El Camino Royale

This route is more of a mountaineering adventure than a clean rock climb. Although the rating reflects an easy scramble it was extremely easy (at least for me) to stray off easy ground and onto low fifth class difficulty.

Start at the lowest point of the rock on the South side of the East face, but to the right of large gully. The path seems blocked by a large overhang some 200 feet above but the route escapes this obstacle on the left. From there proceed up and left to the summit some 300 feet higher.

The summit is very small and has a chopped ancient bolt. At this point check out the East face route of the Royal Arch. Connecting these two routes makes not only for a cool scrambling outing but also gets you to the Royal Arch trail for a much easier return to your car...

To descend you can: - Down climb 100ft down the East face and escape North (right) to hiking terrain - For a more exposed alternative, down climb some 30 feet of the East face on the left arete and escape onto a ledge system that takes you to the West face. From there you can descend further to the East via a ramp on the North side. A large hole/crack will then provide escape under some boulders, putting you at the base of the Royal Arch East face

Standard rack.