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Big Cottonwood Canyon Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Big Cottonwood Canyon

Above and Beyond Wall 8

Aguaworld 17

Ambush Wall Lower 7

Ambush Wall Upper 2

Aqueduct Area, The 17

Art Major Wall 5

Autumnal Wall 7

Back of Beyond 8

Battalion of Saints Wall 7

Beachball Crag 21

Beer Belly Buttress 4

Boss Garden 2

Brighton Area 95

Broads Fork 8

Buena Vista Wall 5

Burnt Wall, The 2

Caesar's Palace 0

Challenge Buttress 44

Chips Wall 2

Choss Garden 15

Conferring With The Sunrise 2

Contaminated Roof 1

Creekside Crag 11

Dark Star Gully 10

Dead Snag, The 18

Deadwood 4

Disciple Ridge 14

Dogwood Crag 26

DOJO Area, The 6

Face to Face 6

Flamingo Wall 2

Forsaken Wall 4

Futility Wall 3

Geezer Wall 16

Generator Ribs 2

Glass Ocean and Environs 18

Gnar Wall 9

Granite Flume 29

Gully of Higher Education Area 38

Half Moon Rock 1

Hidden Fortress 7

Highlander 1

Hoss Garden 11

Intruder Wall, The 2

Inversion Therapy Wall 2

JHCOB Wall 24

Lake Blanche Bouldering 2

Ledgemere Logs 17

Leftovers Wall 1

Lone Pine Wall 10

Lonely Challenge Area 11

Lonesome Buttress 2

Margin for Air Wall and Environs 6

Mill D South Fork 1

Millstone, The 27

Mineral Fork 3

Molar, The 2

Moss Ledges 16

Mt. Raymond Slabs 1

Mule Hollow Wall 16

Narcolepsy Area 14

Native American Crag 1

PacMan Wall 1

Patty's Ridge 3

Penguin, The 3

Penitentiary Wall 19

Powder Ridge Wall 11

Power Plant 4

Quarantine Cliff 10

Red Rock Wall 11

Redrum 3

Resurrection 3

Rolling Stone Area 8

Rush Wall 4

S-Curves 61

Salt Lake Slips 21

Scrap Yard, The 7

Seldom Scene Gully 2

Shady Lane 4

Short Steep Stuff 2

Silver Fork East Face 0

Silver Fork West Facing 0

Solitude 2

Speed Trap, The 5

Standard Ridge 1

Storm Mountain Picnic Area 77

Stratagem 2

Strone Crag 26

Sundial 6

Talk Buttress 10

Tear Garden 5

Treadmill Wall 4

Tree Trimmer Wall 3

Vector Madness Wall 16

Water Crest Wall 2

Wave Wall, The 11

Wedge, The 1

Wolverine Cirque 2

Wrenched Ones 3

Yellow Peril Wall 4

Explore this area in 3D

Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Elevation:	4,917 ft	1,499 m
GPS:	40.6193, -111.789 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	2,329,993 total · 8,707/month
Shared By:	Eric Jacobsen on May 6, 2003 · Updates
Admins:	Perin Blanchard, GRK, David Crane Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

Of the two Cottonwood canyons, BCC is the lesser-known, despite its amazing climbing. There are hundreds of routes on dozens of crags scattered throughout the length and on either side of the canyon.

Climbing is primarily on quartzite, which tends to be slippery and hard; however, the quartzite also offers numerous holds jutting out at all angles. Because protection may be more difficult in quartzite than in the granite of LCC, BCC has more sport routes than LCC, but the majority of BCC routes are trad climbs.

Some of the picnic areas have entrance fees.

Ice Climbing

There are a handful of ice routes in Big Cottonwood. Almost all of them are on the north side of the canyon and receive a lot of sunlight so they don't often come in really fat.

When the lines do come in, however, it makes for some enjoyable climbing. Probably not recommended for beginners because the routes are mostly thin, but during a fat year one can find an occasional short climb with top rope potential.

BCC ice generally comes in late and leaves early.

Getting There

Big Cottonwood Canyon climbs east out of Salt Lake City at about 7200 South. From the north, take the I-215 loop to Exit 6, the 6200 South exit.

Head east on Hwy 190, following signs to the ski areas of BCC (Solitude and Brighton). Turn left on Fort Union Blvd, which heads up into the canyon.

From the west, 7200 South becomes Fort Union. From the south, follow Wasatch Blvd and turn right on Fort Union.

1,030 Total Climbs

Route Finder - Best Climbs for YOU!

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Classic Climbing Routes at Big Cottonwood Canyon

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

V6 7A 45 ● Orange Crush Boulder Brighton Area > Brighton Boulders > Millie Boulder
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b 760 ● Steorts' Ridge Trad 3 pitches Dead Snag
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b 745 ● Outside Corner Trad 3 pitches JHCOB Wall
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 345 ● Crescendo Trad 4 pitches JHCOB Wall
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a 137 ● High Dive Trad 2 pitches Glass Ocean & Environs
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a 117 ● Social Engineering Trad Dead Snag
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 480 ● Goodro's Wall Trad Storm Mtn Picni… > Storm Mtn Island
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 78 ● Psychobabble Trad Storm Mtn Picni… > Psychobabble Wall
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b 132 ● Eternal Flow Sport 2 pitches Lonely Challenge Area
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 409 ● Black Monday Sport S-Curves > S-Curve - Lower
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 73 ● Force of Nature Trad Dead Snag
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c 51 ● Stone Ground Sport Millstone
5.12- 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a 18 ● Gnarth Brooks Direct Sport Gnar Wall
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b 29 ● Karmic Whiplash Sport Dark Star Gully
5.13a 7c+ 29 IX+ 29 E6 6c 21 ● Cross-Eyed and Painless Sport Dogwood Crag