Pinnacles Bird Nesting Closures - July 2005

5/4/05: The nesting closures were modified to account for actual observed nesting.

1/14/05: The nesting closures for 2005 began.

• Long's Folly, North/South Fingers, and Condor Crags reopen; Tuff Dome remains closed.
• Salathe's Sliver, Nelson's Needle, Generation Gap reopen.
• The Shaft is closed.
• Knuckle Ridge, Outcast and Gargoyle remain closed.
• Frog reopens, but The Hand remains closed.
  Note: a common approach to the Frog passes very near the Hand, so this approach should not be used. Instead, approach the Frog directly up the hill on its north side (from the west end of the reservoir) - there is a faint trail in place for this which weaves around the brush. See the revised Hand map.
• Resurrection Wall remains closed. Western Front is explicitly closed.
• The Egg remains closed. Hunky Dory Rock, Proclamation Pinnacle, Arch, Wedge, Teapot Dome, and Ball Pinnacle are explicitly closed (part of the Egg closure).
• Citadel and Whitetail Rock reopen. (Actually they had not been on the NPS page as closed for potential nesting, but they were meant to be).

The initially closed areas include the same areas as in past years, plus the Hand is newly closed.

Good maps of the closed areas are posted on the NPS web page.

Local copies of these maps are available here. For additional details on closed areas, please see the text descriptions further below.

new maps (May 2005 - some areas reopened)
• Yaks, Yaks Wall (aka Little Pinnacles)
• reservoir (Hand, Frog, Gargoyle) new 5/05 version
• Scout Peak, Pinch or Lynch, Salathe'/Nelson new 5/05 version
• Resurrection Wall, Goat Rock new 5/05 version
• High Peaks new 5/05 version
• Balconies, Crowley Towers, Smiling Simian, Even Coyotes

The closures are usually in effect from mid-January until July or August, depending on exactly when the birds leave. During the closure season, check the bulletin board at the Bear Gulch and West Side trailheads for updates, as sometimes areas are closed or opened during this period. Usually in late April, some areas will be reopened if no nesting is observed.

The closures are technically voluntary, but are normally followed by everyone. They apply not only to climbing, but to off-trail hiking in these areas. If rangers observe people in these areas, they will be asked to leave, and if they do not comply, they will be cited for failing to obey a ranger. If birds were present, there would be an additional citation for disturbing wildlife. Climbers have always been very cooperative, so there have been no citations to my knowledge.

The main result of the closures has been that climbers have used the October-December (and sometimes days in January) season to climb at the High Peaks, Balconies, Yaks Wall, and other normally closed areas.

Nesting Closures in 2005

1. Frog, Hand, Gargoyle
   • Closed
     • Hand
     • Snail
     • Crud and Mud (probably closed)
     • Gargoyle (aka Prescribed Burn Wall)
     • Piedras Bonitas Cliff
     • Outcast
     • Knuckle Ridge
   • Reopened in May
     • Frog (use approach directly up the slope from the north, not the trail that goes in the gully under the Hand)
   • Open
     • east side of Neglected Valley (Lion's Head, Toadstool, Triple Decker)
     • Mollusk
2. Yaks (a.k.a. "Little Pinnacles")
   • Closed
     • Marauder
     • Yaks Wall (Shoot the Tube to Reach for the Sky)
     • North Yak, South Yak (including Beast of Burden, Bullrun)
   • Open
     • Marmot Rock (including Wrinkle Remover, Asleep at the Wheel)
     • Hanging Valley (Nip & Tuck, Teter Tower, etc.)
3. Balconies
   • Closed
     • Crowley Towers
     • Balconies (If We Bolt It They Will Come, Bongloadash to Nexus area, Echoes)
     • north of Balconies Trail (Smiling Simian boulder, Even Coyotes Like it Doggie Style)
   • Open
     • Flumes Formation
     • south of Balconies trail (Osiris, Toog's, Chockstone Dome)
4. other West Side
   • Reopened in May
     • Citadel
     • Whitetail Rock
5. Juniper Canyon
   • Closed
     • Resurrection Wall
   • Clarified as Closed in May
     • Western Front
6. Scout Peak Area and High Peaks South
   • Closed
     • Goat Rock
     • Scout Peak
     • Beak Peak
   • Clarified as Closed in May
     • Shaft
   • Reopened in May
     • Salathe's Sliver, Nelson's Needle, Generation Gap Pinnacle
     • Pinch or Lynch Wall (all routes)
   • Open
     • Unmentionable
     • Bobbin
     • Popcorn Pinnacles, Nebulous Knob
     • Flatiron, Photographer's Delight
     • Axe, Dwarf
7. High Peaks
   • Closed
     • The Egg, Hunky Dory Rock
     • Teapot Dome, Ball Pinnacle
     • Proclamation Pinnacle, Arch, Wedge
     • H & L, Tuff Dome, Bynum's Spire
     • Cornflake, Frothy Flake, Papa Bear, Smokestack
   • Reopened in May
     • Long's Folly, North and South Fingers, Condor Crags
     • Chaos Crag
   • Open
     • Pot Pinnacle, Peyote Pillar, Sponge, Burgundy Dome
     • Proclamation Pinnacle
     • Piglet, Spike's Peak, Dragonfly Dome, Sidehorse, Egg Shell, Freedom Dome
     • Cinder, Disintegration Pinnacle, The Lump

• Bear Gulch (Discovery Wall, Monolith, Upper Crust, etc.)
• Reservoir (Five Sisters, Deserted Valley)
• Condor Gulch (except Feather Canyon route on H&L)
• some West Side areas (Machete Ridge, Flimsy Flume, Toog's, Elephant Rock)