-
8087 Hits
-
80.49% Score
-
12 Votes
Page Type:
|
Route |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
33.99749°N / 116.14642°W |
Route Type:
|
Trad Climbing |
Season:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
|
Time Required:
|
Less than two hours |
|
Rock Difficulty:
|
5.7 (YDS) |
|
Difficulty:
|
5.7 |
|
Number of Pitches:
|
1 |
|
Grade:
|
I |
|
Overview
Lazy Day is a route on the west end of an area known as "Hall of Horrors" in Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Similar in complexity to Echo Rock area, Hall of Horrors is made up of parallel bands of rock formations grouped together offering a great variety of climbing. You can find face routes of varying difficulty levels on the Hall of Horrors, West Face of The West Wall, affectionately known as "Buckets to Burbank Rock" and famous crack climbs such as The Exorcist and Lazy Day. Lazy Day is, without a doubt, the most popular crack climb in this family of rocks.
The location of Lazy Day could not be more accessible and visible. During the mid 1990s and early 2000s I climbed this route as a warm up on several occasions without having to wait for my turn. In the recent years, however, the popularity of this route has increased to the point that you would be hard pressed to find the route immediately available.
Lazy Day, rated 5.7, climbs a well-featured crack that continues all the way to the top of the rock. Since this crack is perfectly continuous, you can plug in as many pieces of protection as you feel comfortable with. The height of the route is about fifty five feet and the descent is done very easily via the west shoulder. Using the descent route, you can set up a toprope for a novice to learn the ABCs of crack climbing.
Essential Gear: One sixty meter rope, standard rack with pro up to 3 inches, extra slings for setting up anchor and a good and watchful belayer.
Getting There
How to Get There
From the western entrance to Joshua Tree National Park drive on Park Boulevard, formerly known as Quail Springs Road, for about nine miles to a major rock formation called Intersection Rock. Intersection Rock is a major landmark on the north side of Quail Springs Road with ample parking for visitors and climbers alike. This rock, true to its name, sit at the cross roads to “Hidden Valley Campground”, Barker Dam Road and the road to “Day use and picnic” area. Continue driving past Intersection rock to Ryan Campground clearly marked.
Hall of Horrors is a grouping of rock formations approximately one mile northwest of the Ryan Campground turn off on Park Boulevard. Use the same parking as for Saddle Rocks. There are ample parking, bathrooms and marked trails leading to different formations. Looking in the westerly direction from the parking lot you will see several rock formations. This area is known as Hall of Horrors. To reach Lazy Day take the trail that heads west, left. Lazy Day is to your right just before you reach the west end of the front formation.
Camping, Noise considerations, Environmental concerns, fees and food
Joshua Tree Wildlife
Desert FlowersPlease tread lightly. The Access Fund has gone to great lengths posting trail marker for approaches to many of the more popular crags. Do your best to stay on these trails, and where you are forced to use a different path, choose the ones that rain can mend in time. Drainages make for good trails where there are no established trails.
Avoid stepping on native and fragile plants, and do not feed the coyotes. Coyotes are very much used to people and often hang around picnic areas and camp grounds in hopes of getting a hand out. It’s better to let them live their natural life.
Camping
Joshua Tree Camping
Noise considerations
When you are camping with friends and sitting around the fire, it is easy to forget that there are other people trying to sleep in the nearby campsites. It is important to put yourself in their shoes. Keep the noise and music to a minimum and certainly not too much past 10 p.m. Your neighbors will smile at you in the morning instead of giving you dirty looks.
Fees and Food
