Homestead 

One of the anchors on 'The Pone Toney' broke on 3/30/2013. Nothing bad happened but it could have been deadly. My understanding is that this route was put on by Larry Meier with old SMC hardware. Use caution on his routes with this hardware.

I am willing to contribute some time and money to ensure safe routes. This is completely unacceptable.

Was it the bolt or the hanger that broke?

Lots of good info here - www.huecorockranch.com/images/Homestead.pdf

The best Arizona crag that nobody's climbing at.

The road access to the Homestead traverses across State Trust Land and at least 3 large privately held parcels of land. Several gates will be encountered and at the present time there are no "No Trespassing" signs posted.

The end of the road where most people park is private property. Also, several developed crags are on private property. Again, at this time there are no "No Trespassing" signs posted. However, this could change quickly so please show all of the gates, properties, and livestock facilities a great deal of respect and honor any of the requests of the property owners or those representing themselves as such.

Camping on private property is discouraged at all and should never be done near any livestock corrals, watering areas, etc. Best to camp away from the private property on BLM property along the ridge a mile or two from the parking area. Reference BLM docs, Az Gazeteer, and/or Gila County Assessor land ownership documents for specific land locations.

An Arizona State Trust Land permit is required to access the dirt road directly off of the highway and this permit can be acquired on the web or at the Az State Land Dept in downtown Phoenix. (easy to get and inexpensive relative to the fines for not having one)

Don't endanger our future access by disrespecting the private property or the Az State Trust Land protocols.

This area is very cool though a little hard to get to, requires a four-wheel drive truck. Your subaru will not make it!! Part of the adventure is the journey.

Beware - Finland and Tufa City are loaded with bees and wasps, at least during the fall. We found many routes with what appeared to be wasp nests, judging from the number of wasps hanging out in pockets. There were also large bee hives visible in certain areas. It would be good to post if it is known whether or not Africanized bees have made it to this area. The sheer number of the pests lurking and flying around made it annoying and it would be hard not to get stung if you stayed there for any length of time. There is also a beehive in a pocket at the handrail section of the trail along the base of Slate Nation. It would be helpful if a local posted any better information on the bee and wasp deal, particularly for Finland and Tufa City as the rock was killer (just hopefully not the bees!).

When were you there? I was planning on heading out there over thanksgiving. Are the routes at Finland and Tufa City still climbable? Thanks.

Tzilla,
Every bee in the wild in Arizona is an Africanized bee. The only non-Africanized bees are domestic bees that honey producers have.

A few tips: if you are climbing around a hive don't slap or kill a bee. This releases a pheromone that tells the rest of the bees that it's time to kick some ass.
If you do get attacked run as fast as you can away from the hive. They will chase you up to 1/4 of a mile, then give up.
Don't jump into the water. They will just hover above the surface and wait for you to come up for air.
They are attracted to CO2, that's were they will try to get to first.
If your being attacked cover your nose and mouth as you run away.

Bees are like any wild critter. Sometimes they just attack unprovoked and sometimes they leave you alone.

I've climbed right into a large hive and been stung a few times and they rest of the bees left me alone as I lowered to the ground.

Also swarming bees are not going to attack. They are a group that has broken away from a hive that has gotten too big and are now out find a new place to hang with there own queen in tow. They have no hive to protect so they have no reason to be aggressive.

If you really need to take out a hive that's taken up residence on your most favorite climb. Get one of those 5 gallon pump sprayers, mix a very soapy water solution and spray away. The soap does two things. It blocks there breathing pores so they suffocate, and it prohibits the pheromone release.

Remember Africanized bees are better pollinators and better honey makers than our honey bees. (That's why they were cross bread in the first place, down in South America)

So if you can just live with them that is always best. They do good work, they're just a bit cantankerous.

Thanks for the info on the bees, etc. It should be helpful to other visitors. I visited a USDA website that showed the progression of the Africanized bees in the southern US and it indicated that mainly southern AZ was affected and that further migration seemed to have stopped.

To me, in early November the bug situation made the place unclimbable and my partner had encountered a previous reaction to a wasp sting making the aura of the area that much less attractive. It would seem hard to run 1/4 mile through the local terrain there or when tied to the end of a rope to get away from an attack. Unfortunately the less interesting walls weren't as affected by the bee and wasp situation as Finland and Tufa City. Are there other walls with the tufa with fewer bugs?

Unfortunately the big pockets in limestone make great bee hives. We have a similar problem with bees and wasps at the Mustang.
One thing we've do is to put out a bowl of water well away from where we're climbing. The bee and wasps are more attracted to the water than us. It's not uncommon to have 20 or 30 bees on the water dish.
The hotter and drier it is the more effective this ploy is.

Of course on cold days you can always climb in a bee suit.

Just to let folks know...had a great weekend at Finland. We saw very few bees or wasps-so, head on out. Does anyone know of an updated topo for Finland area?? The old one is not very helpful and we were guessing at routes. Road was tricky but manageable with the Xterra. If you love tufa climbing you gotta check this place out!

The "description" and "getting there" links are dead

You can download the old pdf guide: www.14113.net/Homestead.pdf

Marty has a pocket size guide available in most AZ shops that I recommend picking up.

- A

PLEASE pick up your trash when you climb here - this includes toilet paper. There is quite the toilet paper bouquet building in the bushes across from the Welcome wall. Pack it in - pack it out. Thanks!

Thanks to Carter, et al for the amazing trail work. Through their efforts eroding slopes are being replaced by beautiful stairs. Thanks!

Can some more basic info be added to this area? Is it a reasonable day trip from Phoenix, or does the drive & approach mean that a full weekend is a better way to climb here? Any updates on the road, or is a 4x4 still necessary?

Peter:

The drive is approximately 2 hours from Phoenix. The dirt access road requires 20 minutes. Hence it can be done as a day trip but a weekend is more enjoyable.

Only a small portion of the road requires a 4x4 but this section was getting noticeably worse in the spring. An alternative is to hike or bike in.

You can chase sun or shade all day so you can climb all but the hottest days of the year.

A few ideas...

1) A trail from Rough Rider to Tufa City would be nice.

2) A sign at the start of Tufa City reminding folks to avoid climbing tufas during wet conditions would help protect the area.

3) A few fence posts in the third gate need to be repaired.

We are planning on heading there in mid January. Can someone confirm that camping is allowed, obviously not on private property. Is there a certain area that is cleared out somewhat for camping? Is there a decent water source? Also, is the land trust permit still required as mentioned in the above comments? Thanx in advance for any updates.

Peter

Yes, camping is allowed. It's awesome camping. There are two obvious camping areas. The first one you come to is just a little ways past the second gate, it is on private land. The second area is just past the third gate on your left and it's on BLM land. It is best to camp in the second area. Hopefully it's not full when you get to it. It's a little small and can only accommodate so many people.
No water source, bring what you need. I've seen the creek run through the canyon, but only a couple times and after snow melt or spring rains.
You are only on state trust land for about a half mile or so off the highway. It is my understanding that everyone on, or passing through state trust land is supposed to have a permit.
Enjoy your stay at the Homestead!

OK. Seems like the Homestead is gaining a ton of climbing traffic these days. There has been for sure, significant impact in the area due to climbing. Thanks everyone for your work on the trails! Nice Work. We have a tail system. Now for Human Waste -- Please pack out your trash! and pick up a wag bag and poop in it, not in a shallow cat hole. While burying human waste works for low impact areas, it does not here! It sounds bad, but it is painless and easy to pack out your poo! Wag bags are available at any gear shop.

Anyone have a condition report on the road going into the homestead? Is it any worse than it was a year ago?

It is worse Erock, but put it in low and try not to get the tires spinning and you will be fine. You will apparently have more trouble getting traction at the base of climbs with all the poop laying around.

was out over xmas week. i have been climbing here at the stead for over 12 years and the road is in the best shape i have ever see it in have fun. PEACE E

Well I guess I will find out soon what the road has to offer this time. Thanks!

What an AMAZING area! Thank to all of the area developers for their hard work! The trails show a huge amount of dedication...the stairs to each wall were enough to impress me, let alone the fantastic routes. MANY thanks!!

If the road is in the best shape ever, does that still mean 4x4 is necessary?

Still need four wheel drive.

So how long does the drive take from northern Tucson (like Oracle/Ina) to Homestead?

God bless The Homestead now that it's in Climbing

Climbing magazine is so very lame, just a little more lame than Mountain Project. Look out fragile desert, here comes Boulder.

Its worth the hike in :)

We'll be heading to Homestead sometime this month. I do not have a 4 wheel drive, but do have high clearance. I understand that there is about a 100 foot stretch that is impassable without 4WD. Does anyone know if it is possible to park and camp before this stretch? Also, how much of a hike would it be from the 4WD section? Thanks

Hey their Schmuck, looks like you joined MP just for these questions. Welcome.
The rough part of the road is about a half mile from the highway, so the walk from there is still a ways. You can find a place to camp before the rough spot, but do know that this part of the road is State Trust land. If you do have the high clearance, good tires, and a good off-road driver; you could make it through the rough section. But I'm about the only person that dives up there in 2WD these days. You'll have to make that call when you get there and see it.
Enjoy your visit.

Red has two wheel drive with a locking rear differential which is almost the same as 4X.

No real noticeable difference with the lockers off. But I do tend to use them since I have them.

this post is in regards to hendrixson's post concerning the need for some fence repair at the third gate, and the need for a trail from rough to tufa.
please feel free to jump right on in there and take care of those issues. you're obviously a "local", and enjoy climbing there.
any work you put into maintaining, or upgrading the area will benefit us all, and will be appreciated.
thanx.

The rattlers are out in force and one dog has cost their owners $1200 bucks for his curiosity. Pay attention and keep your dog close.

This was one of the older thin steel SMC hangers being used for the anchor and it fractured along the bottom of the bolt hole. The rust showed that it had been this way for a while. about an eighth of an inch of un-rusted metal could be seen one the two fracture planes. This could have been very bad had the other one failed.

These were the old thinner gauge SMC hangers not the newer and quite usable ones. If you have not seen both it is hard to tell which ones you are clipping.

Here's some photos to help illustrate the difference between the old and new style SMC bolt hangers -

New (left) and old (right) style SMC bolt hangers. Note the stamp is oriented differently on the two styles. Submitted By: C Miller on Apr 1, 2013

New (top) and old (bottom) SMC bolt hangers showing the difference in thickness. Submitted By: C Miller on Apr 1, 2013

I have tried to convince folks there to camo the hangers and anchor hardware, so far to no avail. When the sun is at the right angle they just glow. Ticks can at least be brushed off.

my recommendation is for you not to climb anything you don't put up yourself.
that way it will be certified hendrixson safe.

Hey Lar, I think John just offered to pay for some hardware to ensure that it is up to standard. I would send him your address and say thank you. John is a stand up guy who contributes to the development and upkeep of hardware on old and new routes.

by the way efr, who's going to paint up johns routes, garett's routes, dave's routes, since john's no longer with us, garett's in ok., dave's in n.j. , will that be you?

Hey Lar I used to throw cans in the lake and sink them with rocks. I dont do that any more. I will bring a stencil & some paint the next time I go Lar. R you upset about something?

way to step up there and take care of your personal issues. nice.

Huh? I don't get it. Eric's the most step up, selfless guy I know.

I'm glad no one was hurt or injured by the faulty hardware. The hanger had no visible fractures when it was placed, years ago. Thanks for the offer to replace it hendrixson. I certainly didn't intend to endanger anyone.