Another Local Spot - Aztek Complex

Aztek Complex:
Last time, I provided a local spot out in the foothills of Northern Pickens, right inside the Jocassee Gorges area. Now, I'm going to to provide info on another local spot that might be closer to Greenville than the Little Easy area...The Aztek Complex.

How to get there:
This is a much smaller area with only a few routes, in comparison to most bouldering areas. To get to this spot, you need to park at the Wildcat Wayside parking area/Waterfall on the side of Highway 11/276. If you are coming from Greenville on hwy 11, the parking will be about .5 miles, on the right, before the split of 11 (heads to Table Rock) and 276 (heads to Caesar's Head). This is sometimes a popular area with tourists, because of the small waterfall that is visible while driving by...and sometimes you can even get a cup of boiled peanuts at a little travelling peanut stand that tends to park here during the summer months. On Rockclimbing.com, it has been listed as "church" land, but this land is actually part of Caesar's Head State Park and is near a collection of Heritage Land Trust tracts that starts farther up the mountain side on Persimmon Ridge Road. There are many church groups that have used this land and have even put church/Jesus related graffiti on rocks and trees here in the past...not very attractive to see though!

The Approach:
To get to the Aztek Complex, follow the trail to the top of the waterfall...cross a wooden bridge over the falls and go past the chimney of a house that once stood here. After the chimney is another bridge over a small stream...turn left after this bridge and follow it about 2 minutes up the winding trail. You will eventually come to the obvious overhanging "boulder", actually just then end of a big slab, on your right. It is easy to know if you are at the right spot because you will see the spray painted "Aztek Warrior" under the overhang on the left. Aztek Warrior is the V2-3 on the left side at the spray paint. There are some other harder routes/projects under this same roof too, if Aztek was too easy for you.

There is also another boulder (Lost Mans Rock) at the top of the taller waterfall. To get to this area, take a right after the bridge past the chimney and follow this trail until you come to a waterfall (some red neck painted an American flag on the side of the falls a few years ago so its impossible to miss). Carefully follow the trail up the left side of the waterfall to the top and follow the trail back another 50ft to a boulder on the right. I havent climbed around on this boulder in like 10 years, but there are a few routes (V2 & V3) listed for it on RC.com.

Overview:
This area isnt a destination by any means...religous graffiti, an old car/SUV name (Aztek) painted on one of the best routes, and clueless tourists make for an interesting time. But in this neck of the woods, this overhanging rock has some of the better hard routes to be offered up. If you are travelling through or are up on 11 for a dayhike, stop by and check it out...it might just be that next hard problem you were looking for.

The Link:
Here is a link to the Aztek Complex on Rockclimbing.com...
http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/South_Carolina/Clemson_and_Greenville_Area/Aztec_Complex/