Lots of interesting thoughtful low class 5 moves in a special rock situation. Too bad that difficulty level does not extend all the way to the bottom on the main Tower Wall ledge. 

Reach the Start: Could join this route a bit higher than its bottom starting ledge, by first climbing the lower part of the Access Scramble route, then traversing Left to the arete. More interesting might be to start from Sunny Picnics area using Mushroom block (on a rope belay) to join the Access Scramble route - see the Mystical Mushroom Tour route.   Or could reach it by traversing right from the Red Knob route -- See the route In & Out . 

  The starting ledge could be reached by rappeling in from the top of the cliff (perhaps also using the Manticore Face tree anchor below the top).   Or by climbing up the (much more difficult) Manticore Dihedral route (or perhaps the Picnics Dihedral route).   Less-strong climbers possibly could be enabled to climb the Manticore Dihedral with a lower requirement of strength and technique -- if a stronger Trad Lead climber attaches an etrier / aid ladder to one or more pieces of Trad protection placed in the dihedral (or the etrier could be placed on rappel). 

Route: Starting 20 feet off the ground from the ledge on the arete, go up to another ledge, and another. Diagonal right a few feet to temporarily avoid the crest of the arete, soon back Left across the crest to an interesting crack by means of a tricky step on sloping rock. Up that crack, then slab footwork to a tree anchor (nice for top-roping other routes), or to the top of the cliff. 

Variation: Staying directly on the crest the whole way includes a sequence around 5.6   . . . [ Manticore? |  images ] . . . 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Manticore Upper Arete

Bleed Between the Lines

Ogre Arete

Rachel's Crack

Back to the Gym

Dead Tree Dihedral

Crefeld Crank

Any Which Way But Down/Ex-traction

Manticore Face

In & Out

Unrest of the Witches

Johnson Route

Ex-traction Slab

The Red Knob

Back to the Wall

The Rossinator

Manticore Dihedral

No Rest for the Wicked

Arrowhead

Rock Romancer

Tower Wall Direct

Climb the arete (or at least one hand on it), to finish on the first ledge about 20 feet up. 

  Could then continue upward on the Manticore Face route (or Manticore Upper Arete ).   Or get back down by traversing way right (east) across the Sunny Picnics area to past the Mushroom block, then down the start of the Tour des Picnics route. 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

A traverse of the Tower Wall, recommended as two pitches for rope drag and protecting the follower.P1 5.9 PG13: At an (often wet) obtuse corner below some small cracks, step up to a bread loaf pinch and move right on slabby feet and sidepulls.  Step up (crux) to a small crack/pocket, make a critical placement, then go right around the corner.  Up through a slightly overhung section on good holds to a ledge, then up again to belay at a large horizontal crack.  80'P2 5.8 G: Move right, hug the torpedo, then step down and follow the crack around the corner.  Use positive holds at the top of the dihedral to pull the roof, then step right and finish up past several horizontal cracks on easier ground to the top.  60'

Climb just to the left of the arete, mostly on the face. Then move right under the nose to finish. Moving right earlier brings it down a grade.

The obvious corner, bearing left at the fork.

Some positive handholds with "gym" moves in some sections -- including a sustained sequence in lower part of route. Some slabby "outdoor" moves in others.

 Start on the main wall behind the Shark's tooth flake. For the clever "outdoor" approach try some bridging/stemming of feet between the flake and the main wall. Perhaps more fun is to first climb to the top of the Shark's tooth detached flake, then step (or fall?) across onto the main wall.

 Up a bit to a stance in the bottom of the obvious deep inside corner with an obvious crack. Next step up Left out of that corner, over about five feet to the bottom of a shallow open book with a small crack, two or three right of a nose. Straight up with "gym" moves to a ledge with a small tree.

 Up about 20 feet from the tree, trending right to the arete - (joining the arete earlier offers more "outdoor" slab moves). Up the arete a little. Then continue up the middle of the face staying well to the right of a bush, with small (gym-like) flake holds facing right. Gentler slab, then finish with steep "gym" sequence up the right side of the darker rocks at the top.

 warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber.

 . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Variety of interesting moves (especially stemming) at difficulty less than most other routes on the Tower Wall. 

  Straight up the open book, past the obvious dead tree stump. Grabbing the dead tree stump is on (though it's interesting to skirt around its left side without touching it). Continue up to the top of the open book / dihedral. Use a small live tree to negotiate the left end of the roof. (Variation: Pull the roof, strenuous on positive holds: 5.8+). Finish with 20-25 feet less steep to the top. 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2014. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Interesting lower sequence with a strenuous crux move. Unfortunately the crux is a bit contrived and the climbing above it is all much easier. 

  Named in honor of the climber whose vision and drive and persistance opened Powerlinez climbing for so many of us. 

  Start in the center of the slab face, up a small right-facing corner. Continue up the center, trending a bit right, then step left under the overhang (or try going more directly up to left side of overhang). 

  Pull the overhang _without_ using the left edge of the nose or the crack just left of it (which is the vertical crack of the right-side version of the Ex-Traction route). 

variation: If use the left edge or crack left of it, the overhang goes more like 5.9 

  If do not just lower off after working the crux ...   Go up a a bit, then right to the arete, and up that a little. Then up the center of the face, with some small flake holds facing right. Finish up the right side of the darker rocks at top. (same finish as Back to the Gym ). A little less easy is the 

Ex-traction finish up the center of the darker top rocks. 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Lots of thoughtful moves. 

  Up about five feet to the cracks. Simplest is to follow the left crack upward trending slightly right, then left through a concave scoop up to a ledge.   . . Varation 1 (a bit harder): Instead follow the right crack -- at first diagonal, then straight up into vertical crack at left edge of small overhang (which is the crux overhang of the Crefeld Crank route) -- then step left to the ledge. 

  Next up the left side of a fractured block. Then a little (awkward?) overhang move at left side of bush. Finish up through (overhanging) center of darker top rocks.   . . Variation 2 (easier finish): Instead go around right side of bush, join the "Back to the Gym" route in finishing over right side of darker top rocks). 

warning: The rock around this sector has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber.

Interesting vertical sequence at the bottom on positive holds. Then in the upper half an interesting less-than-vertical sequence on less-positive holds. 

  Start at the right side of the alcove and climb straight up by a thin crack to a ledge. Scramble up through bushes to the next rock face. The complex crack sequence on the left side is the Madara variation of the Red Knob route (easier). On the right edge of the face is the Manticore Upper Arete (easier). 

  Climb up the obvious vertical crack 5 feet left of the arete for 15 feet. Up a little higher passing a crack diagonaling up left - (Variation: Follow this lower diagonal crack). Bear left at the next higher crack diagonaling up left (without using the wider zig-zag crack a foot to its right, which is on the Manticore Upper Arete route). Up to finish about 5 feet left of the arete.   Could use the tree-sling anchor for Red Knob Madara Variation, which is about twenty or thirty feet below the top of the cliff, about ten feet climber's left (west) from the arete. 

  Could also Top-Rope ... the Red Knob Madara Variation, The Rossinator, and Rock Romancer routes from the Madara Face tree anchor ... Also   ... from a top anchor nearby, could Top-Rope (in the Sunny Picnics area) the Manticore Dihedral , Picnics Arete and Picnics Dihedral routes, and perhaps with a directional the Rodeo Clown boulder problem ... also    ... Sigrun's Choice route in the Enclosure area. 

  . . . [ Manticore? |  images ] . . . 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

First inside an enclosed space, then outside on the crest of an arete. Variety of different climbing moves and rock situations. 

  Easiest bottom-to-top climb on the Tower Wall. Variation has more sustained difficulty. 

  Start straight up the dihedral / open book / gully (freely use holds on both sides). Below the dead tree stump, make a balancy traverse across right wall and diagonal up onto a grassy ledge. Walk right horizontally about twenty feet or so to rock with a short vertical crack and set up belay. 

  . . (Variation: Instead of traversing on the grassy ledge, diagonal up right on right-facing flakes and across right to reach the arete at a two-block platform 15-20 feet above the grassy ledge. Optional hanging belay on left side of arete, or continue to the top in a single pitch). 

  Climb up the arete at the right edge of the Tower Wall. Soon diagonal right off the crest of the arete a few feet to avoid a section with smaller slopier holds. Up a little, then back Left across the crest to an interesting crack by means of a tricky step on sloping rock. Up that crack, then slab footwork to a tree anchor (nice for top-roping other routes), or finish to the top of the cliff. 

  . Variation: Staying directly on the crest the whole way includes a sequence around 5.6+ 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Variety of interesting thoughtful moves. Flaw is that the two crux moves are significantly harder than the rest. 

  Start just right of the No Rest for the Wicked wide crack on the right side of the Shark's tooth flake. Up a short ways (not using any part of the the "No Rest Wicked" crack), then a bit farther right from the crack. After the two crux moves, continue roughly straight up. To keep the difficulty from dropping so much lower, perhaps go on left side of first rounded nose, then about three-quarters of the way to the top overhang, climb directly up the second rounded nose or its right side - (Variation interesting + less difficult: Step six feet right to a pair of cracks, the Original FA version of TWD ). 

  Finish to the right of the obvious notch at the top of the "No Rest Wicked" route through vertical fins+cracks - (Variation much easier: Finish on right-facing corner under big dark roof at right end of those vertical fins/cracks).   Above that is gentler sloping rock. 

  Height+Reach: First crux move is likely much harder for climbers much shorter than 5ft7inch with normal reach. Variation: this move could be bypassed by starting up the "No Rest Wicked" wide crack then traversing Right to under the second crux move.    Higher on the route, going directly up the rounded nose is perhaps similarly height-dependent. Could use the interesting variation to avoid it. 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2014. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Just to the right of the obvious corner (Rachel's Crack), and keep right at the big bulge.

Lots of slab climbing -- footwork and balance needed in the bottom 25 feet. Then easier slab moves. Then two short overhangs to the top. 

  This route seems to be much like the Risky Bear route assigned to the Three Bears Wall. It is included here so that climbers exploring Tower Wall can be aware that it's worthwhile to do it from near or the same anchors used for routes on Tower Wall, and to clarify a distinct line of climbing which does not cross other routes on Tower Wall. Anyway however the naming and assignment to a sector gets worked out, meanwhile go ahead and just enjoy the climbing. 

  Start on the face to the left of the Ex-traction cracks. Up that (likely with an early right-to-left trend). Easier slabs section, then a short steep move about five feet left of a bush (of Ex-traction). Another slab section, then finish up small dihedral open book through left half of darker top rocks - (left of where Ex-traction finishes through center or right-center of the darker top rocks). 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Climb up the face just to the right of the Ogre Arete. Move right onto a ledge, then up and left through the roof, which is the crux. Continue up easily to trees.

Interesting thoughtful moves in a variety of rock situations. 

  Up the left arete of the Sharks Tooth detached flake to its top - (extra points for standing up straight on top in balance with no hands).   . . Variation 1 (less exciting but perhaps better protected for Leading): Start up the gully+face behind left side of Sharks Tooth. 

  Step (or fall?) across to the main face into a shallow alcove just left of a right-trending crack. Trend right up crack, or up to top of alcove then exit right to crack, and up to a ledge.  

  Next up shallow gully on right side of bulge.   . . Variation 2 (more interesting but not protected): Step left on ledge, then up over left side of bulge.   Move left to base of arete with fins which forms left edge of upper Tower Wall. 

  Up the arete with fins, perhaps with moves both strenuous and balancy (crux)   . . Variation 3: Climb a few feet on the face to right of arete up to overhang, then escape left to join the arete. 

  Finish up a short slab. 

warning: The rock around this sector has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber.

Looks improbable, but goes remarkably. Sustained.   Too bad it's not longer - (with a little more variety) - (though several other routes can be Top-Roped from same or nearby top anchor). 

  Up to the nose, then pass by it on right side. 

  Can continue further upward by using Manticore Face or Red Knob Madara Variation (tree-sling anchor), or more difficult Variation sections around the Red Knob route. 

  From the tree-sling anchor for Red Knob Madara Variation, could also top-rope ... Manticore Face, Rock Romancer, Manticore Dihedral , Picnics Arete, Picnics Dihedral ... and Manticore Upper Arete. 

  . . (Jon supplied the name, not Silas). 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

Sustained thoughtful moves with a variety of techniques.   Too bad it's not longer. 

  Extra benefits of this short route are to lead it up to near the Manticore Face tree anchor (from which several other routes can be Top-Roped).   Or to lead it to enable less-strong following climbers to reach the bottom of the (much less difficult) Manticore Upper Arete route -   by attaching an etrier / aid ladder to one or more pieces of protection, so they could climb the Dihedral with a lower requirement of strength and technique - (or the etrier could be placed on rappel). 

Route: Go straight up the dihedral to a ledge. Can then continue up to reach a tree-sling anchor (or to the top of the cliff), by using Manticore Upper Arete . 

  From the Manticore Face tree-sling anchor, could also top-rope Rock Romancer, Manticore Face, Red Knob Madara variation, and The Rossinator. From a nearby top anchor, perhaps could also Top-Rope the Picnics Arete and Picnics Dihedral routes, and perhaps with a directional the Rodeo Clown boulder problem. 

  . . . [ Manticore? |  images ] . . . 

warning: The rock on and around this route has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber. 

  . . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).

To the left of the obvious corner (Rachel's Crack).  Start up the right edge of the shark's tooth. Step onto the main face and follow thin crack up and right-ward. Straight up to a short ledge, then into an open book and final overhang.

Lots of thoughtful interesting face climbing. 

  Start under a small alcove, up a few feet on positive holds, than delicate traverse left into center of face. Roughly straight up from there (avoiding easier climbing on Johnsons or Ogre Arete).

It follows a plumb line alongside the black water streak and goes straight through the "vertically oriented" section of roof. There is a direct variation off the deck that clocks in around 5.11+ . The traverse from Rachel's crack to the route is unprotected.

The Tower Wall is the most obvious, visible and possibly tallest wall at the Powerlinez. As you exit the tree line along the main Swath trail (service road), the Tower Wall looms behind a pylon. It is a great wall to use as reference point for the rest of your climbing. Most of the established climbs are on walls mostly on the East (climber's left) side of the entire mountain. The right side has some great areas for potential but their exploration has largely been undocumented or un-repeated.  

  The rock on the Tower Wall is like the rest of the Powerlinez, sharp and gritty and in some areas, prone to breaking apart. Many of the popular lines are solid though, and far from being polished. Keep climbing them! Top outs are infamous at the powerlinez - full of rounded, sloping tops that only someone with gecko hands will benefit from. Great for colder days. 

  The Tower Wall is a great area for trad practice. All of the lines are close together and are close to each other, which means you can run a bunch of laps with relative ease.  

  To the west (climber's right) of the tower wall is the Enclosure, Devonshire Pillar, Puzzle Palace wall and more. To the east (climber's left) of the Tower Wall is the Three Bears and just beyond that is Dave's Wall. Just below and to the climber's right is the Stockade Wall.

 Thanks to kenr for the following TR info: 

Top-Roping:    Natural anchors near tops of routes on the right half of this sector are usually available close to top. For several it helps to have a static line (not more than 50 ft) to rappel or down-climb to place the carabiners for the belay rope down well below the top, to avoid dragging or abrasion of the belay rope.  

  For many of routes (especially Back to the Wall through TWD Tower Wall Direct) on the left side of this sector, it's more convenient to have a very long static line to reach some tree set way back from the top of the cliff, and to be able to rappel or down-climb to place the carabiners below the top. Or with a normal trad protection rack, it's possible to construct a multi-piece anchor about 20 feet back from the top, so then a shorter static line would be sufficient to set the carabiners for the belay rope down lower on the cliff.  

  Access to the top: One simple (but not short) way is to hike Left (W) along the base of the cliff 300 feet, past the sectors Three Bears and Dave's Wall, to the intersection of the Tower Wall tier trail with The Good Book access trail. Turn Right (NE) and follow The Good Book trail 150 feet, up a steep slope, then after it gets gentle, find a way off it Right (E) and gentle upward toward the mini-summit view at the top of the Tower Wall cliff.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in 6. The Tower Wall