are scattered routes on the Far Side including sections further to the North called the Pitts and the Dungeon. Just downhill from here are a couple of short steep routes on the Incredible Hulk Boulder. You can find morning shade on Mural Wall and Bulge Wall and afternoon shade at the Far Side.


Getting There 

Hike the trail that starts between sites #9 and #10 in Sand Gulch Campground. Look for a fork in the trail as you approach the walls. Take the right uphill fork for Menses Wall and the Mural wall and head left down into the gully and back up for the Far Side. Heading right at the first branch, head right at the second branch uphill to Mural Wall or left down and then up to Menses Prow. 20-30 Minute Approach.

From Mark Anderson: Getting There: There are two options. The first and best option is to park at the Sand Gulch campground, and follow an excellent trail that begins between campsites #9 and #10. Follow this trail for 2 minutes downhill to a wash, cross the wash and arrive at the old Gallery parking area. The other alternative is to drive to this parking area. From Shelf Road, turn left on the road to the Sand Gulch campground. After 30 yds the road makes a sharp bend right, and a less-defined dirt road heads off straight/left. Follow this 4WD road for several hundred yards to the unmarked P-Lot. Super not recommended.

From the Parking Lot, a well-maintained trail heads NW toward the cliffs. The Trail parallels a barbed-wire fence for the first bit. Well-signed trails diverge towards the Far Side, Mural Wall, and finally the Menses Prow.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Gallery:
Period Piece   5.7+     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
First Blood   5.8     Sport, 1 pitch, 70 feet   Menses Prow
Abracadabra   5.9     Sport, 1 pitch   Far Side
Block Party   5.10b     Sport, 1 pitch   Mural Wall
Lick My Love Pump aka Love Pump   5.10b/c     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
Pueblo Gringos   5.10b/c     Sport, 1 pitch, 40 feet   Menses Prow
Slender Fungus   5.10c     Sport, 2 pitches   Menses Prow
The Big Chill   5.10c     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
Menses   5.10d     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
Morpheus   5.11b     Sport, 1 pitch, 55 feet   Mural Wall
No Passion for Fashion   5.11b/c     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
Graceland   5.11c     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
First Strike   5.11c     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
Thirteen Engines   5.11c     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
Monet   5.11d     Sport, 1 pitch   Mural Wall
Wading Through a Ventilator   5.11d     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Fish Wall
M&M   5.12a     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Mural Wall
Sundogs   5.12a/b     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
The Mural   5.12a/b     Sport, 1 pitch   Mural Wall
Cosmic Thing   5.12b     Sport, 1 pitch   Menses Prow
Browse More Classics in The Gallery

Featured Route For The Gallery
Peter Dillon at the roof, starting the traverse to the anchor.

First Blood 5.8  CO : Shelf Road : ... : Menses Prow
First Blood is the first route right of the California Ethics Pinnacle. It follows a crack to a bulge and then over it into a corner which is followed to an overhang at which point the route curves right to the belay anchor. First Blood is one of the best moderates at Shelf. It had plenty of holds, smooth jams and great protection (if one ignores the easy run out to the 1st bolt). It looks way harder then the rating but it is all there. The o...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO


Comments on The Gallery Add Comment
Show which comments —
By Sean O'Dell
Apr 8, 2002

Mense's Prow/Bluge wall has what is probably the highest concentration of moderate routes in Shelf Road. Where as the other walls in the area might have one or 2 routes under 5.10, this wall has at least half a dozen. Probably the best bet for intermediate leaders in the area.

By CLR
Dec 30, 2002

In 1995 I soloed up the west side, of the South East Arete, of the California Pinnacle (it was Just like soloing the last pitch of the Flame)...When I got the the top, I wrapped a rope -10 ft. down and drilled two climbs: *The one on the East side (of the South East Arete) is called Red Dog *The one one the North West side of the California Pinnacle is called Tucker's Faith. Then I hiked to the top of Bat Crack and tryed to clean it but: there were to many bats, and the sun was going down. So I lowered the anchors, left the BOSCH, and returned the next day to finish it with Jasson. This was two weeks before I fell off -above sky line- of DoRDi, and stopped that dirty shi.....

By Legs Magillicutty
From: Littleton
Jan 27, 2003

What is the name of the route on the California Pinnacle facing the trail? I don't see it listed here or in any of the guide books. It's a bolted line, approx 75-80', felt like it was about 10a ish, give or take.

By Sean O'Dell
Jun 3, 2003

Tracy - I've never heard a name for it. I think Knapp's book lists it as "Unknown - 5.9+" but I'm not sure. For lack of a better name, my parties have always referred to it as "Plumber's Crack." Who knows, maybe we should post it that way and then it'll stick...

By Sirius
From: Oakland, CA
Jan 21, 2004

Anyone know the name of the route two lines to the right of B.O.S.S. Method? I believe that Dumb Waiter ascends the inside arete (dark, with a bulge near the top riddled with four-finger pockets) just right and across the chimney from Method. The one I'm asking about is the outside, blunt arete a yard or so right of this, where the trail bends at a gnarled tree. About six bolts, a brief, thin crack half way up, small black roof just before the anchors...

By Nate Oakes
May 14, 2007

A reminder to watch for loose rock, even with as much traffic as this area gets. This weekend on Menses Prow, a loose block was pulled off and broke a belayer's leg, requiring a stretcher and helicopter flight out of the canyon. Be careful!