Start up

Popular Mechanics

, the very clean, right facing, off-vertical dihedral that is the centerpiece of the White Cliffs of Dover, and about 1/3 of the way up diverge left into the middle of the 3 parallel cracks that head up the left wall of the dihedral. Excellent steep hand jamming makes this a great route and worth doing even if you've done Popular Mechanics already.

Ace of Spades

Sharon Stone

Card Chimney

Good Housekeeping

Perennial Favorite

Jack of Hearts

Wilted Flower Children

Field and Stream

Stone Hinge

High Anxiety

Conqueror Worm

Scientific Americans

Digital Watch

Nolina Crack

Popular Mechanics

High Tension

Sen Blen

Human Be-In

Quest for Fire

Solar Flare

Make or Break Flake

This route shares the first few moves of Popular Mechanics and then cuts left up the face via thin edges to gain the striking thin crack/seam which diagonals up the face.

The crux comes midway and involves delicate footwork as you get established in the widening crack as it opens to accept fingers. Continue railing left on easier ground until you reach the back of the Card Chimney and then head up via fun crack climbing on great rock to another crux (5.10+) reaching for a distant edge. The route finishes up open face climbing directly to the anchors on Ace of Spades.

Unique climbing and excellent quality rock are featured on this route that is unfortunately very contrived as you can stem back during the lower crux section and make this quite easy; the upper crux is mandatory however.

This route is briefly mentioned as an aid route in the Bartlett guide, but no other information has been documented to my knowledge. I'm sure the crack has been toproped and perhaps even lead, but probably by finishing up the top part of Card Chimney as the direct finish has no protection. Two stars out of five.

Not really at the White Cliffs of Dover, but on the hillside above and behind Hound Rocks area. This climb is on the backside of this hillside, and faces west.  It is on a small buttress and has a bolt or two (or three), and a crack too.

A unique water worn chimney that features excellent rock. On warmer days this can be a cooler spot to escape the heat. Two stars out of five.

This also serves as a quick downclimb for those so inclined.

Start right of Popular Mechanics and climb slick rock past a bolt and a gear placement (2" piece) to access the first of five bolts which lead up the slabby arete and ends in the upper reaches of the Popular Mechanics dihedral (gear belay here). Use the fixed anchors of Popular Mechanics to rap back to the base.

The climbing is balancy, footwork intensive and a nice counterpoint to the nearby cracks. Another quality Gaines route and a nice addition to the area. Three stars out of five.

Start below the same buttress as for

Wilted Flower Children

. Boulder up onto a ledge near the right side of the buttress then climb a short, left leaning fist crack to a horizontal. Climb the right edge of the buttress above, laybacking along its edge (crux).

100' or so down and left from Popular Mechanics. Start up a hand and fist crack to easier terrain and then the top of a pinnacle, step right across a void and into a thin crack and some flakes to the top of the pitch. Definitely worth doing if in the area and on good rock but not as classic as Popular Mechanics or Ace of Spades.

Climb the chimney 25' right of Popular Mechanics then the awkward hand crack above.

This link-up connects the start of Good Housekeeping to Stone Hinge, offering a 35 meter pitch of varied climbing on excellent rock. One of the longest and best pitches on the White Cliffs.

Begin with the start of Good Housekeeping. After the first bolt (5.10c) continue up the vertical crack to a ledge. Step left onto an arete and climb a slabby ramp past 5 new bolts (5.10-),  then move right and jam a short but sweet finger crack (now on Stone Hinge). Move left at a horizontal fingertip crack to a ledge, then step right and lieback a tricky arete past 2 bolts (5.10c), moving right after the second bolt up to a ledge with a 2-bolt anchor.

This route is nice addition if one has done

Wilted Flower Children

.   A short quality finger crack leads to standing on the upper section of the ledge with the belay for

Popular Mechanics

.  From here move right onto the face leads to a wild series of arete moves almost like an easier (and shorter)

Good Housekeeping

.

The line is somewhat disjointed but both sections are quite fun.

A typical Swain route: thin, hard, loose, obscure, and exciting.  All the necessary ingredients for an excellent Joshua Tree adventure climb.

Start up an easy crack in a corner to a large grassy ledge about 30 feet, a 5.8 move near the top is fun or hike up to here.  Face climb past a very thin splitter crack, pass two well placed bolts, and then face climb past a very thin and hard to protect crack in a corner.  At the top, flop onto a large ledge to the right and look for some bolt anchors on the far side.

Climbs up the face of the pillar in front of

Popular Mechanics

.  Head straight for a bolt low on the climb, then work up the arête over easy ground (runout) to a horizontal that takes good pro.  Continue up passing one more bolt to the top of the pillar.  From there you can join the last leg of

Jack of Hearts

 do the step-across over to the main wall and up a chimney to the bolts.

The 'R' rating is arguable, this climb really only has about two moves in the 5.8 range and there is a bolt at your waist for those moves.

Short thin crack to the left of Jack Of Hearts. It starts with slopey jugs, ascends past a slot and dents as it thins to fingers and then to a steep stretch of tips, and finishes via gratifying jugs onto the big ledge.  Rated R in some books, perhaps in the old days before tiny cams.

This is a reasonably fun route and totally worth doing, but the shortness and the big Nolina that you have to climb past (not painful or overly awkward) in the crack do detract from it. Were it not for that it would deserve a star or two. Around and left 75' from Jack of Hearts is this arching finger crack behind a flake. Where the flake ends a bolt protects a couple of steep friction moves (5.9). Downclimb left (mildly exposed 4th class) or scramble right (very exposed but easier 3rd class) to the rappel station atop Jack of Hearts / Ace of Spades.

This route climbs a clean right-facing dihedral on the right side of the main formation. Start on the right face of a chimney and climb the thin crack up the corner. The crux comes early, with a long move off fingers, and continues directly up, on occasion using the cracks on the left wall. Bolted anchor/rap provides a quick return to your packs.

Perplexing and strenuous thin climbing (crux) is encountered between the 2nd and 3rd bolt.  After that, there are some flakey spots, but the climbing stays sustained (5.10ish) throughout the rest of the route as the movement changes from the super thin edging that was just encountered.  There are some cool moves/overlaps to surmount at the end of the route.  Route is still cleaning up.

Get to the base of this route either by climbing Digital Watch, or by crossing in via the base of Nolina Crack. Clip the fixed RURP (don't funk it too much, you don't want it to come out!), and move out onto the face. This is the face directly above DW and has instant exposure.Clip the bolt and make the crux moves, one more bolt and easier climbing above lead to the top of the detached pinnacle. A nut or two can be used for additional protection. The anchor will be comprised of numerous small nuts, don't stint on the nut rack.

Start at the base of

Wilted Flower Children

, roughly 40 feet to the right of

Popular Mechanics

.

Climb a short chimney (as for

Wilted Flower Children

) to a ledge about 15 feet up. Step left on the ledge and climb an obvious corner system past a large nolina to reach the terrace atop

Wilted Flower Children

and at the base of

Stone Hinge

.

This route is located on a small sub-face to the far left and up from the lowest point of the main wall. A right leaning thin crack leads to a thin flake above. Powerful moves up and through the beginning lead to a good rest. Thin pro (HB brass are comforting, but not required), thin fingers, and good feet lead up the flake to meet the bolt on Make or Break Flake (5.10b), finish as per that route.

Park in the lot at Trashcan rock. On the hill to the west, you'll see a series of cliffs. The approach will take about thirty minutes. "Solar Flare" plus a number of fine routes will be found on the left side of the formation. Be sure to take a guide for these routes; it gets a little complex up there.

A strenuous start (crux) in a right-facing flare (fingers/thin hands in the back) gives way to good hand jams with marginal feet as you gain the start of the flake proper, which takes a jagged line up the face before cutting left below the top (#4 Camlaot or equivalent is useful). Continue up the face past a single bolt (5.10-) via thin edges and delicate smears to the top. You'll want to save some gear to 3" for the anchor; descent is via the gully to the right.

Fun climbing combined with two very distinct and disparate cruxes, all on great rock, make this a very worthwhile route to do when in the area. Two stars out of five.

Description

Protection

Routes in White Cliffs of Dover - Left Side