The Schoolyard area from the First Creek Parking a...
Description
At the mouth of First Creek Canyon, on the south (left) side, there is an area of complex cliff bands with several good routes. In Joanne Urioste's 1984 guidebook, she says merely, "Short climbs abound in the broken easternmost section at the mouth of the canyon." Much of the history is hazy, but Joe Herbst, Mark Moore, and Tom Kaufman (and probably others) did a number of lines back in the 70s.
Most of the cliffs face northeast and stay relatively cool. The rock ranges from excellent varnish to the sandy white variety.
Getting There
Hike in on the First Creek Trail. About the time the main trail drops into the sandy canyon bottom, exit left and follow faint trails up an indefinite ridge to reach the cliffs. As you reach the top of the ridge, bear left for routes near the Coffin Corner, or right for routes near the Schoolyard Bully.
Allow at least an hour from the trailhead.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Schoolyard:
This is a very striking straight-in crack that brings full value for the grade. It begins with perfect steep hand jams then progressively becomes wider until you can finally (mercifully) squeeze your body in near the top. Expect a lot of sustained, clean offwidth climbing in between. Unfortunately, the location will likely keep this route from becoming the classic it could be if it were more accessible....[more]Browse More Classics in NV
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