Onion Creek

The Gothic Nightmare is awe-inspiring. To get to the base of this mighty wall and look up is humbling. Nearby Titan Tower is within close view as well. The Alien Towers are eery. The many red sandstone toadstools and formations are simply stunning. The 4 mile drive up Onion Creek Road with 20 stream crossings is a blast. For scenery, this is a 5-Star route. For the technical aspect it does not rate very high. Think of it as a beautiful 1/2 day hike with one rappel. BRING A CAMERA.

The dry fall with a hand line in place can be free climbed by an intermediate climber.

The rappel is a possible down climb by a skilled down-climber. There is a rabbit hole behind the massive boulder blocking the canyon at the anchor. Go through the rabbit hole, then stem with both feet against the opposing boulder and traverse left (up canyon direction) for 3-4 feet and then lower down to the top of the boulder stairs. There is a high danger of getting pitched out in the down canyon direction which would make for certain mechanical injury.