Smoke Signals

The Stowaway

Start under the alcove and climb the left inside edge of the wall passing two bolts. Good edges but funk body positions are needed to pull over and on to the slab via a small edge near the start of a crack. Climb the discontinuous crack merging into the Forbidden Slab route and follow to the anchors above.

False Profits

Climb the low angled face up to a small pod with a piton. From the pod angle up and right towards another pod with a piton and then follow a broken crack system to a set of bolt anchors to the left of the large tree on the top ledge.

Note that these anchors can be reached by climbing the first pitch of Pleasure Cruise.

Rappel from the top of Pleasure Cruise using the rap chains.

Forbidden Slab

Follow crack system through a chimney to a small tree with dirt and moss. Move up and right through easier face moves. Follow right side of vegetated gully on juggy, slightly overhanging rock--crux. Pull up and onto right face to easier face climbing. Head to large tree at the top of the gully.

Fireballs

Full Steam Ahead

Charted Waters

The 1st pitch is good trad placements on low-angle, blocky terrain that meanders up to a bolted anchor.  2nd pitch is slab-tastic straight up from the anchor, move left under the roof to mount the upper slab section.  Stop at bolted anchor to the left (50 feet) of Big Tree Ledge.  Rap "Spike Route/Genesis" or top our via Spike Rt.

Burning Calves

The original route to the summit of Beacon Rock, first climbed in the Summer of 1901 (

beaconrockclimbingassociati…

).  The route meanders all over the NW Face to follow the path of least resistance to the top.  It is characterized by mostly 3rd-class hiking on dirty ledges, with a couple of short stretches of 4th-and 5th-class rock, on which the FA party, and others shortly thereafter, fixed long iron rods into the rock to aid their ascent up these "impossible" sections (no harder than 5.7 by modern standards).

Start hiking up a left-trending dirty 3rd-class ramp just to the left of the clean (ish) face at the base of the NW Face just above the large boulders.  The first iron spike is within 50', so you will know that you are on route.  You will reach a modern bolted anchor after about 250' on route (well-after the first switchback, and just above the first bit of 4th-class rock) that you can use to belay the crux pitch above:  60' of dirty 4th-class followed by a 40' 5.7 dihedral.  Follow the trail across the ledge, up another 15' of 5.easy rock, and walk through the perched forest before cutting back left up some 4th-class rock for 150'.  The final 70' to the narrow summit ridge is up a right-trending dirty 3rd-class ramp.  This is the highest and coolest top-out of any route at Beacon.  Descend the hiker's trail.

There is some poison oak along the easiest stretches of the route, but it is quite small and easily avoidable if you know what you are looking for, except for the final 70' where there are some large bushes quite close to you (don't try to rope-up for this stretch).  Most of the oak on route that would cause you problems was eradicated as of July 2015.

Pioneer (Spike) Route

The Steamboat Captain's Dream

Follow ramp to small roof below left-facing dihedral with tips crack (crux). Move through small overhangs up and right to rap anchor below large roof.

Siege Tactics

Batten Down the Hatches

Follow left-leaning, jagged weakness to a small roof. Pull roof (crux) and pass a small fir tree. Continue up discontinuous cracks to a shallow dihedral. Pass 2 bolts on small edges. Rap rings below large roof.

Dorian's Dilemma

Genesis starts next to the Spike Route and follows it to Big Tree Ledge.  Mostly bolts with some gear placements to protect some run-out sections.  Watch for poison oak on the 2nd pitch.  3rd pitch climbs slab to the right of the Spike Route dihedral.

Genesis

P1 5.7 - start right of the roof on easy terrain and climb up and left towards the crack behind the roof. Ascend the crack/corner to get on top of the roof. #1-#3 Camalots protect well here. Once on top of the roof move left to the arete. Clip a pin but ignore the old 1/4 bolt museum piece. Step on the block and move above the pin, a small 0.2 cam can be used in a face slit above the pin. Follow the arete on big holds passing a couple more bolts to a large ledge with a big tree and anchors.

P2 5.7 - climb straight up from the belay passing a bolt and pin and plenty of good gear options. Make a step up a shallow groove and traverse right on a ledge to easier ground passing 2 more bolts to a big ledge. At the big ledge clip a third bolt using a long sling to reduce rope drag. Traverse hard left passing one more bolt to reach the anchors.

P3 5.8 - from the belay step right and head up clipping a bolt. Go to the back of the large ledge and climb the short crack using the block of Damocles. (You’ll pull and stand on that thing. I have reefed on it to no avail but your mileage may vary.) If you protect the crack, it is recommended to extend the sling before continuing to alleviate rope drag.

On the next rightward sloping ledge move to the far left side to find good holds ascending a slab past 3 bolts to yet another big ledge. Again consider how to manage rope drag on this pitch by extending slings.The last part of this pitch ascends either an off width crack on the left (bring bigger gear if wanting to do this) or the face to the right. The face has a crack higher up that takes a nice 0.3 size cam. It might perplex some but the short face is easy once you figure out the movement.

3 raps to the ground with a 70m

All belays bolted.

Pleasure Cruise

Starts below a bolt on the right side of the face, followed by 2 pitons. From the 2nd piton, traverse left, then up to the roof corner (crux). Or, attack the roof directly from the 2nd piton and move left. Pull the roof and follow the balancey slab to a rap ring anchor.

Head Case

Red Sky at Night

Stone Soup

Burl through juggy, overhanging roof moves off ground and directly into the crux sequence on thin holds. Continue through delicate face climbing into the second crux roof. Runout climbing on easier holds, one final roof sequence at 70ft and moderate face climbing to anchor.

Description

Routes in Northwest Face