The Fire Wall Rock Climbing

See the GPS tracks on this page and the Box Canyon page.

Currently (Spring 2023), access depends on your vehicle:

If you have serious 4WD (Jeep or Tacoma) and very good AT tires, you can get quite close (within a mile). The crux is both sides of a steep, loose hill.

If you have decent AWD (Subaru), you can park just before the start of the aforementioned hill. Walking from here is a pleasant 2.5 miles (1.5 of which is on gravel road) and takes approximately 1:15.

A word of warning: Driving through the construction zone MAY BE ILLEGAL. Also, there are anecdotal stories of climbers being fined by for driving the roads beyond the construction zone. Proceed at your own risk.

Take the 215 to Ann Rd. Ann Rd west, quick right on Shaumber Rd, quick left on Tropical. Follow Tropical through construction and along the northern edge of a giant water retention basin along a series of massive power lines that lead west.

Continue west following the power lines until the road and power lines make a right angle turn to the south. From here, follow the power lines south for approximately 1/2 mile and take the second righthand turn onto a narrow road that leads SW. You will reach a turn around/parking spot at the base of the steep hill (off to the left). Park here and walk up the hill or, if you dare, drive it.

After following this road another 1.5 miles up and over the hill, you’ll see the narrow gash that is Waterworld (and Trenchtown) off to your left. At this point the road splits into a triple fork. Take the left fork toward Waterworld. Drop into a wash, hang a right, and follow it for a hundred yards or so to a point where the wash splits (to the left is the narrow, rocky entrance to Waterworld; to the right the wash opens up slightly. Head up the broad ridge between these two washes (generally just above the narrow chasm of Waterworld). Once on the top of the ridge, follow the broad ridge as it contours west, then work south (left) in order to cross a drainage with some small pine trees. Once on the other side of the pine trees, head west again (uphill). After a few hundred yards, at the apex of this hill, you’ll see the wall ahead in profile. Do not approach directly via the wash, instead follow the sloping hillside until across from the wall and then cut over to it. All of this hiking is generally at a gentle incline with only minor drops in elevation - pleasant desert terrain all things considered.