| Wild, Wild Western Pinnacles (aka Orange Rocks) |
 |
| |
Bob in his natural environment enjoying the view. ...
Description This area, also known as Orange Rocks, sports 3 great "clip & go" routes from 5.10a to 5.10d. The bolts are in good condition and properly spaced. The rock is hard, clean, and has the texture of Joshua Tree Rock. It's in the sun almost all day long and dries out quickly after a rain shower. The left route is Gold Rush rated at 5.10b, the middle is Pete's 5.12 rated at 5.10d, and the right side is Mid-life Crisis rated at 5.10a. Gold Rush can be easily top roped by scrambling around to the left side of the tower. Pete's can be top roped with a bit more effort. An anchor bolt between Pete's & Mid-life will keep your belayer from falling down the hill. Step carefully to avoid damaging the vegetation! Since this area is right next to the summit trail, please be respectful of hikers by not sorting your gear on the access trail. As an added bonus, this area has great views of the City and Cerro San Luis.
Getting There To get there from Cracked Wall, hike another 5 minutes up the summit trail. You can't miss it!
The ClassicsMountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Wild, Wild Western Pinnacles (aka Orange Rocks):
Poker 5.10 TR, 1 pitch, 40 feet
Featured Route For Wild, Wild Western Pinnacles (aka Orange Rocks)
Gold Rush/High Noon 5.10b CA : Central Coast : ... : Wild, Wild Western Pinnacle...
Gold Rush is the easiest climb to access at GWP. It's right next to the trail and you won't have to fight the poison oak to get there. This route features solid rock with small edges and smears. The rock is rough and features friction like Joshua Tree. The southwestern exposure makes this a good choice for a cool day. You can also cruise around to the left and set up a top rope in a matter of minutes. To top it all off, the views from here are supreme.... [more] Browse More Classics in CA
BETA PHOTO: It appears there are several names for this rock. ...
| | |
| Comments on Wild, Wild Western Pinnacles (aka Orange Rocks) |
|
By Scott Bullock
Feb 11, 2004
| John is right this area is very sensitive. The vegetation around the base of the cliff is ruined. It will never come back. I suggest we (when I say we of course I mean you) make a permanent trail with erosion control and hack the broken bushes out so it doesn't look so disturbing to hikers.
Mid-life Crisis got its name from the fact that there is so much Poison Oak in the gully. I put the route up and have lead it twice more and each time I have gotten infected with Poison Oak. Which leads one to muse, "why would you go down in there and do that route, do you have something to prove?" |
By John Knight
Feb 22, 2004
| Can anyone confirm the "real" name of these rocks? I found the Kevin Steele guidebook in the library and found out that the rock is called, "Wild, Wild Western Pinnacles". Also found different route names. I think it's important to get the orginal names and route info. Anyone? |
By Stephen Pratt
From: Goleta, CA
Mar 13, 2004
| Thanks for the overview of this climbing area. Was just checking it out last week on the way up to Summit Blocks and wondered how hard those were since no beta was in the SLO climbing guide. |
By John Knight
Mar 17, 2004
| Stephen,
I'd say the ratings in the picture are pretty accurate. You can top rope thes if you don't want to lead 10a (the "easiest one").
jk |
By Slater
Mar 18, 2005
| I commented yesterday and my words showed up as Adam Jones and Annon Cllmber... because I didn't have a name on the list yet?Anyway, yes, it's High Noon. And always remember, Klis has just one s. |
By M.Morley
Administrator
From: Sacramento, CA
Jan 26, 2006
| All 4 of these routes are quite good. Unfortunately, the poison oak is a major deterrent. Maybe those less susceptible will get by unscathed, but I managed to somehow get it even wearing pants and long sleeves. |
|
RSS Feed
27 more...
Slideshow