The Candy Store

overview

Lone Pine Peak

Diane leading Rock Candy, 10d

The Candy Store Boulders

Diane nearing the top

Candy Store is the name for an area in the Alabama Hills on the outskirts of Mount Whitney, in the Sierra Nevada Range, California.




I don’t know how this area came to be known as Candy Store, but I couldn’t think of a more appropriate name for it than just that. Candy Store is comprised of a grouping of boulders and rock formations ranging in height from a few feet to about thirty five feet. As climbers, you feel like you are in a candy store sampling one or two of every sweet morsel in the store. The routes are short and bolted, so you can do several in a short span of time. If you end up liking the taste, stay for hours and gorge yourself.





The routes on Candy Store may be short, but not by any means all easy. You can find lead routes up to 10d and toprope routes up to 11c. There are also several routes in the 5.7 to 5.9 range to make your visit as pleasant as possible. The names of the formations are enough to make your mouth water. For example, you have Lollipop, Milky Way, Baby Ruth and Rock Candy to name a few. The names of the routes are just as sweet as the names of the boulders.



Access to the top of the formations is done by either scrambing the 4th class backsides or leading an easier pitch. For example, you can scramble up the back side of Rock Candy Boulder to set up top rope on two of the most challenging routes, “Rock Candy, 10d” and “Hot, Sweet And Sticky, 11c.” In the case of Lollipop Boulder, you need to either lead the front side routes, both 5.10s, or lead a 5.8 route off the back side to set up top rope for the front side routes.



The best part about climbing on Candy Store formations and Alabama Hills in general is the awesome mountain views you are treated to. Simply put, the views are unbeatable. You are being cradled by Lone Pine Peak, Mount Corcoran and the shoulder of Mount Langley to name a few. Spring season in this area affords the best views and weather conditions for climbing. If you are into bouldering, you can find a number of boulder problems with pretty good landing here. I have found several traverses that will keep you busy for hours. For those who like to belay from the bumper of their car, Candy Store is your area. I’m joking, of course, but the point being that you drive to within a few feet of the rocks. Approach time, two seconds.

Select Routes

Lollipop Boulder

Rock Candy Boulder

Charleston Chew Boulder

List of the routes

	List of the select Routes of The Candy Store
A	Sugar Daddy, 10b, bolts, anchor
B	Sweet Spot, 10a, bolts, anchor
C	Crack It Up, 5.8, standard rack
D	Unknown name, about 5.5, 2 bolts, anchor
E	Rock Candy, 10d, bolts, anchor, the best route here
F	Hot, Sweet And Sticky, 11c, Top Rope
G	Kit Kat, 10a, bolts, anchor
H	Werner's Werthers, 5.8, bolts, anchor

Driving Directions

How to get to Candy Store: From the town of Lone Pine on HWY 395 drive about three miles on Whitney Portal Road to intersect Horseshoe Meadow Road. Turn left onto Horseshoe Meadow Road and drive about a mile to just past the last grouping of rocks. Turn left onto an old and narrow paved road for a short distance and left again onto a dirt road. Drive another 200 yards to the crags.

Note: On your way to Candy Store you will drive just past Ganga Din Area. This is where the old movie Ganga Din was filmed.

External Links

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Images

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