The Cliffs are on private property. Access is restricted. MORE INFO >>>
In the past, the Los Alamos Mountaineers had access to this cliff, but this is no longer the case. Some have suggested trying to request permission through Corkins Lodge. Access and climb at your own risk!
Note from scotthsu: George Perkins re-assigned this page to me from MP user Sheets on 10/10/08. The text below was written by me, and I will slowly add to it. Thanks for your patience.
The Brazos Cliffs tower some 3000' above the surrounding lands to the northeast of Tierra Amarilla. The tallest parts of the Cliffs offer up to 2000' of technical climbing/scrambling. The rock is hard pre-Cambrian quartzite. The first technical climb was made on the Brazos Cliffs in 1952 by George Bell, Sr., Virginia Lotz, Don Monk, and K. Bruecknerand when they climbed Easy Ridge. Later that year, George Bell and Don Monk climbed the Great Couloir. Over the next 20-30 years, members of the Los Alamos Mountaineers (LAM) established some 45 routes and major route variations on these cliffs. The LAM website has an engaging write-up on the climbing history of the Brazos Cliffs. George Bell, Sr. wrote an article on the Brazos Cliffs, published in the March 1972 (#639) issue of Trail & Timberline, on which much of this description is based.
The Brazos Cliffs are on private property, and thus access is restricted (click on "more info" link above).
The cliffs have three main parts, from west to east: (1) the main Brazos Cliffs, (2) the Brazos Box Canyon, and (3) the Encinado Wedge. The main Cliffs are about 2000' tall, and the Cliffs get shorter and steeper as you move east, with the Wedge being about 1000' tall. A selection of the routes (from the T&T article) are listed below.
Main Brazos Cliffs routes listed from west to east (w/FA party and year):
White Gully (5.5), D. Liska, A. Liska, G. Bell, and M. Williams, 1967
Cat Burglar (5.7), D. Liska and L. Campbell, 1971
Great Couloir (5.6), G. Bell and D. Monk, 1952
Great Couloir Direct (5.6), G. Bell and D. Coward, 1956, with subsequent variations by D. Liska et al.
Easy Ridge (5.6), G. Bell, D. Monk, V. Lotz and K. Brueckner, 1952
East of Easy (5.6), G. Bell, W. Hendry, C. Keller, and R. Harder, 1970
Going to Jerusalem (5.6), F. de Saussure, 1958
Brazos Box Canyon:
Cleft (5.6), G. Bell and F. de Saussure, 1958
Box Tower (5.5), G. Bell and M. Hane, 1959
Gothic Arches Buttress (5.7), D. Liska, G. Bell, L. Dauelsberg, and M. Williams, 1969
Wedge:
West Ridge of the Wedge (5.8), W. Hendry and C. Keller, 1970
Wicked Ridge of the Wedge (5.6), W. Hendry and M. Hart, 1969 with east variation by D. Michael and L. Dauelsberg, 1971
Roofy Ridge of the Wedge (5.7), W. Hendry, L. Dauelsberg, M. Hart, C. Keller, and M. Williams , 1969
Rickety Ridge of the Wedge (5.4), LAM party, 1968
Routes are 10-17 pitches long, all with non-trivial approaches and descents, and thus are all Grade III & IV.
to be continued...
Getting There
Main Brazos Cliffs: From US84 just north of Tierra Amarilla and south of Chama, NM, take NM512 east and drive about 7 miles to pullout parking on N side of the road (near a row of condos), just before the the split to Corkins Lodge. Hike east along the road, bear left at Corkins Lodge sign, walk north a few hundred yards, then bear right near an A-frame house and continue hiking another mile or so to the turnaround at the end of the dirt road. The dirt road gets very rough and rutted toward the end (unpassable even with high clearance 4WD), and it is all private property so no public parking. Total walking time to the turnaround is about 1/2 to 3/4 hour. Hike east another 100 yards past the turnaround, then turn north uphill toward the base of the cliffs, lots of bushwhacking and talus/scree scrambling, fairly steep terrain near base of cliffs, which are ~500 feet above end of road (just a guess).
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Brazos Cliffs:
Cat Burglar 5.7 Trad, 14 pitches, 2000 feet, Grade IV
I used to live in Pagosa Springs and we asked the folks at Corkin's (who own the property that you have to cross to access the base of the routes) personally if they allow access to climbers. They were adamant that the Brazos Cliffs were off limits to climbers and that anyone attempting to climb the cliffs would be prosecuted. They claimed it was a liability issue, since they are running a business on the property.
This was back in 2000. Have things changed with regard to access? Do you get a "free pass" if you have stayed at the lodge?
As to my knowledge you don't receive a free pass if you stay at Corkins. The reason is as such: If they grant you access to the cliffs and you get hurt climbing you can sue them. So, if they grant access, then they also have to carry an insurance policy which would cover all climbers...not just the ones they sanction to climb on their land. Unfortunately the litigious nature of our country puts them in a tight spot. I'm not recommending, only informing here...but if you climb without permission then Corkins is not responsible if you bust your ass, or head. Again, I'm not recommending trespassing....especially in New Mexico...The locals can be severally more dangerous then the law in those parts. Anyone who has driven 64west from Tres Piedras to Chama has probably seen the dummy hanging with a noose around it's neck, from a sign which reads" We do things the old way!" With all this being said...It can be a great adventure climbing in the Brazos!
My understanding is that only the Los Alamos Mountaineers have gained permission to climb on the Brazos cliffs. I would suggest contacting them if you are interested in getting permission.
My father wrote a guidebook to the Brazos which appeared in the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) publication "Trail & Timberline" in March issue, 1972, #639. This is difficult to find but if you go to the AAC library they probably have it. The Boulder CMC clubhouse had a copy too last time I checked.
"The lands near the Brazos Cliffs have a turbulent past, a confused present, and an uncertain future. In the past, disputes involving the grants of Spanish kings and conflicting water rights have often issued in violence. At present, many people are attracted to the area by the beauty of its streams and forests or the challenge of its noble cliffs. But they come with various uses in mind. Most conspicuous and friendly are the land developers, who dream of aerial tramways to revolving restaurants atop the cliffs. Others are hostile to their inroads, like Phil Corkin who has spent his lifetime building a resort with minimal impact on the wilderness and who now depends on it with calculated fierceness. Finally, there are we mountaineers who clearly perceive that the splendid area should be preserved for all posterity with what wilderness is left and who would like to see the land acquired for that purpose. The future is in doubt."
George, thanks for the info! I drive by from time to time but have always been leery of exploring due to the access issues as I understood them. It sounds like this would be a great tract of land for climbers to purchase- there sure aren't many places like it in these parts.
I have a photocopy of the very nice March 1972 T & T article on the Brazos Cliffs by George Bell, Sr. It is a fantastic read. Please feel free to contact me if you're interested in reading the T&T article.
Was tempted to just say, yes. Since both approaches to the Wedge involve crossing private land and both have sets of watchful land owners, and since it's fairly wild country in here, publishing specific directions is problematic
Both approaches are pretty obvious. We didn't have any trick beta. Nor do I think you could even come up with any. You hump in there, you climb, the descent is via the East side of the Wedge, it's a total walk down. I have no idea of how to describe the approaches. If in doubt, look at a topo and sketch out something.
From the east it will depend on if you bushwack or find old roads. We bushwacked and it was one long walk out in the dark. Thick aspen groves of downed beaver trees. Very tiring climbing over all that stuff. I have heard there are some old logging roads...
This pic looks like it might be a nice way to try.
From the west you come to the top of the wall and then down along the east edge. Again, time with a topo would be your best bet.
There are a couple of stellar routes here that I have done and from an old topo I once saw, a bunch of other climbs that look good. 5.7 to 5.11R (X if you blow the gear or miss it)
Unique place, great climbing if you like adventerous stuff. Quartzite is often void of cracks however so a lot of times you have to run between placements.
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