The Beach

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Beach Photos

Above and left of the main Sunnyside wall is a steep little wall with some impressive overhangs on its left side. It catches lots of morning sun, and can be VERY hot in direct sun, so it's necessary to have a strategy to avoid the heat. You can: Go on a day when the temperature is below 60. Go on a cloudy day. Go later in the afternoon when the sun angle is more favorable. As the sun swings north in the spring, the crag gets good shade about mid-afternoon. So Feb, March and April are good months to make a mid-to-late afternoon visit. In April, most of the routes are in shade by 1 p.m.
The wall is shaped like a breaking wave. It starts at 20 deg. overhung on the right side, and breaks to about 60 deg. overhung on the left. The routes are steep and sustained.
People have been looking over at this wall from the other side of the canyon since the early 90s, saying "We should check it out sometime". But no one ever seemed to do it, or if they did, deemed it too steep or too chossy to mess with. But around December of 2000, Joe Shiefman and I bushwhacked up to the wall. We saw potential, but the face looked very steep and was very chossy. A year later we went up to start work on one of the easier looking sections (Solar Power). Looking at it, I figured it would go at about 5.10. When it turned out to be closer to 5.12, I realized that many of the other lines might be really hard, so I'd better recruit some talent. So I brought Todd McG up to the place and he went to work with a vengeance. These routes required a LOT of cleaning. But knowing how little truly steep climbing Tucson has to offer, we figured all the work would be worth it.
To reach The Beach, start up the draw to the west of the crag and then work your way up and east to the base. There is now a pretty good trail starting just east of the Cheese Block that takes you right up to the Beach. It is shown as a thin blue line on the map.
The routes are described right to left.

Hang Eleven
5.11 * Sport A warm-up route has been done on the far right side of the crag. Short but worth doing. The route is reached by doing the Solar Power scramble up to the ledge, and then traversing way up and right into the corner. (Tyler McMillen, Apr. 2002)

Solar Power
5.12a ** Sport Near the right side of the wall, a route starts from a ledge 10 feet off the deck and follows a seam up past two blocks. Start by scrambling up crap rock to the ledge. A bolt protects this scramble. The route overhangs 20 degrees and the climbing is excellent and sustained. If you traverse left near the top to avoid the final crux, you are cheating. (John Baker, Todd McG, Brian Kristofitz, Joe Shiefman, Jan. 2002)

Holeo An' Glassy Ass
5.13a ** Sport 10 feet left of the Solar Power is a nice blank face with a prominent hole about 20 feet up. Starts hard, gets harder. (Todd McG, John Baker, Apr. 2003)

Milanoma
5.12 *** Sport 10 feet left of Holeo is a brown streak with buckets halfway up. The route is only 40 feet long, but it is 40 feet of pure action. It overhangs 30 degrees. (Todd McG, John Baker, Brian Kristofitz, Feb. 2002)

Blood Meridian
5.12d ** Sport Left of Milanoma, a series of small overlaps lead up to a left-leaning crack. Steep, strenuous, sustained. (John Baker, Todd McG, Apr. 2003)

No War
5.13c * Sport The beautiful cleaver-like arete near the center of the crag. It starts on Blood Meridian and branches left. (Nate McCormick, Feb. 2004)

Pipeline
5.13a ** Sport This route climbs out the right side of the big roof up to the black streak. Overhangs about 45 degrees. (Todd McG, John Baker, Apr. 2002)

Eclipse
5.12+ *** Sport The steepest route in the canyon zooms out the roof at the widest part. Very interesting climbing with lots of heel hooks and foot cams. Yard for yard as good as any route around. (Todd McG, John Baker, Apr. 2002)

Death Of A Surfer
5.11+ Sport Far left side of the roof. (Todd McG, Feb. 2003)

The Cheese Block

About 100 yards west (left) of The Sunnyside is a big block of rock standing by itself. Around 1993, Mike Argueso drilled two sets of anchors at the top of the block and then left town. In December of 2000, Joe Shiefman and I rapped down the block to see if it was worth messing with. The right-hand route is just too loose at the bottom, but the left-hand route (with a lot of cleaning) turned out pretty well. Maybe the right-hand side will be an alternate finish some day.

For the Lova Mike
stiff 5.11 *+ Sport This route doesn't see much traffic currently because few know of its existence and it sits by itself away from the rest of the Sunnyside routes. But the climbing is complicated and sustained and it deserves attention.
The route starts from atop an unpleasant shattered block. Approach from the left up a little rotten dihedral and be careful. There is a keeper bolt at the start of the route so you don't fly off the block if you blow the first move. A long sling on the keeper bolt is good to minimize rope drag. (John Baker, Joe Shiefman, Cres Snyder Dec. 2000)
Photo: Dylan Cooper on the route

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	Home Beach Photos Above and left of the main Sunnyside wall is a steep little wall with some impressive overhangs on its left side. It catches lots of morning sun, and can be VERY hot in direct sun, so it's necessary to have a strategy to avoid the heat. You can: Go on a day when the temperature is below 60. Go on a cloudy day. Go later in the afternoon when the sun angle is more favorable. As the sun swings north in the spring, the crag gets good shade about mid-afternoon. So Feb, March and April are good months to make a mid-to-late afternoon visit. In April, most of the routes are in shade by 1 p.m. The wall is shaped like a breaking wave. It starts at 20 deg. overhung on the right side, and breaks to about 60 deg. overhung on the left. The routes are steep and sustained. People have been looking over at this wall from the other side of the canyon since the early 90s, saying "We should check it out sometime". But no one ever seemed to do it, or if they did, deemed it too steep or too chossy to mess with. But around December of 2000, Joe Shiefman and I bushwhacked up to the wall. We saw potential, but the face looked very steep and was very chossy. A year later we went up to start work on one of the easier looking sections (Solar Power). Looking at it, I figured it would go at about 5.10. When it turned out to be closer to 5.12, I realized that many of the other lines might be really hard, so I'd better recruit some talent. So I brought Todd McG up to the place and he went to work with a vengeance. These routes required a LOT of cleaning. But knowing how little truly steep climbing Tucson has to offer, we figured all the work would be worth it. To reach The Beach, start up the draw to the west of the crag and then work your way up and east to the base. There is now a pretty good trail starting just east of the Cheese Block that takes you right up to the Beach. It is shown as a thin blue line on the map. The routes are described right to left.
Hang Eleven 5.11 * Sport	A warm-up route has been done on the far right side of the crag. Short but worth doing. The route is reached by doing the Solar Power scramble up to the ledge, and then traversing way up and right into the corner. (Tyler McMillen, Apr. 2002)
Solar Power 5.12a ** Sport	Near the right side of the wall, a route starts from a ledge 10 feet off the deck and follows a seam up past two blocks. Start by scrambling up crap rock to the ledge. A bolt protects this scramble. The route overhangs 20 degrees and the climbing is excellent and sustained. If you traverse left near the top to avoid the final crux, you are cheating. (John Baker, Todd McG, Brian Kristofitz, Joe Shiefman, Jan. 2002)
Holeo An' Glassy Ass 5.13a ** Sport	10 feet left of the Solar Power is a nice blank face with a prominent hole about 20 feet up. Starts hard, gets harder. (Todd McG, John Baker, Apr. 2003)
Milanoma 5.12 *** Sport	10 feet left of Holeo is a brown streak with buckets halfway up. The route is only 40 feet long, but it is 40 feet of pure action. It overhangs 30 degrees. (Todd McG, John Baker, Brian Kristofitz, Feb. 2002)
Blood Meridian 5.12d ** Sport	Left of Milanoma, a series of small overlaps lead up to a left-leaning crack. Steep, strenuous, sustained. (John Baker, Todd McG, Apr. 2003)
No War 5.13c * Sport	The beautiful cleaver-like arete near the center of the crag. It starts on Blood Meridian and branches left. (Nate McCormick, Feb. 2004)
Pipeline 5.13a ** Sport	This route climbs out the right side of the big roof up to the black streak. Overhangs about 45 degrees. (Todd McG, John Baker, Apr. 2002)
Eclipse 5.12+ *** Sport	The steepest route in the canyon zooms out the roof at the widest part. Very interesting climbing with lots of heel hooks and foot cams. Yard for yard as good as any route around. (Todd McG, John Baker, Apr. 2002)
Death Of A Surfer 5.11+ Sport	Far left side of the roof. (Todd McG, Feb. 2003)
	The Cheese Block About 100 yards west (left) of The Sunnyside is a big block of rock standing by itself. Around 1993, Mike Argueso drilled two sets of anchors at the top of the block and then left town. In December of 2000, Joe Shiefman and I rapped down the block to see if it was worth messing with. The right-hand route is just too loose at the bottom, but the left-hand route (with a lot of cleaning) turned out pretty well. Maybe the right-hand side will be an alternate finish some day.
For the Lova Mike stiff 5.11 *+ Sport	This route doesn't see much traffic currently because few know of its existence and it sits by itself away from the rest of the Sunnyside routes. But the climbing is complicated and sustained and it deserves attention. The route starts from atop an unpleasant shattered block. Approach from the left up a little rotten dihedral and be careful. There is a keeper bolt at the start of the route so you don't fly off the block if you blow the first move. A long sling on the keeper bolt is good to minimize rope drag. (John Baker, Joe Shiefman, Cres Snyder Dec. 2000) Photo: Dylan Cooper on the route