Dogwood Crag : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

Approach

Drive 0.95 miles up BCC from the neon sign and either park at the Dogwood Picnic Area ($4.00) or park on a pullout alongside the road just past the picnic area and walk into Dogwood. After crossing the bridge, walk upstream until the cliffs are encountered.

To reach the routes at the east end of the cliffs, follow a climbers trail up and around the cliffs. Hike upstream until you can hike down through breaks in the cliffs.

Descent
Not every route has anchors on the top, but nearby natural anchors make it possible to rappel easily from the top. All routes can be walked off.

Route Description

Dogwood Crag is the wall of quartzite rising directly out of the Big Cottonwood Canyon stream on its south side. The wall leans back at a kinder angle as one travels west, making the slick, water polished holds climbable.

The site is popular due to the abundant shade and quick approach.

ROUTES OVERVIEW
Route	Difficulty	Rating	FA	Trad/Sport
Life During Wartime	5.8 R		1984, Stuart Ruckman	Tr
This Ain't No Party, This Ain't No Disco	5.11d		1984, Bret Ruckman & Gary Olsen	Tr
Cross-Eyed And Painless	5.13a		1989, Stuart Ruckman & Gordon Douglas	Sp
Little Creatures	5.11c		1986, Conrad Anker & Doug Heinrich	Tr
Little Critters	5.6		Unknown	Tr
Hyper-Gamma Spaces/td>	5.9 R		1984, Gary Olsen & Bret Ruckman	Tr
A Modest Man from Mandrake	5.9		1990, Stuart & Bret Ruckman, Libby Ellis	Sp
The Lion of Zion	5.6		Unknown	Tr
I Think I'm Going Bald	5.9-		1990, Stuart Ruckman & Theron McNeely	Sp
Haven't A Clue	5.8		1991, Shane Willet & Mike Carnaham	Sp
On The Skids	5.8		1990, Stuart Ruckman & Theron McNeely	Sp
Take Me To The River	5.7		1983, Bret Ruckman & Merrill Bitter	Tr
Bebop Arete	5.10		mid 70s, Jim Dockery & Lynn Wheeler	Tr
Alpenblock Route	5.6		1964, Bob Springmeyer, Milt Hokanson, & Ted Wilson	Tr
Note: The last two routes are located north of a pullout 1.15 miles up from the Neon Sign, on the north side of the canyon.
Route overview information used from Stuart & Bret Ruckman's Rock Climbing the Wasatch Range. In depth information is from personal experience

A Modest Man From Mandrake - 5.9

Walk along the climbers trail above the cliffs 'till you encounter a beak in them. Hike down to the river and backtrack downstream. After passing a deep chimney, there is a broad ledge that rises from the ground. The route starts at the first point where this ledge levels off. The route can be rapped from above is so desired. Climbing is on a smooth face with lots of ending and friction moves. The overhang at the top provides the crux for the route.

Take Me To The River - 5.7

This route has many variations and is usually top roped since protection is tricky if not non-existent. The route ascends any good line on the western-most end of Dogwood Crag. Some variations can use bolted chains at the top, while other require anchoring off of trees up above.

Essential Gear

Slings for bolted and natural anchors are all that are essential. The routes can all be top-roped. A full set of quickdraws can be used for a few of the sport routes. I don't know what gear would be appropriate for the trad routes.

Other Info

If you have additional info for routes described or have done a route not described in depth, please put the info here and I'll integrate it into the page!