White Rock Hills Peak Southern Route Update

Over the past year we have done a lot of work on this route. I feel this route is now in the best shape ever! This is the route that starts off of the Rocky Gap Road. The start of the hike is finally easy to follow.

My main concern was the loose hillside the route ascended. Virtually every time I led a hike someone would knock a rock down. It was almost impossible not to. This made it dangerous for hikers below.
We have re-routed this part of the route. The loose hillside is about 15 minutes beyond the chimney and just beyond the climb in Photo 2.

Chimney

Photo 2

Once beyond the climb in Photo 2, you veer left on good sandstone to a path that heads toward the tree in Photo 3. About 40 yards beyond the tree this new route meets up with the old route on good sandstone. The new route avoids all the loose rock the original route followed.

Photo 3

The next re-route is just beyond the dead tree in Photo 4. The old route would climb to a higher level, traverse, and then descend to a worn path that led to the gully. This new route descends and follows a very well cairned path that meets up with the worn path. This new route is much more efficient.  See Photo 5. The red line shows the new route; the "Red X" shows the old route.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

Photo 4

Photo 5

You can read about the final re-route up the better gully here. 

Video of these re-routes:

White Rock Hills Peak - Southern Route

There's a shortcut into the normal gully that leads to the summit on the Southern route to White Rock Hills Peak. This shortcut is a different gully that's about five to eight minutes before the normal gully. 

Photo 1 shows this new gully. It's not as loose as the normal gully, which not only makes it faster, but safer. The whitish bark tree (circled in Photo 1) is a good landmark. Although not obvious in the photo, the gully divides; veer left as shown in the photo. 

Photo 1

Photo 2

Continue ascending over easy rock another 40 yard or so until you see cairns off to the left (north). Follow the cairns across the easy traverse as seen in Photo 2. Your landmark are the two trees. Ascend this gully about 30 yards to an obvious opening to the left (north). 

You are now in the normal gully above all the loose rock. This gully  leads to the overlook of the Scenic Loop road. From here follow the normal route to the summit, about 10 minutes away.