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Below The Old New Place 
Big Enchilada, The 
Coffee Shop (aka Quickstop) 
Crack House (aka Estante Edge), The 
Doughnut Shop, The 
Gallows Edge 
Lounge, The 
New New Place 
Old New Place 
Overlook, The 
Pajarito Gorge 
Playground, The 
Potrillo Cliffs 
River Crag, The 
Sewer Crag, The 
Sununu Place 
Tortilla Flats 

White Rock 


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Administrators: Aaron Hobson, Jason Halladay, Anthony Stout, LeeAB, Tom Erickson
Submitted By: Anthony Stout on Jan 20, 2006

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Gallow's Edge at White Rock

Description 

From cracks to difficult sport, there is a wide variety of basalt climbing in and around the sleepy town of White Rock.




Different ethics apply regarding bolts and bolted anchors at the different crags; some are traditional only, while others have bolts and anchors. The local climbing community has had a number of open meetings and established this White Rock bolting agreement as a compromise for differing viewpoints and to allow for climbing of all styles at White Rock.

Season: Year-round, except during occasional winter storms. You'll want to find the sun in the winter and shade in the summer. Like everywhere in the SW, monsoon-style rainstorms are common in late afternoons in July and August.


Getting There 

From I-25, head either north or south toward Santa Fe (depending on where you are coming from), and get onto highway 285/84 toward Los Alamos/Espanola. From Pojoaque head west on highway 502. Highway 502 will take you directly into the town of White Rock, follow the directions to each crag from there.


Other Resources: 

Several Webguides to this area can be found at: lamountaineers.org/zLOCATE.html

"Jemez Rock" by M. Beverly is comprehensive.
"Rock Climbing: New Mexico" by D. Jackson has info on the most popular cliffs.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for White Rock:
Polly's Crack   5.8+     Trad, TR, 60 feet   The Overlook : South/East side
Upper Kor's Crack   5.9     Trad, TR, 45 feet   Potrillo Cliffs
Beginner's Hand Jam   5.9     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   The Playground
Ralph's Revenge   5.9     Trad, 60 feet   Below The Old New Place
Ralph's Dilemma   5.10a     Trad, 60 feet   Below The Old New Place
Holy Wall   5.10a     Sport, TR, 55 feet   The Overlook : South/East side
Cholla Wall   5.10a/b PG13     Trad, TR, 55 feet   The Overlook : South/East side
Blow Hole   5.10d     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 80 feet   The Playground
Flying A   5.10d     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   The Playground
Flesh-Eating Gnats   5.11b     Sport, 1 pitch, 60 feet   Below The Old New Place
Way Beyond Zebra   5.11b     Sport, TR, 65 feet   The Overlook : South/East side
Rattlesnake Crack (aka Sidewinder)   5.11     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 70 feet   Old New Place
Left Twin Crack (aka Manic Crack)   5.11     Trad, 1 pitch, 60 feet   Below The Old New Place
Sinewave (aka S Crack)   5.11b/c     Trad, TR, 60 feet   Old New Place
Wailing Banshees   5.11b/c     Sport, 62 feet   Below The Old New Place
Unrelenting Nines   5.11c/d     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 50 feet   The Playground
Thorazine Dream   5.11d     Sport, TR, 1 pitch, 55 feet   The Overlook : South/East side
Monsterpiece Theatre   5.12a     Sport, 1 pitch, 60 feet   Below The Old New Place
Adam Ant (aka Nuclear Ant Farm)   5.12a     Sport, 1 pitch, 50 feet   Below The Old New Place
Face Off   5.12a     Sport, TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   The Overlook : South/East side
Browse More Classics in White Rock

Featured Route For White Rock
Laybacking through the wide crack crux. June 2010.

Berserker 5.11  NM : Los Alamos & White Rock : ... : Old New Place
Berserker is a burly roof crack at White Rock, and there aren't too many like this, so it's worth checking out, if that's your sort of thing.Lieback the excellent thin-hands crack in the left-facing corner to a stance below a roof. This is one of the best liebacking corners in White Rock. The roof is offwidth, confusing, strenuous, and harder than it looks (but easier than it's nominally rated- 5.11c/d), and protects well with a #4 camalot. After the roof, the climbing is much eas...[more]   Browse More Classics in NM


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White Rock Petroglyph

White Rock Petroglyph


Comments on White Rock Add Comment
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By Randy Carmichael
From: Boulder, CO
May 4, 2006

The on-line guide book is excellent, but I would encourage posting routes here too in order to get the climbing communities wisdom and perspective.

By Terry J. Miller
From: La Villita, NM
May 6, 2012

I have been out of climbing for nearly twenty years and am now back. I have checked this site against Rock & Ice #40 and old printed guides. I am finding many grade changes and general bashing of those that developed these areas into "modern sport routes". Please stop. The rock never has cared and never will care. Just climb and pick up trash on the way out.

By ozram
Apr 7, 2013

Terry, that is good advise for any area. thank you. i have seen too many crags littered and just disrespected. we are supposed to be a GOOD example for others.