Three Summits ♦ Lower, Middle, Upper
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(2D images first. 3D Galleries further down the page will require red–cyan glasses to see the full 3D effect. Click Photos to Enlarge.)
On this page: Saddle Rocks
In a Supporting Role & Other Scenery
- Cowboy Crags
- The Oyster Bar
- Hall of Horrors
- Cave Corridor
- Lost Horse Valley
- Dramatic views, Wonderland of Rocks
THIS VERY LARGE FORMATION of White Tank monzogranite is situated on the eastern perimeter of Lost Horse Valley. Park Blvd. separates Saddle Rocks from Hall of Horrors (whose car lot gives the closest approach). Saddle Rocks comprises three distinct summits. When you are standing below them, they seem to rise into the heavens. There are also two climbing boulders on the north side known as Heretic Boulder and Theoretical Boulder. Theorists disagree how these latter two got their odd route names, although in the next paragraphs, I surmise one possibility.
Several dozen rock climbing routes are recorded for Saddle Rocks, with a few of the more colorfully named being The Iconoclast, The Narwhal, The High Cost of Living, Chicks for Free, and Walk on the Wild Side.
Naming the recognized climbs on the dual Heretic & Theoretical boulders, shaped like a split tooth on the lower left side of Saddle Rocks, must have taken some clever thinking: Brush Your Teeth with Jesus, Presbyterian Dental Floss, and Episcopalian Toothpick.
Climbs associated with the upper summit include Wanna Bong, Boom Boom Room, and Crystal Calisthenics. Since most of us will want nothing more than to gawk at Saddle Rocks, I am delighted to offer this selection of pictures, cobbled together from numerous visits to the area.
See Also
Hall of Horrors
Convenient parking in the large lot at Hall of Horrors. Take the crosswalk to where a well-maintained trail leads to the base of Saddle Rocks.
2D ♦ View of Saddle Rocks’ 3 Summits from Planet X Area
(Click to Enlarge)
Saddle Rocks ♦ South Face
Climbing routes on this side include “Presto in C Sharp,” “Sullivan from Colorado,” “Pinnacle Aerobics to Promote Blood Circulation,” “Nuts and Bolts,” the aforementioned “Boom Boom Room,” “Flakes Can Collapse,” “Crystal Calisthenics,” and “The Good Book.”
Saddle Rocks, south face, from Cowboy Crags
Saddle Rocks ♦ North Face
There are more than two dozen climbing routes on this complex side which gets shade part of the day and especially in winter. You will often spot climbers on the jumble of large rocks and boulders at Saddle Rocks’ base. Heretic & Theoretical boulders are barely visible peeking over the slope above the curved Joshua tree trunk in this shot.
Saddle Rocks, north face, from Cave Corridor
View From Afar
In early February, 2015, I collected 3D images from the “Jimmy Cliff” due west of Hidden Valley. This Lost Horse Valley long shot provides context.
View from Afar 2D ♦ 3D Anaglyph ♦ 3D Half Side-by-Side
(Click to Enlarge)
Cowboy Crags high on the hillside
View of Saddle Rocks from Ryan Ranch Area
This south face view shows all three Saddle Rocks points. A few hundred yards closer and further up the hillside are the Cowboy Crags.
Saddle Rocks from Ryan Ranch water tank
- Use glasses to view 3D Anaglyphs
- Click to Enlarge Photos
Please feel free to download as many of the 3D Anaglyph or 3D Half Side-by-Side photographs as you wish. The 3D H-SBS images should only be saved if you have access to a 3D-capable TV. Half Side-by-Sides avoid the minor Anaglyph anomalies that can occur. Click images to enlarge. 1080p resolution. Or Windows users, right-click and choose SAVE LINK AS.
3D Anaglyph ♦ Saddle Rocks
3D Half Side-by-Side ♦ Saddle Rocks
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John Murbach (µ)
2D ♦ 3D Anaglyph ♦ 3D Half Side-by-Side
(Click to Enlarge)
Posted 2015 Mar 16
Updated 2016 Oct 5
