TOWERS
WALL OF MARCHING MUNCHKINS
7a.) Unknown.....11+....bolts
12a.) Who's Your Wizard.....11....bolts
WALL OF DANCING DWARVES
WALL OF WALTZING WITCHES
REQUISITE DISCLAIMER: Climbing is a sport where you may be seriously injured or killed. Seek qualified instruction before attempting anything on the rocks. Sport climbing is not foolproof. Although beginners may enjoy many of the climbs described here, they especially should obtain expert instruction and supervision while climbing. ALWAYS climb safe!
All original content © Copyright Hillary Davis unless stated otherwise. Special thanks to the Munchkinland developers for the ratings, bolt counts, beta, and of course, the routes!
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WHERE: Rose Canyon Lake recreation area, milepost 16.9.
Elevation: 7,000 ft.
SEASON: Year round, although the best time to go is between May and October.
CAMPING: The most convenient camping is at the Rose Canyon campground, but it is only open seasonally and has a nominal fee. Free, year-round camping is available at Prison Camp at milepost 7.
APPROACH BETA: Drive to the end of the dirt road and park in the large lot. From the slabs behind the (defunct) snack bar and picnic ramada, pick up a trail heading north and take it to the ridgeline, then follow it to a clearing/slab. For the Towers, Wall of Marching Munchkins, and Wall of Dancing Dwarves, turn right and follow a short section of well-groomed switchbacks downhill to the climbs. For the Wall of Waltzing Witches, turn left at the clearing. All trails should be well-maintained and marked with cairns.
APPROACH TIME: 15 minutes
RATINGS: 5.4-5.12a
NUMBER OF ROUTES: 52
GEAR: 10-15 quickdraws, 60m rope
ETC: You must pay the $8 picnic/parking fee to use the parking lot. All routes have dedicated bolt/chain anchors. Three routes have optional (but reportedly excellent) second pitches- these routes are marked with an exclamation point below. The forest around the approach trail was hit pretty hard by the fire of 2003, but the climbs were not touched. Construction along the highway, a never-ending pursuit to widen the road, may result in some delays. If for whatever reason you cannot park in the main lot, and you're still motivated, use the large pull-out right outside of the Rose Canyon Lake turnoff. This will require that you display a valid general parking permit (available from the kiosk at milepost 5 or the Palisades ranger station at milepost 20) and will add about a mile of hiking along a dirt road to your approach.
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Not! Tucson locals may notice two errors in the printed version of R&I, which must have happened in editing: 1) The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is considerably closer to the west side of Tucson than the west side of the Stronghold- the attraction I originally wrote as being near the west Stronghold is Tombstone, the wild west town. 2) As referenced above, when you get to the slab clearing, the routes do not rise up right there- you have to drop downhill a bit to get to the bases, and the routes are not visible from the clearing. D'oh! Sorry!
Routes described left to right. Topos coming soon.
1.) Bell Out of Order..................11b.....6 bolts 
Thin moves up the rust-colored face.
2.) We Wish to Welcome You.....10b.....6 bolts
3.) Clip Clip Here, Clip Clip There...9.....8 bolts Pics:
4.) The Munchkin Coroner.............8X.....TOPROPE
Toprope from the anchors on Wash & Brush Up Co.
5.) Wash & Brush Up Co. ...........10a.....7 bolts Pics:
6.) Miss Gulch..............................6.....10 bolts
Stem! Apparently popular.
7.) The Dark Side of Oz..............7+.....12 bolts 80 feet of fun. Longest and best easy route here.
8.) Toto Goes to Chicago...............9.....10 bolts
9.) Which Old Witch....................6+.....9 bolts Exciting for the grade. Consider using a long draw or sling on the 6th bolt.
10.) Lullabye League...................7+.....6 bolts Pics:
11.) The Good Witch........................4.....6 bolts
Good first lead.
12.) Ding Dong................................5.....7 bolts
Routes described left to right. Topos coming soon.
1.) La Diablita..........................10d.....6 bolts
2.) Lions & Tigers & Bears!.........11a.....5 bolts
3.) There's No Place Like Home......9.....9 bolts Pics:
4.) Surrender Dorothy.................10d.....9 bolts Hard start.
Pics:
5.) The Wicked Witch.................12a.....8 bolts
6.) We're Not In Kansas Anymore.11c.....7 bolts
7.) The Wiz...............................12a.....7 bolts
Brand-new route as of June 06. A shorter route (about 40 feet) just right of The Wiz. Follows rust-colored hangers.
8.) Poppies Will Make Them Sleep.10d....7 bolts Shares first bolt with ...Apples.
9.) How Do You Like Them Apples.10d....7 bolts Go left between first and second bolt. Staying direct requires some solid 5.11 moves.
10.) Doctor of Thinkology.............11c.....6 bolts
11.) If I Only Had a Brain.............10b.....6 bolts Hard start, sustained climbing.
12.) Ruby Slippers.....................11b.....8 bolts Excellent. Do it in Moccasyms, of course!
New route as of June 06
13.) Munchkinland.......................10d.....8 bolts Awesome climb!
Pics:
14.) ...And Toto Too......................9+.....6 bolts Cruxy getting to the first bolt; a good spotter or stick clip is helpful if this is your limit. Ends at sport shuts.
Pics:
15.) Lollypop Guild........................10c.....6 bolts Technical.
Pics:
16.) Because Because Because... ....10b.....5 bolts
16a.) Tree Wing Circus.....9+....bolts
New route as of June 06.
16b.) Pakastani Bus Plunge.....8+....2 bolts + gear
Yes, a gear route! New route as of June 06. Light rack to blue Camalot.
Routes described left to right. Topos coming soon.
1.) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road........11a.....5 bolts
2.) Cowardly Lion..........................11a.....6 bolts
3.) Dancing Dwarves......................10b.....7 bolts
4.) Click Your Heels.......................11c.....6 bolts
5.) Tin Man...................................11c.....9 bolts
6.) Emerald City..........................10d.....8 bolts
7.) Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain ! P1: 10d, 8 bolts P2: 12a, 7 bolts
135-foot first pitch. First pitch is 2 stars.
8.) Flying Monkeys........................10b.....10 bolts Entire route is 3 stars.
9.) Horse of a Different Color ! P1: 11a, 12 bolts P2: 10d, 8 bolts
80-foot first pitch. First pitch is 1 star.
10.) Scarecrow ! P1: 8+, 8 bolts P2: 10a, 10 bolts
Entire route is 2 stars.155 feet total. First pitch is 1 star.
Entire route is 2 stars.
Routes described left to right. Topos coming soon.
1.) Somewere... .............................8+.....5 bolts
2.) All in Good Time.......................10a.....6 bolts Hard start.
3.) People Do Go Both Ways.............9+.....6 bolts Hard start.
4.) How 'Bout a Little Fire?...............9+.....6 bolts
5.) I'd Turn Back If I Were You...........8.....7 bolts Airy exit moves.
Pics:
6.) Talk Me Out Of It........................9.....6 bolts
7.) What a World.............................9.....6 bolts
8.) Beautiful Wickedness...............10a.....5 bolts
9.) I'm Melting.............................10b.....6 bolts Thin lower portion leads to juggy bulge.
10.) That's You All Over..................7+.....6 bolts Pics:
Stated bolt counts may be inaccurate.
Last updated: 02 July 2006