Timrazine · Taghia · Morocco
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
The other great classic of the Timrazine, next to L'allumeur de rêves berbères and usually quieter. Ten pitches of technical slabs and vertical walls hung above the canyon, with two big sustained 6c pitches and a few steeper, polished sections. The obligatory grade is about 6b and the grades are widely felt to be stiff.
The route
Canyon Apache climbs about 350 m up the south-west face of the Timrazine, starting from the bed of the canyon that separates it from the Taoujdad. It shares its first three bolts with L'allumeur de rêves berbères, then traverses right and takes its own line of slabs, steep walls and short overhangs. Recent parties rate the bolting highly and say you want to be climbing 6c or 6c+ to enjoy it, with 6b obligatory. Two pitches (the second and the seventh) are noticeably polished. The approach through the canyon is a small adventure in itself.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | 60 m | A long rising traverse right from the third bolt (the line straight up is L'allumeur de rêves berbères) to a single-bolt belay above a Berber bridge. One exposed move entering the scoop, awkward for the second. Length from a 2024 party; a 2019 party felt it was no more than 5b+. Often fixed with a rope. |
| P2 | 6b+ | 25 m | A hard, awkward start up a steep polished crack, then a small tufa column and mantel moves to the belay. A 2024 party called it 6c. |
| P3 | 6a+ | 30 m | Easy slab, then a very vertical wall in the second half. |
| P4 | 6c+ | 35 m | A fine sustained pitch on sculpted rock with one physical move through an overhang. The bolts are further apart after the overhang; a 2019 party thought it nearer 7a, a 2024 party 6c. |
| P5 | 5+ | 40 m | A water-pocketed slab finishing up easy steps. The bolts are far apart towards the belay. |
| P6 | 6a+ | 30 m | Flowing climbing to a short, delicate slab just before the belay. |
| P7 | 6b+ | 20 m | An easy start, then a physical overhang on good but greasy, polished holds. Recent parties give 6c or 6c+. |
| P8 | 6c | 35 m | A long, steep and technical wall on small holds, the best pitch for many. Slightly polished. |
| P9 | 6b+ | 35 m | An easy start, then a hard technical traverse left; one bolt on the traverse is awkward to clip. |
| P10 | 5+ | 30 m | The angle eases up a corner with good holds; the rock still needs a little care. |
Getting there
From Marrakech go via Azilal to Zaouiat Ahansal: about 250 km and 5 to 6 hours, on tarmac throughout. From Zaouiat you walk up to Taghia or, since 2023, the gîtes can drive you up a track by 4x4. The gîtes in Taghia (Saïd's and Mohamed Amil's are the ones named in reports) offer half board and can arrange the taxi from Marrakech.
About 40 minutes from the gîtes. Go to the springs, cross them and follow the river bed to the mouth of the canyon between the Timrazine and the Taoujdad. Enter the canyon on the true left by a grade III step and an easy traverse (a few bolts), pass a first jammed block and a smooth slab with one bolt, then a Berber bridge and another grade III ramp. At the second jammed block, which forms a waterfall, the route starts on the true right from a sloping terrace 5 m above the bed, marked by a drilled thread and a Long Life bolt. These passages are often rigged with fixed ropes; the first pitch itself was fixed in 2025 and 2026 because it is the way past the block for routes further up the canyon. Some parties climb through the block instead and start directly with pitch 2.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 43751 (Timrazine)
Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 31.78864, -6.05906 (crag)
Getting down
On foot: from the top head north along the summit crest to a first cairn (bush on its left) and a second at a shoulder, which gives access to a big ledge. Traverse east along the ledge for a long way until the upper rock band ends, come back west towards the Paroi des Sources and go straight down a weakness in the lower band (grade II), then scree to the path used from the top of the Paroi des Sources. A 2024 party took 1.5 hours to the gîte and got slightly lost; they describe a gully with an impressive grade IV down-climb or a short hidden abseil off a thread and a bush if you leave the ledge too early. Abseiling the route is possible and a 2019 party found it went well, but you then have to reverse the canyon.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The route can be abseiled; camptocamp lists it as an alternative descent and a 2019 party did it without trouble. You then have to reverse the canyon approach, and the first pitch is a long traverse to a single-bolt belay.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-west facing, from a canyon bed at about 1,900 m to about 2,200 m. In April the first half was in shade and the second half in sun; in late May a party was in the sun almost throughout and very hot on the last three pitches; in October the sun arrived about 12:30. The steep pitches have greasy holds in the heat. One party climbed it in 5 hours as two ropes, another took 5.5 hours.
Sun on the wall · SW-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Moroccan time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 8 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 13 | 10 |
| Mean daily low °C | −4 | −3 | −0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 1 | −2 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1927 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
Quickdraws and normal multi-pitch kit; none of the sources gives a number of quickdraws or a rope length. Slings for the single-bolt first belay and for any damaged top belay. A small pack can be hauled, though some pitches are not ideal for it. Carry plenty of water in warm weather. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Canyon Apache.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Morocco · Taghia
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Committing
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Around 6c+ · about 10 pitches
France · Briançonnais
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France · Dévoluy
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France · Cerces
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France · Bavella
A sampler of everything Bavella granite does: a technical 7a wall, layback and jamming cracks, an off-width, a squeeze slot behind a tree, and three pitches of pure friction slab to finish. Bolted well enough to climb on quickdraws, which is rare here. The wide pitches are awkward and bruising if you are not used to the style.
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Read the cautions
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.