Parking Lot Rock, 5.6-5.12c

Overview

Parking Lot Rock is one of the more popular formations at the City of Rocks National Reserve. Two primary reasons for its popularity: quick access and the ability to climb both the east and west faces, allowing you to chase shade or sun all day. Many features at the City do not have two walls with so much selection to climb on either side.  Some of the more popular moderates are Funky Bolt, 5.9***, Batwings, 5.8****, and Thin Slice, 5.10a***.  Two that deserve more attention are Stress Fracture, 5.10c** and No Parking, 5.10c***.  One that deserves less attention is Delay of Game, 5.8***.

WEST FACE  Left to Right as you face the Wall

Surprise- 80'-5.9**/ Looks quite contrived to me.

Giggles- 150’-5.9**/ Climb the first 100’ of the convoluted Behold route (maybe 5.7) and then climb the corner to face up left.  The face is 5.8 at most and closely bolted where it is steep (4).  Fixed rap atop the face.  Take one long fixed rap down to a ledge.  Walk climbers right to a short fixed rap on Behold.  None of these routes to the left of Delay of Game deserve the two star recommendation the local guide gives them.  They are all a bit contrived.  Dow

Behold- 150’-5.8**/ Easy to do in one pitch by the competent leader, but designed as two pitches for some reason.  Start on the ground proper to the left of the upper start for Delay of Game.  Climb through 5^th class ground to a fixed rap/belay in short order.  Then up an easy finger crack/corner and stay left until the bolts lead you right up and over onto the face to the right.  Continue up to another fixed rap/belay.  You can easily mantle the next face right and finish on Delay of Game to reach a single 70m rap to the base of the chimney below and scramble down from there.  Dow

Delay of Game- 5.8***/Does not deserve three stars.  Not near the interesting route Batwings is. Just an over bolted climb to the top left side of the wall.  Most moves were 5.6-5.7 with maybe one move at the grade.  A 70m rope gets you down to relatively easy down climbing, but some how the SLC crowd still finds a way to rap off of the end of their rope on this route. Dow

Game On- 120’-5.10a**/ Climb up to the bush on the right side of the Norma’s Book Chimney.  Traverse left to the colorful steep wall to a discontinuous crack that takes off sets.  Then make the crux move pulling up and onto the arete.  Climb up the arete which turns into a crack and then corner.  Finish off by traversing up and left to Delay of Game’s single 70m rap.  Dow

Norma’s Book- 120- 5.7**/ A secure solo.  All 5.7 climbing at the City is soft and this chimney is no exception.  Something like 5.4 in California I suppose.  But worth doing.  Tall with stem crack climbing.  Will take any gear you want.  Descend to Delay of Game's fixed rap to climbers left.  Dow

Solstice- 110’-5.10a**/ Fully bolted up the arete to the right of Norma’s Book’s chimney.  This is a considerably better route to spend time versus Delay of Game.  I do not get the popularity of Delay of Game, easy 5^th class slab for the most part.  Solstice on the other hand is steep and thoughtful.  Like most of the City, this sport route is juggy and positive for the grade.  Has its own fixed rap below the summit of the formation.  Dow

Suburban Sprawl- 5.10a**/Ten times the route as Delay of Game but gets less stars in theguide.  The first edition guide calls it spicy and old school.  In reality it has been retro bolted (no gear) very tight and I felt none of the moves were 5.10a.  Steep and juggy fun route to its own fixedanchor.  70m rope top ropes it well. Dow

Batwings- 5.8***/ The early crux move, “scary” is the word used in the Falcon guide, is well protected by a .4 BD C4 horizontal placement. The dihedral is a pleasure, however, when it peters out, pro becomes a luxury. A .5" Mastercam was critical in a pod before you hit 35' of slab run out. Straight up scares the hell out of you!....just traverse left, then back right following well defined, but not absolute (from a solo perspective), features. Very good route, one of the best for the grade at the City. Can do a single 70m rap by rapping and swinging climbers left to Solstice Sprawl and making two raps versus one double rope rap.  Single rack. Dow

Batwings Direct- 5.10b*/A bolted start that misses the fun crux move mentioned above.  Dow

Road Rage- 145’-5.8*/ Worthy for newish trad leaders.  Can place gear at will and it offers a few steep sections.  Juggy and soft as most 5.8’s at the City, relatively secure solo.  Rap Bat Wings to Solstice to ground in two single 70m rope raps.  As much gear as you think you want to take, will take a ton.  Dow

Solo Mission- 120’-5.7*/ Better route than the uber popular Delay of Game on the left side of the wall.  Secure solo or great lead for a budding trad leader at or below the grade.  The start is fun and steep.  You are following cracks the whole way.  The bolted finish up and right is 5.10b.  Break left and up wider cracks to the top.  Single or double, whatever you want to take for gear as it can be placed at will.  Dow

Pave Paradise- 140’-5.10b**/ Fully bolted finish variation to Solo Mission. Climb Solo Mission and finish up and right following the bolts vs up and left.  One move at the grade, a traverse back left over a roof, mostly slab moves.  Fun exposure, worthy of doing, well bolted once you leave Solo Mission.  Gear belay on top.  Can make two single rope raps down the south end of the wall off of older fixed rap hardware.  Better that vs trying to rap over the popular routes at the north end.  There is a double rope fixed rap atop the wall at this location (although I am pretty sure I have made this rap with a single 70m).  Dow

Traffic Jam- 45'-5.11c*/

No Parking- 40’-5.10c***/ Excellent tips corner that is stout for the grade, particularly at the City.  Best to rap Pave Paradise down to a ledge and walk south to the base of the obvious, slightly overhung, tips corner.  Crux if off the deck via wires and/or micro gear to a solid piton (2019).  Then a powerful tips layback to some holds and stemming out right, then full stem up the remainder of the crack as it opens to fingers and eases off to the top of the formation.  Medium gear anchor.  Rap the south end of the wall via two single rope raps.  Wires and small gear.  Dow

EAST FACE  Left to Right as you face the Wall

Cougar Face- 5.8R/

Tow Away Zone- 5.10a***/Tough slab beginning leads to an easy hand crack. One bolt and a micro cam (several small off-sets in a row work for me) protected the unique stem start. Stay right as you pull the overhang above and use the under-clings and stem your way through the difficulties before traversing back left into the crack higher up.  Has its own single rope rap.  Rated 5.10b in the old guide and I can see that for sure. Dow

Just Another Pretty Face- 5.10d***/This is my favorite sport climb at the City.  Steep slab climbing leads up to the small roof where fun moves (an under cling or two) pull up to the slab above.  The left slab traverse above the roof is the crux, maybe one move at the grade. Well protected.   “Be brave getting to the first bolt” is stated in the guide, but in reality it is no more serious than the Tow Away Zone(5.10a) start:  5.9 or 5.10a to the first bolt max.  Tow Away and Pretty Face share the same anchor for a single rope rap. Dow

Beauty and the Beast- 5.10a*/Good Route. The crux is the slab traverse from the top of the short and shallow chimney left to the dihedral. I used a C4 #5 on the chimney and it is a bit more challenging than it looks. The slab is protected with a bolt and a piece you can slip in before committing all the way over to the dihedral. The dihedral offers an easy and pleasant finish for the grade. Standard rack with a C4 #5, single rope rap. Dow

Spud Meets Hammerhead- 5.11c**/

Funky Bolt- 5.9***/Very good route with a solid mid height challenge (old guidebook calls it 5.9+++) through a bulge. Mostly a gear route, starts with a flake. During a void crack section through the small roof there are two, still funky (2012), bolts. Wide stemming gets you through this section in style. Standard rack. Double rope rap, or catch a mid-station (Spud). Dow

One Bolt- 5.11a/

Stress Fracture- 5.10c**/Place a small off'set nut or cam to protect the crux move off the deck.  Stem up to place the pro and then work with insecure hand/finger jams to bump your feet up and over the small roof.   Then off to the beautiful roof (despite a copious amount of rat urine and feces). Once underneath it, traverse left via foot edges.  A C4#2 (extended well) protects the start of the roof traverse and a C4#4 protects the roof pull itself via a shoulder deep fist jam or lay back. Then on to easy hand jams until the crack terminates.  Then traverse up and left on easy run out slab to a slung feature for a 200' pitch.  Takes two single rope slung raps and a 60m might be a bit short on the 2nd one (2015). Dow

NORTH FACE  Left to Right as you face the Wall

Bombs over Tripoli- 5.12a***/

Inspiration or Perspiration- 5.12b**/

Thin Slice- 5.10a***/This is one of the better moderate trad climbs at the City.  Classic finger crack like you would see at Jtree with large elephant ear patina jugs to assist. Place pro at will.  Aesthetic, long and sustained, rarely does single pitch cragging get any better than this. A few cruxes are located in the later half of the climb, where the positive features leave you to deal with the crack direct i.e. palming out right and then transition back into the crack, towards the end. Single rope rap, can be easily top roped for others. When I lead Thin Slice, I no longer carry anything larger than a C4#.75. Dow

Cairo- 5.11a***/