Location

Approximately 17 miles north of Altus, Oklahoma.

Useful Phone Numbers

Quartz Mountain State Park campground - (580) 563-2238

Getting There

From Dallas, take I-35 north to US Highway 380, just north of Denton. Turn west and follow 380 to Decatur. At Decatur, turn north on US Highway 287. Follow 287 through Wichita Falls, to Vernon, Texas. In Vernon turn right (north) on US Highway 283/44 and follow this through Altus and Blair, Oklahoma, staying on 44 when 283 and 44 split. Approximately 16.5 miles north of Altus is the junction of State Highways 44 and 44A. Turn left onto 44A. Follow this road approximately .5 miles, staying to the right at the "Y" fork in the road immediately before the Quartz Mountain State Park campground entrance. Park Map 1. Park Map 2.

Getting Around

To get to the climbing area from the campground, stay right at the "Y" split in the road just outside the campground entrance, and follow this road (County Road E1470). Stay on E1470 through a sharp left bend and then a sharp right bend. Cross County Road N2050, and continue on E1470 to the junction with County Road N2040. Turn right (north) on N2040 and follow this to a dirt road that intersects N2040 on the right just after a small culvert. Turn right onto the dirt road and follow it around to the right until you reach the parking area.

Club Trips

Usually one or two trips per year in the spring and fall (see trip schedule).

Types of Climbing

Toproping, lead climbing, and rappelling. With over 80 routes listed in the now out of print guide, the climbs at Quartz Mountain include low-angle faces, high-angle faces, cracks, chimneys, and offwidths. The majority of the climbs fall in the 5.7 to 5.11+ range, but there are a few 5.5s for warming up and some serious 5.12s for those days when you're feeling extra hard-core. (Beware, the routes at Quartz tend to be run-out, so all routes at all grades should be taken seriously and should only be attempted by leaders who are solid at that grade level.)

Quartz Mountain does not provide much in the way of bouldering opportunities, with most bouldering being informal warm-ups around the bases of the climbs. Quartz does, surprisingly enough, have a few aid lines, and some of these can even be top roped.

NOTE: Although camping for Quartz Mountain is in Quartz Mountain State Park, the climbing area itself is on private land. When climbing at Quartz, take the opportunity to prove to the landowner and the rest of the non-climbing public that climbers are indeed capable of sensible land use and climbing practices. Simply put: if you pack out everything that you pack in and don't tear up the rock, there's a good chance we won't find ourselves a year or two down the road fighting to keep yet another wonderful area open to climbing.

Rock

The rock at Quartz is a porphyritic granite (a type of granite containing feldspar crystals) very similar to that found in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton and Enchanted Rock near Austin. Most of the rock is solid, and there is relatively little "rotten" rock at Quartz; however, hollow, brittle plates or sheets can be found. When in doubt, knock on the rock to see if it sounds solid before trusting it to hold your weight.

Climbing Season

The best times to climb at Quartz are in the spring and the fall. The winter months, especially December and January, are generally too cold, and July and August are generally too hot. There are, of course, exceptions, and occasionally an unseasonable cool front will allow a few pleasant days of climbing even in the middle of summer.

Accommodations

The Quartz Mountain State Park campground offers tent spaces and RV sites. The tent space is a shaded grassy area between the road and the water. There are no predetermined tent sites in this area, so pick the flattest plot you can find and set up camp. The tent camping area features water spigots, picnic tables, and fire rings but no electrical hookups. The RV sites include electrical hookups, but cost considerably more and only allow one tent per site.

The bathrooms at the park have hot water, showers, and electrical outlets for hair dryers and razors, however, they are not open in the winter months when water could freeze and burst the pipes.

There is a well recommended restaurant called Luigi's, approximately 12 miles south of the park on State Highway 44, in Blair. Due to their name, Luigi's serves Italian food, and rumor has it that Luigi's Calzone makes the drive back to town worthwhile. Joe Bob says check it out.

Other Accommodations: Quartz Mountain Resort

Expenses

Pitching a tent in the tent camping area at the park costs $6.00 per tent per night. RV sites with electrical hookups cost $11.00 per night and only allow one tent per site. There are no additional day use or climbing fees at Quartz.

Guidebooks

Oklahoma on the Rocks II, second edition, by Jon Frank, copyright 1989 (out of print). The Oklahoma Climber's Guide, first edition, by Chuck Lohn, copyright 1999, is available from local outdoor retailers.

The climbs at Quartz are not widely dispersed but the area can be confusing. If you cannot borrow a guidebook from someone and you don't already know your way around, the best way to be sure of what you're getting yourself into at Quartz is to go with someone who has been there before.