A few easy slab moves lead to some really fun and powerful sequences on tufas and other unique holds.  Yeah, it's not very long.

Short and Stiff

Sacrificial Pig

TuFa king $:@%*~!

Couples Fear Factor

Fred's Route

Solar Delirium

Tufa-one

Tufa the Soul

Tufasize Me

Grip It And Rip It

Via Ferrari

Sidewinder

Canned Heat

Ground Effects

Calcite Cruiser

Kryptic Curtain

Cry a Little Send a Little

TuFa king

Way 'Stead

Rain Day

Spicy Crispy

Dead Sea

Black Sunshine

La Linea Negra

Flying Cocksman

Tufa Yard Dash

Sun Burst

Millenium Meltdown

Micro Burst

The Natural

Renegade

Tufa Tussle

Rainbows and Tufacorns

The Almighty

Hivey League

Nambla

John's Meat Market  (aka: Fred's Line)

Start up an easy short sharp bulge to an easy slab.  Run up a cool tufa system, that gets progressively more overhanging.  Carefully climb past some fragile large tufa's to large huecos.  Rest here and pull the final steep moves to a nice rest and easy finish.

Good tufa climbing leads you up to a huge rest just before the line becomes inverted and the crux.  From here it is all business.  Pull this hard crux move and continue through the still challenging head wall to the anchors.   

  Greg Varela bolted this line.

Stickclip the first bolt and make some tricky moves up the blocky pumpy start. Rest up on the convenient ledge and pull Tufa moves over the steep bulge.  Here the 5th bolt is placed far right and difficult to spot.  Continue up on cool easy tufa moves to the anchors.  

  This is the first half of the 13b Nambla, so if feeling strong continue up another 5 bolts for the 13b tick.

Steep start with a large hueco-like hole, pull the first roof onto paralleling tufa's up to a second smaller roof. Fun climbing on great rock leads to a higher pump crux followed by a jug haul finish to the anchors.   

  A 60 meter rope is more than enough to climb this route and lower back to the Balcony(where the route starts).  A 70 meter rope will reach from the balcony to the anchors and all the way to the ground.  70m is NOT long enough for both ends to reach the ground from the anchor.  When using a 60 meter rope make sure to only lower the climber to the balcony and not the ground.

Face moves to tufa to hard boulder move at the top.

Easier moves to get to the low roof. Clip bolt just over the lip from underneath the roof. Here is the crux pull a few hard moves, starting with tufa/pockets then slopey opened handed holds. Then pulling the hardest moves on the route to get established on one of the giant tufas. Clip two bolts on left side of tufa while using holds on the right side of the tufa. One more move just as the tufa disappears then easy terrain to the anchors.

Pockets, tufas, jugs and steep rock.  You will only wish it was longer.

Very steep short route.  Short section of Tufa to mail slots to a ragged hole then over a roof and up dihedral.  A jug haul to really hard moves to get established in the corner.  Would only do it if you have done a ton of other things and you need a little late day entertainment.

Tufa climbing to fun easier 5.10 climbing with a crux at the top.   Climb 3 bolts to start getting into the tufas. Pull a few moves to get where the Tufa crux is. Make a large move through a blank section to a popcorn sloper. Mantle the lip and traverse right. Then head up the cool terrain of easier climbing. Clip the last bolt and prepare for the final crux section. Cross over to a blocky hold, set up and make a big move to an ok hold a big shoulder move then the jug lip just above the chains.

This fun line was probably the best warmup in the Tufa City area.  Now John's Meat Market might make the best warmup.  Engaging climbing on cool holds and is quite a bit longer than the other moderate routes.

The finish on tufas is really fun.  The pods are friendlier than they appear.  It is short and fun.

Starts behind a huge Palo Verde bush/tree. Follow cool tufa and hueco features to fun face climbing on small holds.

This is a great route that I walked by for years as it just didn't look like there was enough climbing to make it worth the effort. What a blast this turned out to be. Start on a popcorn covered slab and angle left to a short section of slightly overhanging tufa climbing that has great holds, movement and flow. The steep face takes you to a corner system that looks like you could do with no hands. Despite easing considerably we didn't feel like we were slogging higher just to make the climb longer. The easiest climb at Tufa City and a great warm up for Couples... Tufa Yard Dash or any of the elevens. My guess is that by next year this will have as much chalk on it as any of the classics. To be fair about the grade, we did this over the two days we were there. We climbed at Rough Rider all morning then as this side of the canyon got shade we hiked over to stay in the shade and climbed more. Then we set this up with the last two hours of light. We both found ourselves pretty pumped at the end of the steep crux section (could be we were tired from all the other routes we had done) but we had already climbed all day so we thought it is probably 5.10 but it could be a tad harder. If you don't enjoy the movement and holds on this I will be surprised.

Great tufa climbing leads to the big rest hueco under the roof where you can clip the anchors and swing out into space, or continue on up through the roof for the full line Tufa King Swole!

Fun and hard tufa pulling.  The first twenty feet are nothing special, but the following thirty feet are great.  Really fun movement over cool features.  Crux is at the top. 

  Unfortunately, the last bolt is in a less than favorable spot.  I would have placed the bolt closer to the clipping stance, but the rock was very hollow sounding when tapping it with my hammer.  I even went as far as to drill a hole where I wanted the bolt and got nothing but dust, no rock.  I placed it in the closest solid stone.  The clip adds a little inconvenience, but at least it is safe.

Scramble up to and climb the tufa to a block, then pass a sloper, large crimps and end on the lyback.    Just like the route to the left and the six routes to the right, this routes ends half way up the wall just before a large ledge (balcony).

Climb past tufas and cool flowstone features to reach a 4' roof. Powerful moves will lead past this feature to a perplexing and difficult traverse leading right to the high blocky arete. Follow arete to the top.

Climb up a white dihedral to an overhanging headwall.

A good length single pitch sport route with fun movement and some tufas. This route sports a huge sit down rest cave a little more than half way up the route.  Continues out of cave left then climbs right over cave on head wall.

A crimpy route up a black streak that turns into a small and rounded tufa.

Fun moves through crazy features lead to a cruxy dihedral just before a 6 foot roof. After the roof, one more big crank is rewarded with easier climbing and nice exposure.

DO NOT CLIMB ON TUFAS AFTER HEAVY RAINS OR IF THE WALL APPEARS WET! Tufas are very fragile and break really easily when wet. Don't ruin climbs for everyone else!*  

  The largest single climbable tufa at the Homestead.  Climb up HUGE tufa / face to inverted buckets to anchors.  Amazing climb!

Extension of Microburst.  Take the rest at end of Microburst, then fire up through some harder moves and 4 or so more bolts to the second set of anchors.

Pull off the ground on nice jugs and head up the clean white face above.  While the angle isn't real steep there are some engaging moves between tufa's and other cool holds.  There are a few cruxes so rest well when the opportunity arises. 

  Fun route and solid at 11d.

Unlike the other steep tufa routes this one requires more delicate climbing up small insecure holds. 

  Climb up onto a boulder and cover some easy ground to the first bolt.  Quickly the climbing becomes balancy and tough to read.  Continue up getting the occasional "great" hold to some large rest huecos.  Rest here a make a few cool layback moves to the mid anchors. 

  After the Mid Anchors the climbing changes dramatically to overhanging slopers.  Pull a hard boulder problem V5? and continue up another 3 bolts to send Sun Burst 13a

Good and difficult line. Doesn't see much traffic.

This is a short, bouldery route that packs a punch in its 24 total moves.  The first 14 moves or so are 5.11c/d and will have you sidepulling and underclinging your way to a 10 move boulder problem (V7 maybe?).  Heel hook and use the little runnel hold to establish yourself underneath the small roof.  From here you have 4 nails hard moves that culminate with a deadpoint to the finishing jug.  Fun climb that hasn't seemed to get much traffic over the years. 

Climbs the first 3 bolts of Dead Sea then moves right on the ledge.  A body length higher on the next ledge most will reach down and unclip the bolt to reduce rope drag or you can use longer draws on the 3rd and 4th bolts.  Gets really interesting after the half way point when one begins climbing a light colored tufa.  It stays in your face all the way to the anchors.  A little grungy in the middle with a move to a flake that looks really scary but is quite solid.

Climbs left of Tufa King to the first set of chain anchors. All of the business is from bolts 2-4.  Pinches, sidepulls, and underclings will get you to a good rest around bolt 5.  From here move right then straight up or 2 bolts or so, before going up and left for the final moves.  Don't underestimate the pump on this one.  The last 3-4 holds are very positive but can feel bad on pumped arms.  Recommendations:  Belay from the lower level, left side of the palo verde.  Bring up a stick and pre-clip bolts 1 & 3.  Belayer should give a soft catch to ensure the climber clears the roof on a fall.  Beware: I don't think this route has seen much action, as it is still very much shedding rock.  Be careful as the climber and wear a helmet as a belayer.  Note: There is a bolted extension thought to go at around 13b, unclear if that has been sent.

One of the hardest established routes at the Homestead. Only one known assent to date.

Three Cruxes on this one and pretty sustained to the anchors as well as a no hands rest. Stout moves low and above the no hands rest where the bee hive is. Stellar tufa pinching near the end.

Extension to Fred's Route.  Hard moves right after the midway anchors using underclings and tufa pinches.  Once above you get some bigger holds and a short rest.  The RP crux comes between bolts 7-8.  Bad right hand undercling to a left hand sloper, stab to a right hand gaston crimp.  Pop up and left to a slopey rail and make sure to leave room for your right hand.  A few more moves take you up and left onto a blocky protrusion that takes you to the anchors.  Note: Blowing bolt 8 (2nd bolt after the midway chains) will result in a long(ish) right to left fall, narrowly missing a tufa, and slamming your feet into the wall.  Not a bad idea to use a long sling on bolt 8, at least while you are working the route.  

This is the orange and black streaked wall you can see driving in when you are at the second gate.  This wall curves from east facing to south facing.  The area called Tufa City starts more or less near the apex of the curve.  The rock is good and the Tufa routes are fun.  Climb fall to spring and later if you love the heat.  The afternoon is a good time to be on this wall unless it is cold.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Tufa City