Wall of the Trundling Trolls

This beautiful area is located less than 10 minutes downhill from Munchkinland, and is accessed by a faint trail that continues down to the bottom of upper Sycamore Canyon from the south end of the Wall of the Dancing Dwarfs. Troll Tower is the first formation that is encountered, and is identified by its clean, steep west face which hosts two quality sport climbs. Across the canyon stands the Wall of the Trundling Trolls, and its impressive southeast face is a spectacular sight with its myriad quality crack systems. Add to this idyllic scene a stream that runs virtually year round, and you have one of Mt Lemmon’s finest climbing areas. The original batch of 17 routes (and two variations that were incorrectly labeled as routes) established on the Troll Wall were put up in a flurry of activity between 1980 and 1982, mostly by Michael Strassman, John Steiger, and Ray Ringle, among others.

The rock quality on the Troll Wall is comparable to the very best stone on all of Mt. Lemmon. Loose holds, which are commonplace at most areas in the Santa Catalina range, are nearly absent on the highly compact stone. The absence of the sharp, crystalline rock typical of the higher elevations of the mountain, combined with the generally large size of the handholds makes this crag very finger friendly (muscles will become sore long before skin gets worn thin!) The far more abundant loose blocks that originally gave the wall its name have all been trundled, leaving incredibly clean, safe routes from one end of the wall to the other.

The crack systems are some of the most protectable found on Mt. Lemmon, with solid placements usually being no more than five to ten feet apart. Perhaps the biggest difficulty now will be locating the desired route from the closely spaced crack systems that cover the face! The few bolted routes that are found one the Troll Wall ascend interesting features found on the faces between the prominent crack systems. Nearly all of the new routes have bolted belay/rappel anchors, and many of the original routes either have anchors at the top or can easily utilize nearby anchor stations for belays, rappels, or top-rope anchors.

The season for climbing here runs from March through early November, with pleasant temperatures being found by staying either in the sun or shade depending upon the time of year. The summer monsoons can deliver sudden, intense storms, and it is not uncommon to be caught on a route in a downpour. These rains also bring intermittent seeps that drain from various cracks in the face, especially in the upper left portion of the wall where the highest concentration of moderate routes are located. Although the stream runs nearly all year, it is not advised to drink the water without using a purifying filter. The routes described here are listed from left to right while facing each of the particular formations.