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Mud Mountain

New Mexico > Truth or Consequences…

Description

Beautiful winter limestone crag overlooking the city of Truth or Consequences.  All of the sport climbs here are well-bolted, with user-friendly anchors, and have plaques with names and grades below the route.

11/29/22 - when camping, please bring your own firewood.  There is no firewood in this desert environment.  Please don't tear down ocotillo for firewood, they may look dead but are just dormant.  

Getting There

Take Exit 75 for Williamsburg from I-25 which will put you on S. Broadway. Continue past the second gas station on the left and look for a solar panel field on the left and the Sierra County fairgrounds a bit further on the left. At the point where you see the Williamsburg Village offices on the right along with a street sign for Mona Avenue, turn left into what looks like an empty lot. You'll see a road in that lot that lead that heads towards the fairgrounds for a moment and then bears a left. At the t-junction a few minutes further along the dirt road, go left. (Note the junction for your return trip when you'll make a right to get back to Broadway. You'll see a street sign for Mesquite Lane on your left that marks your turn.) As you go under the interstate, set your odometer to 0. Head up over the dam, and at 1.4 miles (or 1.3 miles on some odometers), turn right into a large arroyo. A cairn marks that turn. Be sure to follow the visible tracks in the arroyo and continue for .5 (or .6) mile where you'll see a doubletrack road on your left that heads up on to the mesa. Follow that road to the water tank and park here (unless you have high clearance 4 wheel drive, and can park at the upper parking). This point is 2.9 miles from where you set your odometer. Walk to the end of the road and follow the cairns to the wall.

The first wall you'll reach is the Winter Wall.  Climbs here range from 5.8 to 5.12.  
Follow the trail along the base and descend a short, easy down-climb to reach the Crow Feather Wall.  Climbs here range from 5.8 to 5.12.  
To reach the Yellow Wall, follow a trail across the scree at the bottom of the down-climb.  
To reach the Vacation Wall, continue up the switchbacks along the Crow Feather Wall to the saddle.  Follow cairns west to a rock point where you'll see the Vacation Wall.

Local Amenities

One of the best things about winter climbing in the T or C area is being able to take some time to enjoy some of its' eclectic experiences.  For a nice place to stay, Fire Water Lodge is a great local experience with in-room hot mineral springs tubs, and they allow dogs.. Rocket Inn is a good value with clean rooms and a nice bed.  They also allow dogs.  

Riverbend Hot Springs has hot mineral tub soaks on the river.  You have the option for both public or private tubs and a hot shower after a wonderful winter day of climbing.

Blackstone Hotsprings is a luxury lodging option with some interesting themed rooms with in-room hot spring tubs.

Other must-do stops are Passion Pie Cafe, which has amazing coffee and baked goods or breakfast before you head to crag.  For a more traditional breakfast check out the Old Brick Cafe or Carmen's ( not open Sunday).  Both are a good value.   The T or C brewery is very cool with live music, lots of good beer, and an amazing food truck in the back alley.   For a good value, the A & B Drive In is fairly fast and gives you a good local experience.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

End of a long winter day
[Hide Photo] End of a long winter day
Do not burn desert plants. The desert is fragile! Bring your own firewood!!!!!
[Hide Photo] Do not burn desert plants. The desert is fragile! Bring your own firewood!!!!!
Route plaque
[Hide Photo] Route plaque
Campground Christmas  ocotillo
[Hide Photo] Campground Christmas ocotillo
Mud mountain and the road
[Hide Photo] Mud mountain and the road
Ocotillo blooming in the spring. DO NOT BURN THESE PLANTS. They are dormant in the winter, not dead.
[Hide Photo] Ocotillo blooming in the spring. DO NOT BURN THESE PLANTS. They are dormant in the winter, not dead.
Ocotillo in the summer months. Please do not burn these plants! When you are here in the winter they are dormant, but they are not dead.
[Hide Photo] Ocotillo in the summer months. Please do not burn these plants! When you are here in the winter they are dormant, but they are not dead.
From lower parking and camping area
[Hide Photo] From lower parking and camping area
Map to Mud Mountain
[Hide Photo] Map to Mud Mountain
Bodhi approves
[Hide Photo] Bodhi approves
The Subaru made it up, but we had to give it a bit of hell.
[Hide Photo] The Subaru made it up, but we had to give it a bit of hell.
Parking/Camping
[Hide Photo] Parking/Camping

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] Tried to access this area yesterday with a 2005 Toyota Rav4 and it was not possible. From the beginning of the right hand turn at 1.4 miles the vehicle high centered on the burm off the main road. But with scouting ahead and very careful driving i was able to push my vehicle about one mile in. At this point there is a steep hill exiting the arroyo with a high-clearance crux at the top. My vehicle could not make it. From the top of the steep hill i was forced to back down the steep and very narrow ridge road. I would have to say this road is un-passable in a passenger car or standard SUV. Even in a full size 4wd SUV this approach drive would be tight and you should expect to get "pin stripes" on your car from the sharp creosote branches. The only appropriate vehicle would be a small to mid sized 4wd truck.

Perhaps there has been more erosion since this description was written? Perhaps I took the wrong arroyo ( i clocked the 1.4 two times from underpass). How much farther was the "parking" and the crag? Jan 31, 2019
Josh Hamling
Las Cruces, NM
[Hide Comment] We went out last weekend in a full size suv and parked at the end of the road. There was some paint scratching, but the approach road and hike are pretty nice compared to most Southern New Mexican crags. We had a few stock 4wd pickups at the parking area too. I can imagine a Rav4 was pushing it to get to the end of the road. My guess is hiking from the bottom of the ridge road to the end parking area would have taken about 10 minutes.

The hiking approach trail is well marked and designed. We appreciated all the work that was done at the base of Winter Wall to prevent erosion and make for good belay stances. The routes we did were great. There is a nice variety of technical edges, steep slopers, interesting pockets, etc. The routes we did were VERY well bolted and safe from the ground up. The rock is definitely still "cleaning" as it's climbed...beware below. This area reminded me of Caballo with a little Tunnel thrown in.

Thanks for all the hard work and quality hardware! Feb 1, 2019
[Hide Comment] Thanks for the kind words. We put tons of work into clipping back the wash figuring out trails and the climbs. The first time we walked this wall it took an hour just to walk the base of the crag. Feb 1, 2019
Jordy King
Durango, CO
[Hide Comment] Props to the crew who put up this sweet sports climbing area. All the climbs are well bolted and the anchors are great! As to the discussion regarding the road... I agree that a small/medium sized SUV or truck will be your best bet. The first section of the road in the Arroyo will be the bumpiest and the climb out is steep but not terrible. Overall the road to mud mountain is no worse (maybe even better) then the road going up to the Bat Cave/Caballo Mountain. On a side note: Vacation wall can be windy but gets awsome sunsets...

Big thanks to those who put this area together! Awesome winter climbing spot. Feb 19, 2019
Jason Halladay
Los Alamos, NM
[Hide Comment] We enjoyed two fun days here climbing on the Winter Wall last weekend. Thanks for all the work Lance and Sarah. Moderate climbers will find many days of enjoyable climbs here. Kudos!

Jay Foley wrote:Tried to access this area yesterday with a 2005 Toyota Rav4 and it was not possible. From the beginning of the right hand turn at 1.4 miles the vehicle high centered on the burm off the main road. But with scouting ahead and very careful driving i was able to push my vehicle about one mile in. At this point there is a steep hill exiting the arroyo with a high-clearance crux at the top. My vehicle could not make it. From the top of the steep hill i was forced to back down the steep and very narrow ridge road. I would have to say this road is un-passable in a passenger car or standard SUV. Even in a full size 4wd SUV this approach drive would be tight and you should expect to get "pin stripes" on your car from the sharp creosote branches. The only appropriate vehicle would be a small to mid sized 4wd truck. Perhaps there has been more erosion since this description was written? Perhaps I took the wrong arroyo ( i clocked the 1.4 two times from underpass). How much farther was the "parking" and the crag?


In a 2018 Rav4 with 6 inches of ground clearance we were able to drive up the arroyo to the base of the steep hill that climbs out of the arroyo. We spent a good bit of time clipping back the desert vegetation on the edges of the arroyo road and had to pick good lines in a couple spots but it wasn't bad. From where we parked in the arroyo, it was an easy .6 mile hike to the normal "lower parking" mountainproject.com/approac… at the big, empty water tank. From the empty water tank parking, it was another .6 mile hike to the Winter Wall. mountainproject.com/approac… The entire hike took us 35 minutes and was pretty low key. Dec 16, 2019
[Hide Comment] The arroyo part of the road is by far the toughest part of the road. Coming out of the arroyo is steep, but nothing too wild (there was a Subaru outback in the parking lot).
It is definitely worth being mindful of the parking situation. There is TONS of parking by the water tank, but the top parking is limited, and it's not particularly easy to turn around.
Great crag, awesome climbing, and beautiful area! Jan 5, 2020
Andrew Ellis
Albuquerque, NM
[Hide Comment] I have been back to this area 3 or 4 times now. I always have a good time. The crag seems to still be cleaning up quite a bit, so always wear a helmet, climbing or belaying (have pulled some sizeable pieces off). That said, this is a sweet spot with some fun climbing!

Thanks so much Lance and Sarah for another NM crag to enjoy in the winters! I appreciate all of your hard work putting these routes up. Feb 24, 2020
Emily Wolin
Albuquerque, NM
[Hide Comment] I made it up to the water tank camping area this weekend in a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The very top of the ramp up onto the mesa is definitely getting a bit washed out, but other than that it was pretty manageable with some careful driving. Had a beautiful day of climbing at the Winter Wall. Huge thanks to the developers! Mar 2, 2020
Chara Price
Mesa, AZ
[Hide Comment] Hey! We are passing through and hoping to check out the crag tomorrow. We are in a passenger car, so expecting to hike in a decent portion of the approach. Would a passenger car make it through the arroyo to the start of the mesa uphill? How sandy is it? Thanks! Happy New Year! Dec 30, 2020
[Hide Comment] It would be best to park at the start of the wash. It changes every year and I have seen cars drive to the end but it can be bad. Dec 30, 2020
[Hide Comment] Don't climb Cherry Pie right now. My partner and I watched on in mild horror as an ice chest sized block got pulled off today, fractured, and hit the climber in the torso. I will add a picture on the page of the climb. Someone needs to take a crow bar and wire brush to that climb, otherwise chop it since there are other flakes that could be injurious in the future. Jan 6, 2021
Leia Barnett
Santa Fe, NM
[Hide Comment] Had a fantastic day at Mud Mountain yesterday! Despite the chilly temps (28 degrees F when we parked), it turned into perfect climbing weather by 11 am with full sun and mild winds. Just a heads up, the first steep hill out of the arroyo is BAD right now. We barely managed in an Outback with some scouting and speed, but would not recommend for those with equal or lesser clearance. We'd be happy to offer some labor if folks ever are interested in doing some repairs on that section of the road. This spot is a gem! Thanks Lance et. al for all the work that went into it! Jan 3, 2022
Max Dismukes
El Paso, TX
[Hide Comment] Echoing Dan's comments about the condition of the road on the steep part. If anyone has the equipment and know-how to reinforce the road properly (I don't), I'd be happy to drive up and provide labor. Shoot me a message. I'd hate to see it collapse and make the approach super long. Nov 21, 2022
[Hide Comment] Note that there does not seem to be a cairn marking the turn-off for the arroyo on the right, but there was one past the turn off on the left. We made it to the base of the steep sketchy spot in our sprinter van but did not attempt to go further and continued on foot. The crumbling narrow part is concerning, but the real problem is the washed out part above that which would require higher clearance in addition to 4wd. The hike from here to the parking area was about a mile, which isn’t terrible but may be significant on a hotter, sunnier day. Note that this is addition to the approach from the parking area to the wall, which I believe is over a mile with decent elevation gain. Jan 6, 2023
David Baltz
Albuquerque, NM
[Hide Comment] From the parking area, it is about a quarter mile or a 15 to 20 minute hike to Winter Wall. Jan 26, 2023
Kyle Cunningham
Truth or Consquences, NM
[Hide Comment] Do not cut the ocotillo to burn at the campsite!

These are live cactus dormant in the winter. If you are reading this comment please help educate other climbers about this issue as it is a recurring problem - someone burnt some in the last week (mid janurary 2024) so if you know whom was camping up there please talk to them.

A group of locals in TorC are actively working to stop this before it becomes a bigger issue and the area is shut down to climbing! So many climbing spots are threatened and no one wants to loose this one to some fools trying to burn live cactus.

We ask you all to do your part in cleaning this place of the trash and toilet paper which is showing up more and more and to keep this fragile desert environment intact.

Educate your fellow climbers about the cactus!
Educate your fellow climbers about having respectable toilet practices!

Clean up any trash you find!

Thank You Jan 23, 2024
J.Kruse
Albuquerque, NM
[Hide Comment] We were unable to drive beyond the end of the wash. It was only a fifteen minute hike from the wash to the upper parking area and maybe 30 min total from our parking spot to the base of the winter wall. It's a nice walk! Dec 21, 2024