| Sedona Scenic Cruise Route |
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| Sedona Scenic Cruise   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Arizona, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 34.82680°N / 111.7533°W Route Type: Trad Climbing Season: Spring, Fall, Winter Time Required: Half a day Rock Difficulty: 5.9 (YDS) Difficulty: III 5.9 Number of Pitches: 5 Grade: III
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| Page By: rpc Created/Edited: Feb 28, 2008 / Mar 13, 2008 Object ID: 384374 Hits: 328 Loading... Page Score: 89.01% - 12 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
Sedona Scenic Cruise is a modern route up the northwest prow of Gibraltar Rock. Despite its appearance, it travels over good quality rock and is very well protected. All belays are on nice ledges and though the rap line crosses the climb, rap and belay anchors are separate in all cases (very convenient). As it turns out, odd pitches are mostly trad and even pitches are largely bolt protected sport climbs.
The route is reportedly listed in the new Weekend Rock Climbs in Arizona book by Lon Abbott. Older Sedona guidebooks and the Rock Climbing Arizona by S. Green do not have any info. on this one.
Getting There
This might be the crux of the day - figuring out the drive to and the approach. Here's my take on it.
The Drive:
A good description (good approach beta, excellent route description) can also be found on mountainproject. Here’s my attempt at clearing things up a bit as there’s much construction going on (early 2008) along the key stretch of highway.
From Sedona, head south on state highway 89A out of town. Pass the Cathedral Rock group (Mace et al) off in the distance to your right (west). Pass the Church Spires area on your left (east). Now focus – you are looking for a long (~100+ yards long) dirt pullout on the left (east) side of the road. As of early 2008, the entire thing was fenced off and used for construction material storage. There’s a trailhead “gate” at the north end of this pullout (not visible with construction fence).
If you come to a similar fenced off pullout on your right OR if you reach Courthouse Butte/Bell Rock areas, you’ve gone too far south.
Park on right (west) side of highway (small pullout on opposite side of road).
The Hike:
You should have a good view of Gibraltar Rock from this pullout (the left of 2 humps). At its foot, there’s a small protrusion (looks like a tower from below). The approach described below will bring you around the left (north) side of this tower & up to base of route.
From pullout, hike north on Bell Rock Trail (sign near parking lot). You’re essentially doubling back towards Sedona shadowing the highway (seems as though you’re moving away from Gibraltar Rock). Trail also shadows wooden power line poles for a while. In 10-15 minutes you will come to a small man-made stone bridge over a wash (<10 feet wide) – easy to overlook.
Drop into wash turning right (east). Follow wash – key here is to pick the main wash & not one of the side branches (when in doubt, keep right). In about 10+ minutes, you’ll come to a split in the wash marked by a cairn. Turn right into subsidiary wash.
Follow this wash (now there are many cairns) until it deposits you on slabs below Gibraltar Rock and left (north) of the mini tower sitting at its base.
Hike up slabs (one or two class 3 moves?) following cairns to the saddle between Gibraltar Rock and the mini tower. Few more hundred feet of climbers’ trail brings you to base of rock. Look for a dihedral with a wide crack around a flake 120 feet up.Route Description
Pitch 1: 5.9, 140 feet. Climb up the groove/dihedral (see photo) to reach a nice hands to wide hands crack (low angle). Climb it to just below the left-facing flake with an OW crack behind it. Move up the left side of flake (blue Alien/TCU protect this very well). Move left a bit more at top of flake and exit onto ledge system via another groove/dihedral. Belay bolts. Look right for bolts with chains (Rap 5).
Move belay 30 feet up class 4 terrain to base of mid-sized tree.
Pitch 2: 5.8, 100 feet. Climb the lower angle face behind tree following bolts. Mantle up onto a slab (more bolts; note the belay anchor with tat on it – you’ll be using this later for rappels, Rap 4) next to a short chimney and follow slab up and right. Belay from bolted anchor at base of an obvious OW crack. Mostly bolt protected pitch with one or two gear placements if desired.
Pitch 3: 5.9, 160 feet. You’re not climbing the OW. Instead, traverse left clipping two bolts. Mantle up onto a ledge at base of a dihedral. Move up to base of a nice hands/wide hands crack. Climb it to ledge. Note bolted chain anchor on right –you’ll be using it for rappels (Rap 3). Keep going up blocky ledges (one more bolt on a short headwall). Belay at bolt anchor on top of ledges.
Pitch 4 5.9, 100 feet. Follow bolts up. First clip is steep but then angle eases as you follow a blunt arête. After final bulge, look left and up for another bolt or two. To your left you’ll see bolted chain anchor (Rap 2). Instead, belay from bolts on narrow ledge on right.
Pitch 5 5.9, 120 feet. Traverse right 8 feet to reach base of a chimney. Move up and pass the chockstone (crux). Follow weird, sandy groove/chimney feature to ledge with bolted chain anchor and summit register. Reportedly a bit of class 4 separates you from summit of Gibraltar Rock at this point.
Descent:
Some of these go as single rope raps but we just rapped the whole thing with double ropes. Watch for loose stuff, esp. on first and last raps.
Rap 1: Straight down to chain anchors (long chains on flat ledge) you saw at start of chimney.
Rap 2: Straight down to chain anchors you passed on pitch 3.
Rap 3: Down to bolted tat belay you passed on pitch 2.
Rap 4: Down to chain anchor below the tree you used for pitch 2 belay.
Rap 5: Rap down to the ground.Route Overlay
Sedona Scenic Cruise |
Essential Gear
Double set of cams from blue Alien to #2 Camalot. Single #3 and #3.5 Camalots. Light set of nuts. Two ropes.External LinksSee link to mountainproject page given above. Images
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