Pitch 1: 5.10a 180 ft. Start up a shallow corner that leads up to a roof. Place a few small widgets into the roof and get over this obstacle (crux). Traverse left and up towards the crack above. Clip a bolt (added on third ascent to make the section less runout). Make several more committing slabby moves and get into a crack/groove. BD Camalot #3 protects the bottom of the crack. Climb up and right and traverse towards the prominent OW. Make a few short down-climbs along the traverse. Bolted anchor. Fun pitch. As an alternative you can also take the OW which is tough and has a fun chimney above. Small gear protects the chimney.

Pitch 2: 40ft 5.9+. Continue up an obvious OW. You can protect it very well with Camalots # 2, 3, 4 and 5. Belay at a bolted anchor below the giant overhanging flake.

Pitch 3: 80 ft 5.11. There are a few pitches in CA that majority of climbers from the whole US know. The Narrows, Harding Slot, The Great Roof, Thank God Ledge, Separate Reality along with a few more. Difficulty of these pitches have little to do with their popularity. The Reach Around Flake pitch deserves to be included in the list. It is clean, has enjoyable climbing, spectacular setting and it is WILD. Take a right leaning hand crack/hand rail up and continue traversing towards a large overhang. As you traverse higher you get closer to the right edge of the giant roof that looked impossible from the ground. It will get overhanging and involve a few monkey swings. Great opportunity for hero-shots and clean whippers. Two bolts protect the leader and the follower. This pitch is almost equally intimidating for both. Pull around the flake and a bolted belay is waiting for you. Enjoy the pump, it will not go away fast. :)

Pitch 4: 5.10b 150 ft. Make a few strenuous moves and get to the top of a flake left of the anchor. Clip a few bolts and traverse up and left slinging chicken heads for protection. Slipknot works well on these. Climb up and traverse left towards another bulge. You can protect it with cams and than sling a few more knobs once you are over the bulge. Belay from a bolt and a big chicken head below a beautiful knobby headwall.

Pitch 5: 5.6-8 200ft. Difficulty of this pitch depends on path you take. Whole pitch offers solid knobs, chicken heads and jugs. Sling them for protection and continue climbing straight up. Once you are 50 or so meters up from the belay traverse to the left side of the water groove. Belay station is one bolt and a slung chicken head and this pitch is exactly 60 meters.

From this belay station you can do a final roped pitch of low 5th class for another 100 feet or un-rope and scramble to the top. Continue to the top of the dome and scramble down the gulley on the west side of the formation for the more direct way back to the base.

Tokopah Reality

Mango Lassi Lulz Machine

Welcome to Wallmart

The Boardwalk Chimney

Beauty and the Beast

Tokopah Adventure

Route was put up on lead from stances and hooks, an impressive lead.Route starts from a little ledge and goes straight up the slab, 50 feet to the right of the Boardwalk Chimney. It features quality rock, sweet little crimpers, exciting slabby face climbing and large chicken head tie offs higher on the route.

Pitch 1: 5.10+ 35M. This is one of the best thin face routes you could find anywhere. It tests your skills on friction and composure. Even though the pitch is fully bolted and requires only a green alien or red BD C3 for protection, it features sporty climbing from bolt to bolt in the upper section of the route. It is never dangerous but gripping. Stop at a bolted belay. From here one can either continue up to the top of the dome, or rappel back down to the little ledge with a 60M rope, or to the ground with a 70m. Watch your ends.

Pitch 2: 5.7 30M. Take the wide crack below the roof to the base of a short flare.

Pitch 3: 5.10 55M.Climb the flare, continue up taking the path of least resistance, sling chicken heads for pro and have fun.

Pitch 4: Low 5th class. Short pitch to the top of the formation.

A very enjoyable route with some fun, moderate and a bit of hard climbing mixed in. The quality of rock, setting, sea of slingable chicken heads and lack of need for a giant rack make this climb a must do.

Pitch 1: 180 ft - 5.10+. Starts with well protected 5.8 slab to a stance below the bolt. You can place a BD .5 camalot below the overhang before clipping the bolt. Back clean the cam and place it below the big roof. Pull the roof and place a BD #1 or 0.75, than an offset purple/blue metolious or something like a green or a blue alien before clipping the bolt. One more bolt before the crux and a few more exciting moves before reaching thank god chicken heads. Climb straight up to a chicken head/bolt belay.

Pitch 2: 160 ft - 5.superfun chicken head jug haul to another chickenhead/bolt anchor.

Pitch 3: 150 ft - 5.10a. Great friction 5.8-9 slab past 3 bolts and a 5.9-10a move to pull the overhang past another bolt. More chicken heads take you to a chicken head anchor belay. Cool pitch.

Pitch 4: 130 ft - 5.6. Bolt off the belay protects the 5.6ish climbing to a cool yellow dike. Hike the dike and continue up low 5th terrain till it starts getting really easy. You can belay in a large stack of blocks to your left.

A really fun route that follows a major chimney system on the SW face of Lower Tokopah Dome. It will not prepare you for the Steck Salathe, but is a worthy climb anyway. Once you are past the first pitch, the amount of chimneying depends on how much do you prefer this style of climbing vs friction and knob pulling. This route could have potentially been done by other climbers but research with locals have not brought out any claims for any routes that went up to the top of Lower Tokopah Dome. There were no bolts or other signs of passage noted on this route at the time of the ascent.

Pitch 1. 5.8 55 meters. Start from the left, up a short layback and get in the chimney proper. #6 camalot protects the squeeze crux of the pitch. Pull the second roof by climbing on face holds on the right side or by going straight in, which did not look as fun. Continue stemming, chimneying and face climbing on awesome knobs for almost the whole rope length. For anchor tie off giant chicken heads to climber's left of the chimney and some cams (BD #1) could be placed in a hidden crack. Fun and sustained pitch.

Pitch 2. 5.7 55 meters. Climb up the deep groove/chimney in the end of which you will have to do a full on 5.7 OW crux that involves heel-toe and chimney technique to get past. When you are past the hard part and in a fairly good stance, traverse a few moves left on a horizontal dike and make a gear anchor. You can place a BD 0.75 (green) camalot and protect the traverse. Anchor takes a variety of cams from #0.4 to 3 camalot.

Pitch 3. 5.7 PG 13, 60 meters. Climb up the chimney and after about 30 feet traverse right to cool knobs on the right. Get past the bulge, sling knobs and continue up taking the path that is more protected and seems reasonable. The mental crux is about 15 ft of 5.6ish friction above a few tied off chicken heads. Continue straight up and use the cool orange dike for some variety. Make a belay station at a nice stance with a solid crack for a gear anchor. Scramble to the summit and enjoy the views!

Pitch 1: 100 ft 5.8. This pitch is the only pitch of the route that is not that enjoyable. Climb up an obvious chimney, get on the big ledge and traverse it to the base of a bolt. You can make an anchor with your #3 and 4 cams just left, under an overhang.

Pitch 2: 145 ft 5.10b. Make a A0 move past the bolt and grab the jug left. Traverse around the arête and do some fun face climbing. 5.10b(?) crux is after the 3rd bolt, as I remember, and you have to go right of the bolt and than traverse back left when your feet are above it. Fun moves. Than easier climbing to the top. There is a little roof which is fun right below the anchor. Takes .3, .4 or a #1 (I would take all  and place two that fit). About 8 bolts on the pitch as I remember.

Pitch 3: 70 ft 5.7. From the anchor traverse directly left past two bolts. Crux is the friction groove after the 2nd bolt. Belay from a giant ledge with an amazing view of Tokopah Valley.

Pitch 4. 200 ft 5.11-. On the western side of the Balcony is the prominent chimney OW that cannot be missed. Bring a single set from .4 to #6 cam, two #3s (one to protect the hand crack before the traverse into the chimney, you can put a #1 deep inside after you get into it. Save the .4 .5 or .75, not sure which would work since I didnt have them, for pro before the last section of climbing. There are 3 bolts on this OW/chimney. Great quality rock, not flaky and no munge anywhere. Traverse over into it might be the technical crux? Tough lead, 60 meters of wide fun!

Pitch 5: 120 ft 5.8. Take the handcrack to the top and get out right onto the slab. Climb past the bolt and do the final stretch of smearing before you get on terra firma.

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Location

Protection

Routes in Lower Tokopah Dome