Chris McNamara
SuperTopo staff member
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The American Safe Climbing Assn. may have replaced anchor bolts on this climb. To find out visit the ASCA Replacement Page
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Floridaputz
Trad climber
Oakland Park Florida
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Climbed this on Sunday morning. A clear crisp day. I enjoyed the chimmney nature of this route. The Tunnel is very unique. I did think that p3 was really the highlight of the climb. You can climb the chimmney at 5.6 R or climb a 5.7 face varation. Not my all time favorite 5.7 at Red rocks, but plenty good.
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Wheatus
Trad climber
CA
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Started on the 5.9 variation to the right to pass a party of three. The 5.9 variation felt harder to me first thing in the morning. However, the 5.9 moves are only for approximately 15 feet of the pitch.
The tunnel is very cool and unexpected. You could have a party of about 100 people at the base of the tunnel. Overall a fun route and the descent is well marked and easy (no raps).
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nirmalsv
climber
Gaithersburg, MD
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Fantastic climb. Very adventurous. There is some information that'll be useful. I don't have the latest supertopo, so I don't know if this is redundant info.
Approach: The approach description given in supertopo seems to be outdated. Here's the updated one: From the loop road, pull into the road marked "White Rock Spring". As soon as you pull in, you'll see there is a gravel parking lot on the left. The road becomes gravely and continues beyond this gravel parking lot. Continue on that road until you reach a cul-de-sac. You can drive on this road with non-SUVs (I drove a Toyota Corolla). When you reach the cul-de-sac, you want to hike down the 2nd trail on the right as you go around the cul-de-sac in anti-clockwise direction. This is also the obvious trail to take because it's the one leading towards Angel Food Wall. Hike down the trail until it forks. The trail marker indicates that the right fork goes to "White Rock Spring 0.05 mile". Take the left fork. Walk the left fork looking for a old wooden pole (maybe it was a trail marker some time ago; there's a trail just beside the wood pole). After crossing the wooden pole, look for softball-sized rocks bunched up just to the right of the road. That's the point where you leave the road and hike right along the trail that begins at those rocks and goes down into the wash. Cairns should guide you from here to the base of Tunnel Vision.
Pitch 1: Watch for rope drag. Keep that in mind when you place your protection. Don't place any protection while climbing up the initial corner to the ceiling and traversing right. Once you are on the corner, use very long slings; 24 inches would be preferable. You'll come to a ledge (first one). This is not the end of the pitch. Climb on through the chimney to arrive at a second one. You'll see some slings around a boulder that you can use for an anchor.
Pitch 3: Just left of the bolted anchors of pitch 2 is a bolt that you can clip. It might make you feel safer while doing the 5.6 runout section just above. Take a #4 cam. You will be able to place it in the chimney about 15 ft above the bolt.
Pitch 5: The tunnel. When you finish pitch 4 and get to the big ledge, you'll see a cave to your left. As soon as you step into the mouth of the cave, you'll see a "tunnel" right above you. That's the wrong one. Facing the wall, if you look at a 45-degree angle to your left, you'll see another tunnel. You may have to take a few steps into the cave to see this one. That's the one you want to take. Climbing through the cave is moderately easy. It's low-angle rock so it's more a balancing act than anything. The cave climbing ends at a right-facing corner. If you must place protection here, use long slings (24 inch or longer) to prevent rope drag. Climb the corner until you see a small alcove on the left. That's the end of the pitch. Set up anchor either in the alcove or in the corner at the same level as the alcove.
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WC
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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This route was fun and certainly unique, but in my opinion far from the other classics that are given five stars on this website.
We took one set of cams up to a #4.5 camalot, one set of stoppers, and a bunch of long slings, which seemed pretty adaquate.
The first two pitches were enjoyable, but watch the rope drag on p1.
The pitch three chimney is fun and steep. I recall stepping out of the chimney around 2/3's of the way up and face climbing until the chimney pinched down enough to take a #4 camalot.
Pitch 4 was fun slab/face climbing next to a crack that takes good gear.
The tunnel/cave pitch was neat, but I didn't find any pro until the difficulties were completed. Hopefully the Supertopo has some beta for where to find gear during this pitch. Otherwise, if you slip on the water polished rock broken ankles will surely be the result.
The final pitch was enjoyable with a variety of climbing. We took the easy escape left at the end because it was late in the day.
The descent/walk off is pretty easy as it only took us about 20-30 min to arrive back at our packs.
This climb doesn't receive much in the way of direct sun, so either dress warm or hit it on a warm day. (We were very cold on this climb during an average temp March day.)
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10b4me
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Pitch 4 was fun slab/face climbing next to a crack that takes good gear.
I climbed this route in November '02. Thought the route was fun, but not something I would do again. Pitch 4 had a fun start, and the runout section was fun also. The Tunnel pitch takes a brown tricam as I recall; don't fall here. The last pitch was enjoyable. We also took the left exit at the top.
Mucho peeps(4 parties) on the route the day we did it.
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vegastradguy
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV
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Note: Someone was kind enough to chop the belay bolts on the top of the 2nd pitch on this route recently. Belay below here on the shelf with large gear.
This route is okay, but there are better routes to its right if you're really looking for a great 5.7 multipitch.
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Doug Hemken
climber
Madison, WI
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Run pitches 2 & 3 together with a 60m rope if you are staying in the chimney. The p2 bolts are missing hangers, not chopped.
I used a #4 Big Bro just above the p2 bolts, and could have used a #5 above, if I'd had mine along. The real crux, however, takes normal-sized gear.
You have three options to approach the crux: go back into the chimney (which I did, cozy & pretty secure), go up the mouth of the chimney (which my partner did, with a big pack - hey, it was cold!), or go out on the face to the left.
Maybe not 5 stars from a sport climbing aesthetic, but superb to an old school mountaineer!
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moz
Trad climber
Brigeport, CA
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Climbed route late Oct 2005. Hangers gone on 2nd pitch. The guidebook clearly mentions the "tunnel," but it could be more clear: it is on the 5th pitch, after the no pro 5.5 face. Sitting in the massive alcove at the base of the cave/tunnel, I never thought the route went up into that cave--I interpreted the dashed line in the guidebook to be a traverse on the face. Instead of heading up and into the cave (which was damp with the prior day's rain) I stayed outside and climbed a steep face (5.7 with off-route moss and sand but enough good gear to keep the sphincter relaxed), 150' to the top of a pillar where the roof move of the final pitch was reached by a 5.6 traverse. It was my first time at Red Rocks, and for whatever reason that cave didn't seem a viable option. Not a bad variation, although upon learning my error I was bummed to have missed the namesake tunnel...
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vegastradguy
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV
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sorry you missed the tunnel- but the dashed line indicated that the route passes behind the giant flake (through the cave/tunnel). this is the standard method for noting the tunnel on every topo i've seen of the route.
good to know that the outside of the face goes, though- we were pondering doing it the last time we were on the route, but we didnt have much in the way of gear and were unsure how difficult it would be.
also, be careful out here after rains. if the rock is still damp- it is wise to not climb at all, as the rock is significantly weaker when wet!
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Muckus
Mountain climber
Las Vegas
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My partner and I climbed this route today following the route description found in the Red Rocks Select guide book. There were two bolted hangers at the top of pitch 2, just below the chimney squeeze of pitch 3, that looked new. A wide range of cam sizes are needed if you don't like long runouts. It took us about 4 hours to complete all six pitches. This was my first time leading a multi-pitch trad climb. My partner was relatively inexperienced and climbed in light weight hiking boots. But, we did pretty well and had a blast. An exciting and challenging climb for us at our ability level.
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rockgirl
Sport climber
Bend, OR
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Just did this one yesterday for the second time. The hangers were at the top of pitch 2. I'm pretty sure you could run 1 & 2 together if you didn't stop at the random slings in 2 places (you might get a lot of rope drag though, if you don't place a piece to keep the rope out of the chimney.
Did a bolted variation to the left of pitch 3&4 with bolted anchors. It was fun and slabby. Anyone know anything about it? Took us right to the start of the tunnel.
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naturee
Trad climber
flagstaff
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Its a route called Tele-Vision 5.10a, it begins to the left of the start of Tunnel vision route and intersects it half way up. the pitch off the ground is 5.10a, higher up as it intersects Tunnel vision it is 5.8
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vegastradguy
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV
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where does tele-vision start in relation to Tunnel? I'd be interested in checking that route out, but have never heard of it....
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naturee
Trad climber
flagstaff
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It is around the corner 50 feet to the right of the start of Tunnel Vision. bolts of a steep wall with small bulge, well protected.
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raz
Mountain climber
San Francisco, CA
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Fun route, did the face variation for the 3rd pitch. Felt the cave was the psychological crux, but not technically too hard.
Descent was very well marked!
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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If you don't do the chimney third pitch on this route and instead do the bolted 5.9 to the left, you are really missing out on the fun. The chimney is somewhat runout but fairly easy. Sure its a grunter in places but great holds and feet. There is actually a fixed #5 cam about 1/2 way up that you kind of have to get back in the chimney to be able to clip, but not to hard to reach. The tunnel pitch is not even challenging, just very cool. Break your camera out to take a photo of the leader for that pitch.
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