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Routes : North America : United States : Virginia : North Western : Old Rag Mountain : Sunset Walls

Sunset Walls

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About Sunset Walls:

Variety of trad, sport and TR routes up to 50 feet in length. Shortest approach (2.2 miles) to roped climbing on the mountain.
To place the climbs into the sections where they reside, I'm splitting the route numbering into blocks:
1-19 = Lower Sunset (LS) Wall
20-49 = Middle Sunset (MS) Wall
50-69 = Upper Sunset (US) Wall
etc., which gives enough room for current routes as well as future ones. I've also prefixed each route with the section in which it lies.
For the Lower Sunset Area, routes are listed from the upper (right-hand, when facing the ridge) end of the wall downhill to left. They all end on the wide ledge that is the base of Middle Sunset.

To reach the Middle Sunset Area, scramble up the gully on the upper right end of Lower Sunset Wall. Routes are listed from right to left (from the short classic Mosaic leftwards, downhill). From this approach you can see the Upper Sunset Area higher up to your right when facing the wall.

To get to Upper Sunset Area, scramble up into the cave at the righthand end of Middle Sunset and up through a narrow slot to the left out of the cave. Now work some distance around right, from boulder to boulder, and step through a wider notch to the Upper Wall, at the base of Upper Sunset Crack. Routes listed from right to left.

A bit more adventurous? Hike down and around the Middle Sunset Area and check out the routes on the backside. At least two overgrown slabby routes #35 and #36 go up the backside of the big block of Gone Fishing. And further uphill, there is a nice block with at least three distinct line going up it with mixed pro. Routes 39, 42. They all look to be 5.9 or harder from the ground - Caution: Anchors unknown at the top!

Approach: From the Berry Hollow parking, hike up the Saddle Trail toward the summit. 1/3 mile past the Old Rag Shelter, after squeezing past a 20+ foot-tall boulder on your left, you will come to a rock staircase. Halfway up, as the steps swing right, look for a cairn up on the left on a slab. Follow the cairns, traversing the hillside north and slightly upwards for 100m until you hit a ridge. Note: After the leaves come out in mid-May it will not be as easy to follow the cairns.

Now turn right and follow the base of the ridge and cairns uphill for another 100 meters until you come to a level break in the ridge. Go left through the break and traverse north on a distinct trail until you hit Lower Sunset Area. The climb The Arborist will be the alcove in front of you with a small tree growing out of it approx. 2m up.
Approach Time:
Latitude, Longitude:
Access Issues: The National Park Service has closed Sunset Walls temporarily for nesting birds in the past. Closures may not be posted timely on this site - please check the kiosks as you approach and respect the national parks.
Rock Type: Granite
Type of Climbing: Sport/Trad
Sun Aspect: Afternoon Sun

Routes

SequenceSequence numbers indicate the left (L) to right (R) order of the routes. Rating Route Difficulty Ascents
1 Average Rating = 3.71/5 LS: Swimming with the Karp (1) 5.8 11
2 Average Rating = 4.00/5 LS: Crystal Whipped 5.11c 2
3 Average Rating = 4.14/5 LS: Sunset Crack 5.11b 10
4 Average Rating = 0.00/5 LS: Super Sunset Crack 5.12c 0
5 Average Rating = 3.83/5 LS: No Jam Crack 5.8 8
6 Average Rating = 3.50/5 LS: Easy Project (1) 5.6 6
7 Average Rating = 3.60/5 LS: The Arborist 5.6 6
8 Average Rating = 0.00/5 LS: Mae Day 5.12a 0
9 Average Rating = 4.00/5 LS: Phil's Solo 5.10a 1
23 Average Rating = 3.86/5 MS: Mosaic 5.10b 8
24 Average Rating = 0.00/5 MS: Sun Burn 5.11d 0
25 Average Rating = 4.00/5 MS: Priapus Verde 5.11a 2
26 Average Rating = 0.00/5 MS: Sunset Gun 5.12a 0
30 Average Rating = 4.50/5 MS: Dark Side of the Moon 5.11a 2
31 Average Rating = 4.50/5 MS: Frigid Air 5.7 6
33 Average Rating = 4.00/5 MS: Gone Fishing 5.11d 4
35 Average Rating = 0.00/5 MS: Slab Right 5.9 0
36 Average Rating = 0.00/5 MS: Slab Left 5.10a 0
39 Average Rating = 4.00/5 MS: Steep Flake 5.11c 2
41 Average Rating = 0.00/5 MS: unknown left of steep flake 5.9 A0 0
47 Average Rating = 0.00/5 MS: Unknown 1: Block to Slab 5.5 0
48 Average Rating = 3.00/5 MS: Unknown 2: Flake to Slab 5.7 1
49 Average Rating = 0.00/5 MS: Unknown 3: Chimney to Slab 5.10a 0
52 Average Rating = 0.00/5 US: Westernesse 5.10a 0
53 Average Rating = 0.00/5 Ostrogoth 5.7 0
54 Average Rating = 3.00/5 US: The Streak 5.5 2
55 Average Rating = 3.50/5 US: Cliché 5.8 4
56 Average Rating = 3.00/5 US: Upper Sunset Crack aka USC 5.6 2
57 Average Rating = 4.00/5 US: Green Face 5.9 1
59 Average Rating = 3.00/5 US: charmed life 5.12a 2
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LS: Swimming with the Karp
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Forum Discussions (1 posts)

  Subject Author Replies Last Post
With Replies Sunset Wall Closure spot6878 1 Apr 24 2010, 1:23 AM