Mt. Pacifico Rock Climbing
Elevation: 6,700' - 7,000'
Seasons: 🌸, ☀️, 🍁
Routes: 9 (in the Hellweg and Warstler book)
Problems: ?
This guidebook is tied to a tree at Pacifco. If you want the deets, go to the tree. I will honor the current developer's wishes and not post route details about the rope area. Alternatively you can easily find a used copy of Paul Hellweg and Nathan M. Warstler's 1988 Climber’s Guide to Southern California. I use BookFinder.com.
Transcription
"Welcome to Pacifico Rocks! Please enjoy the routes. I only ask one thing- please don’t post about the climbs and climbing here on the Internet. It’s not that I don’t want to share the climbs or information, here are the topos and I am happy to send anybody a copy. I want to preserve and protect this special resource of a climbing area that is vulnerable. It’s not a large area, has a good assortment of grades, can be a cooler alternative when it’s hot at lower elevations, and is within a relatively short drive of millions and millions of people, which means more climbers. It won’t take that many more visitors to degrade the environment and the climbing experience. It’s in guidebooks and available for anyone with a little curiosity. Let’s preserve the quiet and solitude and leave the group climbing, guiding, and top rope parties for other areas that already offer that experience.
A light rack is recommended, optional gear is noted where one might want it. Sometimes it’s specific sizes and sometimes not. For the most part I tried to avoid bolts next to placements, but I’m sure I made mistakes, in both directions. Bolt counts are approximate. The route grading is real, i.e. old school stuff). Fight grade creep! And remember, it’s only a number. I tried to set the grades of the original routes that were listed in the Hellweg & Warstler Climber’s Guide to Southern California. Those routes are listed here as they listed them, they’re in all capitals and listed as “FACE”, “CRACK” etc. Many routes have a little bit of surface crust and be aware that the knobs can break. The routes can be a tad contrived and don’t always follow the natural line, and a bolt or two may need to be moved, but the climbs are fun.
The history of Pacifico climbing is long but I could find little written about it. Supposedly Royal Robbins came here as a young man and learned to climb here with the boyscouts. Whatever the history is, there’s plenty of it written in the stone and apparently they beat the shit of of the place. Looks to me that in the early days it was a place to practice one’s piton craft. Later, after the clean revolution, things were undoubtedly free climbed all over, but who knows? Either way, I’m sure almost every inch was climbed either on aid or free at some point in the past, so I don’t consider my routes first ascents, but I’ve given them names none the less for my own enjoyment. I only had the Hellweg guide that listed 9 routes. I did not search the AAJ or old issues of Climbing. There were three other obvious routes in the immediate area when I started developing the crag around 2007. My first visit was in 1990 and there was one other party climbing and the crag was lightly used then, even though one could still drive up. With nearby Williamson’s rise in popularity, it seemed Pacifico was forgotten and rarely, if ever, visited. And in all the years I spent up here, only one time did I see another party, who came, climbed the 5.3 crack and left. In 2009 the Station Fire came through, as you can see. Sadly, we lost some nice oaks near the rocks that gave some great shade."
Directions
For the O.G. rope area park here: 34.380704, -118.039834 The campground is further up the same road.
From the Shell gas station in La Cañada head north on the Angeles Crest Highway, aka The 2, for 9.4 miles. Turn left onto Angeles Forest Hwy and drive for 14.6 miles. Turn right onto Forest Service Rd 3N17/Pacifico Mountain Rd and drive for 4.6 miles. This portion of the road is almost always closed. It is also dirt and has sections with narrow blind corners so mind your speed, people will be coming down when you're going up and visa versa. Turn left up a unmarked road and drive a half a mile to where you park for the O.G. rope area. If you're vehicle can make it, keep going all the way to the top to the coolest car camping area in the entire Angeles.
Royal Robbins on So Cal Climbing
"When I started climbing in Southern California at age 15 a guidebook existed to only one area, Tahquitz Rock, and it was in the form of mimeographed sheets. Stoney Point was pretty much the way it is today, except the grafitti wasn't so violent, nor the broken glass so ubiquitoust. Through the Rockclimbing Section of the Sierra Club we learned of other climbing sites: Pacifico, Mt. Walliamson, Rubidoux, and Joshua Tree. As I look back on those days (early 1950's), I remember vividly the earnest excitement we felt as we motored out to climb at these areas (especially, of course, the incomparable Tahquitz). Climbing was a great adventure, a beacon whic beckoned, a mighty magnet which drew us irresistibly towards the rocks and towards the mountains. It was the best thing going, the best possible activity. It was fresh; it was pure. We loved it because we coul;d fpcus our energies 100% upon it without reservation, without fear of betrayal. It had the side benefit of fellowship. Climbers were the best people I had ever met." - Royal Robins, "Climber's Guide to Southern California," by Hellweg and Warstler.