The Bunker

SPORT

MAP

If you have ever climbed on Creekside, you have probably looked across the road to the south and uphill to see this beautiful, multi-tiered wall that caps the top of the canyon. The Bunker is the crown of this beautiful canyon and holds some seldom-climbed gems and also has a lot of potential. The climbing here tends to be thuggy and overhanging, but there are some vertical routes that are worth the hike by themselves. This wall was mostly developed in the late ‘90s, then abandoned before a few of the routes could be finished, cleaned, and redpointed. Once you get to the base of the wall, you will see that there is a fixed line about 60 feet up on a fifth class slab. The easiest way to access the routes is by climbing up the middle of the wall to gain the fixed line, then traversing to the left or right. It helps to be on belay. There is also a fixed line on the left side of the wall by the warm ups to get to the ledge above. Once at the base of the routes, clip into a belay bolt that exists at the base of each route. Approach: Drive 12.5 miles up canyon and park just east of Tunnel 6 on the north (right) side of the road (by Creekside). From here, find a trail across the road to the south, behind the guardrail and to the left of the drainage, that angles up and left towards the cliff. It is important to locate the wall before starting the hike to have a frame of reference. As you hike up and slightly to the left, you will encounter a large boulder about 60 yards uphill; proceed to the left of the boulder. The trail is faint, but there will be a cairn every 50 feet or so. When you see the cliff, approach it from the center and you will be able to access easy fifth class slabs to get to the fixed lines at the base of the overhanging wall about 60 feet up. Alternatively, jug the fixed line on the left side of the wall.