Black Rocks

Lat/Lon: 37.15528°N / 113.60528°W, Click for Google Map
Todd Goss and Anthony Jones started developing the first basalt rock area in St.
George in 1995, knows as Black Rocks. St. George, Utah is surrounded by climbing
walls on all fronts with Black Rocks and Chuckawalla Wall north of town competing
for most popular crag. Ease of access to both is no doubt partly responsible. A
minimum of 65 published routes line both the north and south facing walls of Black
Rocks giving up ideal conditions in both summer and winter for all abilities.
However, Black Rocks is now closed to any new climbing route development.

Black Rocks is within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, a 62,000+ acre scenic wildlife
reserve set aside in 1996 to protect the desert tortoise among other sensitive desert
species. Red Cliffs Desert Reserve is the cornerstone of three separate and distinct
ecosystems, the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau. Due to
this unique merge, several endemic species, those which can be found no where
else in the world, are found in the reserve.

There are 65 short sport routes featured in Todd Goss’s new edition guide book,
“Rock Climbs of Southwest Utah”. This recent edition was published in 2006 and I
highly recommend it. I have climbed many of the south wall routes. These are all
short sport routes. I found the grade pretty much dead on relative to the routes I have
led.

Black Rocks does not offer the serious trad opportunities that can be found at Bluff
Street Crags back in town nor the multi-pitch routes in Snow Canyon State Park, but
does offers more route choice and better quality rock than what is found at Green
Valley Gap or any of the other sport climbing crags in and around St. George.

Route Description(s)
Routes are Left to Right
South Wall

Jerry’s on Deck- 40’- 5.10a/ (photos) Last route to the west on the sunny
(north) side of Black Rocks. Fun start, but the whole route seems more like a
5.9 or less to me. Four bolts to rap anchors.
Hippy’s at Bat- 30’- 5.10a/(photos)Second to last route to the west on the
sunny side (north) of Black Rocks. Scramble up a short heap of rocks to the
base of a shady wall. Four bolts to rap anchor. Stem the lower section and
then nice pockets on a verticle to slightly overhanging wall.
Mickey Mantle- 35’- 5.10b/ (photos) The 5.10b's go easy for the grade at
Black Rocks in my opinion. This is the third route from the west on the sunny
wall (north). Small crimps to mantel and pockets through 3 bolts to anchor.
Particulate Matter- 40’- 5.11b/
Keystone Arete- 40’- 5.10b/ (photos) My favorite route at Black Rocks thus
far. Fun awkward moves up the arete, moving back and forth via these large
off centered blocks. Four bolts to rap chains.
The Nest- 40’- 5.7/
Degenerate Matter- 40’- 5.10c/
Dark Matter- 40’- 5.10c/ (photos) Decent route. Little overhanging, thin
crimps through three bolts to cold shuts. On the easy side of 5.10c.
Galactic Cannibalism- 40’- 5.10b/ (photos) One of my favorite routes at Black
Rocks north, located in between Moses Had a Stick Clip, 5.10a and Dark
Matter, 5.10c. A classic on lead, sustained finger pocket 40'er. Eases up
towards the top. Middle is the crux. Four bolts to cold shuts.
Moses Had a Stick Clip- 40’- 5.10a/ (photos) Unlike the name implies, I do
not believe this route needs to be stick clipped. This is a fantastic arete line
out of a number up and down Black Rocks north. Start with a slightly loose
corner piece, move up somewhat overhanging ground through the first bolt,
staying mostly on the left side of the arete with the finish on the left side
straight up. Four bolts to chains. Fun route.
Jerry’s on Deck- 40’- 5.10a/
Jesus Wore Tevas- 40’- 5.10c/
Oh Shit- 40’- 5.10b/
Oh My Heck- 40’- 5.10a/
Oh My Hell- 40’- 5.10c/
Camlock- 40’- 5.10a/
Lunar Orbit- 40’- 5.10b/
Objective Reality- 35’- 5.9/ (photos). The worst of these three climbs that
share the same anchor. Not very aesthetic really and kind of a weird lead to
keep it true, use some gear and get back right to the anchor (photos).
Solar Eclipse- 35’- 5.10b/ A tough short and sparse face climb for the grade.
Four bolts to shared anchor with route above and below (photos).
Unknown Reality- 35’- 5.9/ I recommend this rare trad route in Black Rocks.
Three routes share the same top chains here (Solar Eclipse and Unknown
Reality). This crack starts out wide as you place a larger piece underneath a
bulge (crux) and narrows as you ascend. Some fun hand jamming and
stemming to be had (photos).
Black Dwarf- 35’- 5.9+/ Four bolts to anchor. Fun move over bulge as I recall
(photos).
Sungrazer- 35’- 5.8+/ One of two 5.8’s on the wall, thus quite popular. Rated
tougher than Black Hole Sun, I thought it was easier and easy for the grade.
Three bolts to the anchor. Edges and pockets up a seam (photos).
Black Hole Sun- 35’- 5.8/ Both of these 5.8’s are a little polished, but still worth
it. Four bolts past edges and pocket to anchor (photos).
Nuclear Decay- 35’- 5.9/
Gravitational Attraction- 35’- 5.11b/
Casual Slander- 35’- 5.9/ I recommend this route. Finger crack to great
pockets. Three bolts to anchor (photos).
Standing on Faith- 35’- 5.7/
Volcanic Therapy- 35’- 5.7/
Cyclops- 35’- 5.10a/ Just about my favorite route on the wall. This route
represents, you guessed it, a Cyclops. Three bolts to anchor. Use edges to
maneuver past the “eye socket” (photos). It is directly across from where you
enter the canyon.

North Wall

Extinction- 40’- 5.10a/
The Stem from Heck- 40’- 5.10a/
Polluting the Gene Pool- 40’- 5.11a/
Run Bunny Run- 40’- 5.9+/
Hippy’s Wrath- 35’- 5.11c/
New Age Disciples- 35’- 5.10b/
Indifference- 35’- 5.9/
STD- 30’- 5.10c/
FYM- 30’- 5.8/
The Fella’s- 35’- 5.9/
Stick it Dude- 40’- 5.11c/
Jumping to Conclusions- 45’- 5.12c/
Flying off the Handle- 45’- 5.12b/
Galactic Acid- 45’- 5.13b/
Slap Happy- 40’- 5.12c/
Flirting with Mutants- 40’- 5.11b/
Ginsu- 35’- 5.11c/
Mission Impossible- 35’- 5.10b/
Entropy- 35’- 5.9/
Atlantis- 35’- 5.10b/
The Beginning- 40’- 5.10b/
Your Problem- 50’- 5.12c/
What was I Thinking- 50’- 5.10c/ (photos) This route is difficult for the grade.
Borders 5.11 in my opinion. Starts out with ease through fun overhang, but
about 2/3rds up gets pumpy and sparse and stays that way (or maybe I was
just done for the day). You have to make a mantel move or two onto very
small features and then a fist jam onto another overhanging big move to
finish. Great shady side route in the winter towards the end of the day. Nice
and warm in February we found after the sun hit it for at least an hour.
Welcome to Black Rocks- 50’- 5.10a/ (photos) Fun route on the shady side
that gets good sun in the late afternoon during the winter months. Starts out
with an undercut overhang and then lays back fairly easy via six bolts to
anchor.
The 5am Lookouts- 50’- 5.10a/
Split Decisions- 50’- 5.10b/
Singularity- 35’- 5.10c/
Event Horizon- 40’- 5.10d/
Critical Mass- 40’- 5.10c/
Neutrino Drizzle- 40’- 5.10b/
Vacuum Genesis- 40’- 5.10d/
Blank Czech- 40’- 5.12b/
Escape Velocity- 40’- 5.12a/
Primeval Atmosphere- 40’- 5.11b/
Primordial Soup- 40’- 5.10b/
Subdivisions- 40’- 5.9/
Chromatic Aberration- 35’- 5.9/

Getting There
Drive north on Bluff Street (Route 18) beyond St. George proper. Two miles beyond
Sunset Blvd the road starts to descend to cross the canyon floor. There should be a
“Falling Rocks” sign on the right across from a small dirt pull out to the left next to a
paved bike path. Park here and head up the hill (north) along the bike path for just a
short distance looking for the step through access along the fence that marks the
Red Cliffs Preserve boundary. There are trail signs posted and pets are allowed on
leash on this trail. Follow the trail as it winds north and drops right down into the
climbing section of Black Rocks. You descend the north wall and either cross to the
south wall or stay along the north wall. The routes on the north wall start immediately
as you get to the base. The south wall routes start directly across from where you
descend and both walls run west from there. It is imperative that you stay on the
existing trails to avoid damage to the desert terrain, damage that can last for much
longer relative to other environs.

Red Tape
Black Rocks is closed March 15-June 30.
Black Rocks is currently closed to all new development as well. Parking is
allowed in designated areas only. Overnight parking for backcountry camping,
hunting, or shuttling is permitted. No camping is permitted in the parking areas. All
pets must be on a leash to prevent wildlife disturbance and to avoid conflicts with
other people. In the Lowland Zone, campfires are restricted to established fire rings
within official campgrounds. Campfires are allowed in the Upland Zone, but may be
subject to closures for high fire danger.

The rock at Black Rocks is stronger than most of the local sandstone, however, as
with most of the climbing in and around St. George, you should avoid climbing
for at least 24 hours after any rain.

My favorite place for dinner is the sushi bar at Samurai, 245 Red Cliffs Drive. The
best breakfast and coffee can be had at Jazzy Java. The Outdoor Outlet is one of my
favorite independent climbing stores anywhere. They know the climbing area well
and have a great selection of gear at competitive prices.

When to Climb
I have climbed in Black Rocks for years during the winter months and have always
found the south wall an inviting place to climb. The climbing is good all year round
with the exception of daytime during the summer months. If you are climbing
anywhere in southwestern Utah during the summer months, you more than likely
better get up early and finish your climb early. The walls can get brutally hot.

Camping/Lodging
There are three campgrounds within the city limits of St. George none of which I have
experienced. Temple View RV Resort at 975 South Main Street; Settlers RV Park at
1333 East 100 South; St. George Campground at 2100 East Middleton Drive.

Of course my druthers would be to stay at the campground in Snow Canyon State
Park. This has to be one of the finest State campgrounds anywhere with direct
access to tons of climbing routes. The campground is open all year, no holiday
closures. There is a limit on your stay of 5 days. They have 33 total units, 17 of which
are reserved for the big boys (RV’s) with utility hookups. The tent sites were $14 in
2005. Drinking water is available on site along with vault toilets and even showers.
The running/hiking/equestrian trail system is pretty cool and as long as you don’t run
into the occasional Segway group, the whole park is usually very quiet, particularly
during winter months.

Notes: A favorite quick fix of ours when in southern Utah. Use the south wall for
winter and the north wall in the summer. With 65 routes, you will find something
entertaining. A lot less claustrophobic than Chuckawalla Wall.