Doorway Rocks - Major Mass

BETA PHOTO: The gully between the Major Mass (left) and the Mi...

Description 

The Doorway Rocks - Major Mass is located near the top of the Potholes trail to the west of Red Rocks and to the west of the Doorway Rocks - Minor Mass. The formation contains a good range of climbs with good exposure and length (80-100 feet). The formation lends itself to multipitch climbing (Midwest style), allowing up to four pitches of climbing from the base of the Red Slab to the top of Jungle Gym Tower. The formation could be climbed and explored during any summer weekend without running into more than a handful of people. The quality of the climbs here is on par with those found at the most popular spots in the park.

Getting There 

To access the Doorway Rocks - Major Mass, park at the South Shore parking lot. Take the paved trail north across the railroad tracks until you reach the junction of the Balanced Rock Trail and the Grottos Trail. From here you have two options.

Option 1) Turn left at the junction and hike to the top of the bluff via the Balanced Rock Trail. At the top turn right and follow the Devil's Doorway Trail about 1/4 mile. You will go down a set of about 5 rock steps and to your right you will see a gully with vertical walls on either side (Ramsay's Pinnacle area). Take this fourth-class gully down the west side of the Major Mass. You can walk to the base of the Major Mass, or cut in left onto one of its handful of terraces.

Option 2) Turn right at the junction and walk along the Grottos Trail. Looking up to your left you will see the Devil's Doorway formation. If you're really burly you could cut up through the talus slope from here. If not, continue to the Potholes Trail, a trail of rock steps that skirts the east side of the greater Doorway Rocks formation. About 3/4 up the bluff, about 50 yards above the Red Rocks formation, you can cut west across the slope along the base of the Devil's Doorway - Minor Mass until you reach the Major Mass (look for the large gully that separates the Major and Minor Mass, and also look for the "Keyhole"). Alternatively, you could hike to the top of the bluff and go around the top of the Minor Mass on the Devil's Doorway Trail and find the gully that separates the Major and Minor Mass (the top of this gully is near the east end of the Devil's Doorway side trail). Descend this gully with the Major Mass on your right.

The Classics

Featured Route For Doorway Rocks - Major Mass

Dippy Diagonal 5.7  WI : Devil's Lake : ... : Doorway Rocks - Major Mass

Dippy Diagonal is a nice hand jam crack located west of the Keyhole below the South Platform. Climb up crack about 3 feet right of the inside corner (Kenosis, rt# 63). The wall gets steeper toward the top of the crack. Either stop at the large ledge or continue up to the top on Kenosis....[more]   Browse More Classics in WI

Photos of Doorway Rocks - Major Mass Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO: The Doorway Rocks seen from 3/4 up the Potholes Tr...	BETA PHOTO: Doorway Rocks seen from the Grottos Trail at the b...	The top of Major Mass is an especially good place ...
BETA PHOTO: This is "Layback Boulder" as seem from TM Overhang...