Upper East Fork (UEF) Rock Climbing

Upper East Fork is towards the Valles Grande from the Las Conchas climbing area, about half a mile past mile marker 37 (Climbing Area 37). Park at the paved parking area next to the large rock wall that lies just off the road. This is the parking area for Trail 121.

From the parking area, go through the fence and immediately turn left to hike across a rock slab to a solid trail paralleling the highway before going up and over the ridge and down to the river.

At the river, most will go downstream (left) a hundred yards towards the obvious walls and cross the river on a good, small wooden bridge and go left. Approach time from the parking lot to the bridge is about fifteen minutes. Just after the bridge crossing, the first major formation you'll reach is the Bull Horn.

Continue about twenty yards downstream of the Bull Horn to reach the Monster Wall. The climbing area, and stream, remain unimpacted by the Las Conchas fire, thankfully. Likely thanks in large part to the fire crews that created this new trail as a fire break.

Alternatively, after passing through the fence by the parking area, continue North on main trail until you reach a clearing and meadow on your left (west). Follow cairns, logs, and bull dozer track west along the southern most drainage of the meadow. The trail will gain the ridgeline that, after heading southwest, will intersect the standard approach trail descending into the canyon and the river.

Spaghetti Western Wall is another quarter mile downstream from the Monster Wall, on the same side of the river. Depending on the water level, you may get a bit wet crossing the stream twice to get down to Spaghetti Western.