Trip Report: Sport Climbing At El Rito, New Mexico

Last week, Susan and I went to Northern New Mexico for a climbing trip to El Rito. The drive is about 6 1/2 hours from Flagstaff. Learn about the El Rito sport climbing area here.

The climbing is very unique. The rock is conglomerate, made up of of metamorphosed sand and mud, with smooth, rounded cobbles of all sizes sticking out with most of the holds being pockets in the rock that the cobbles left behind when some of them fell out. Many of the walls are overhanging, but with an over abundance of jugs, many routes as easy as 5.9 and 5.10. There are also some excellent, steep 5.11's and 5.12's.

Susan on a great 5.9 that was our first route of the trip. The rock may look like river bed choss but it climbs o-so-good!

I enjoyed the 5.11's and 5.12's the most. Many of the best are long and very continuous with really fun climbing. Pumpy too, no hard moves, you just have to hold on for the ride.

Biggest highlight of the climbing trip for me was climbing on the Rad Wall. Awesome 5.11's and 5.12's! We climbed some sweet routes on that wall.

For those interested in going there, check out the online El Rito sport climbing guidebook here.

We had some other excitement at El Rito besides the climbing. The weather was a bit crazy the first day we climbed and we got caught in one of the more exciting thundershowers I've been in. Around 2:30 pm we saw some really close lighting and decided to hike back down to camp and escape the ridge line that all the climbing was on. About half way down the trail we got pounded on hard by rain. It probably would have been pretty funny to watch us sprinting for camp in the mud, completely soaked, with lightning flashing everywhere around us. Exciting!

I sacrificed all by putting all of the metal (draws and such) in my pack and carrying the stick clip on the hike down in the storm so that Susan wouldn't get hit by lightning (I owed her because I convinced her to stay and climb right up until the really close lightning strikes-she had the better sense and was voting for leaving before it got bad).

Camping:

The camping is pretty sweet! FREE camping by a trickling creek really close to the cliffs on forest service road 44A. There is even a cool little canyon, with a couple small waterfalls in it, that you can walk to and cool off in on hot summer days (located at the end of forest service road 44a). Really nice.

Hot Springs:

On our way back home we just had to soak in the San Antonio Hot Springs, located in the Jemez Mountains, to sooth our aching muscles. I think that if you are a hot spring lover then you can't miss these! They are at the top of my list, as good as most of the hot springs on the east side of the Sierra's. Directions and more information here.