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Elevation: 4,201 ft
GPS: 36.15631, -115.43649
Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views: 30,618 total · 125/month
Shared By: Tony B on Feb 20, 2004 · Updates
Admins: Luke EF, Larry DeAngelo, Justin Johnsen, Aaron Mc
Warning Access Issue: Red Rock RAIN AND WET ROCK: The sandstone is fragile and is very easily damaged when wet. DetailsDrop down

Description Suggest change

Hunter S Thompson Dome is the dome-shaped cliff with a huge, 50' wide by 8' deep roof about halfway up its right end. It's easily identified from the parking lot and located behind Black Corridor and Sweet Pain wall. It is a taller 'adventure' wall relative to its pure sport climbing aforementioned neighbor crags. 

It has a mix of sport and trad routes from 5.8 to 5.12 with several new, fully-bolted sport climbs. And all the new sport climbs and original trad lines (from the 80s/90s) have updated bolts/anchors with glueins as of summer 2023. The sport climbs have lower-off anchors and the trad lines with bolted anchors have rap rings. The trad lines that reach the top of the cliff (gear belays) can be done in a single long pitch with a 70m rope, otherwise a 60m easily covers the climbs at HSTD.

The wall faces west to southwest and receives morning shade with afternoon sun. Think HSTD in the morning shade then Sweet Pain or Black Corridor in the afternoon shade, or the reverse if it's cold and you want the sun.

The descent if you top out is a walk off to the right/southeast to the boulder field approach for Great Red Book area.

Getting There Suggest change

Same approach as for Sweet Pain, Black Corridor, Great Red Book area. From the parking lot follow the trail down to the wash and head left/north. After 100' in the wash scramble up/right through a low point full of tanks (often with water) to a sandy wash area full of scrub oak bushes and braided trails. From here you can just barely see climbs in one end of the Black Corridor and Sweet Pain wall on the left side up a gully/wash that heads uphill in front of you. Scramble up through the Sweet Pain wall gully/base area and at the top of the base area HSTD will come into view across the bigger gully to the right/east. This gully is the upper entrance/exit of Black Corridor down to the right/south. Scramble across the gully to the base of HSTD right in the middle of the wall, left of the huge roof. 15 minutes at most if you nail it.

16 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Hunter S. Thompson Dome

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 220
Crazy Eights
Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 162
Mother's Milk
Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 141
Chrome Dome
Sport
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 97
Squire
Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 124
The De-Nogginizer
Sport
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
 5
Throttle Control
Sport
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 6
Psychotic Derangement
Sport
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Crazy Eights
 220
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport
Mother's Milk
 162
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport
Chrome Dome
 141
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Sport
Squire
 97
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport
The De-Nogginizer
 124
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
Throttle Control
 5
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c Sport
Psychotic Derangement
 6
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a Sport
More Classic Climbs in Hunter S. Thompson Dome »

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