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unga123
Apr 10, 2012, 8:54 PM
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Hello RC.com,
A friend and I are going to do a cross country rock climbing trip this summer. We will be starting in texas, going west in a big circle (oval) then coming back to texas.
We do sport climbing and bouldering at a 5.11 and v4/5.
So I am asking for your help in deciding where we should climb. Any cool spots right off the highway? let me know. Any crags that i have to hit? Please tell me. Basically anything in NM, Arizona, Cali, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada are on the table. Keep in mind this will be in the summer so cooler places would be better.
One more thing. Would Hueco Tanks be out of the question in the summer? Is it still climbable?
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eric_k
Apr 10, 2012, 9:55 PM
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When will you be going and for how long? It looks like you are planning on sticking to the South West, if this is the case you will probably want to get up to high elevation areas if heat is a concern. Take this with a grain of salt since I have not climbed much down there during the summer. Otherwise the further north you go the friendlier the temperatures will get.
Eric
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unga123
Apr 10, 2012, 10:03 PM
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eric_k wrote: When will you be going and for how long? It looks like you are planning on sticking to the South West, if this is the case you will probably want to get up to high elevation areas if heat is a concern. Take this with a grain of salt since I have not climbed much down there during the summer. Otherwise the further north you go the friendlier the temperatures will get. Eric
Probably during July. Also, the trip could be anywhere from 1 week to 1 month depending on money situation and what we have planned.
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Colinhoglund
Apr 10, 2012, 11:50 PM
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unga123 wrote: eric_k wrote: When will you be going and for how long? It looks like you are planning on sticking to the South West, if this is the case you will probably want to get up to high elevation areas if heat is a concern. Take this with a grain of salt since I have not climbed much down there during the summer. Otherwise the further north you go the friendlier the temperatures will get. Eric Probably during July. Also, the trip could be anywhere from 1 week to 1 month depending on money situation and what we have planned.
The shorter your trip the less destinations I'd hit. More climbing less driving. I call my first few days anywhere new a 'exploration', rarely do you actually get to the best climbing right away. If you hit a new spot each day or 2, chances are you'll spend more time wandering around and getting used to the area (the rock, to movement, difficulty etc) then actually climbing. I like to spend at least 4 or five days in an area minimum, unless its a mini area.
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marc801
Apr 11, 2012, 12:26 AM
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unga123 wrote: Hello RC.com, A friend and I are going to do a cross country rock climbing trip this summer. We will be starting in texas, going west in a big circle (oval) then coming back to texas. We do sport climbing and bouldering at a 5.11 and v4/5. So I am asking for your help in deciding where we should climb. Any cool spots right off the highway? let me know. Any crags that i have to hit? Please tell me. Basically anything in NM, Arizona, Cali, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada are on the table. Keep in mind this will be in the summer so cooler places would be better. One more thing. Would Hueco Tanks be out of the question in the summer? Is it still climbable? <adding a reply to the question of when> Probably during July. Also, the trip could be anywhere from 1 week to 1 month depending on money situation and what we have planned.
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climbingaggie03
Apr 11, 2012, 5:38 AM
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A climbing trip in July sounds like a bad idea to me, I'd wait til september or so, but that's just me.
For sport/bouldering I'd say look into shelf road near canon city, co. Tons of great sport climbing there. Maybe some climbing in Rocky mountain national park, I'm not sure how much sport climbing is there though. You could climb in the shady parts of clear creek and boulder canyon.
I'd steer clear of Utah, Mt Charleston near Vegas might be ok.
From there, I'd go to Yosemite, Owens River Gorge might be climbable, but I'd bet it's too hot. There's plenty of bouldering in Yosemite, and you might find some good bolted routes in toulome or someone to climb with that can rope gun gear routes for you.
If you find yourself in Socal big bear has climbing that is pleasant in the summer, but it's definitely not a destiation.
There's no way on earth I'd try and go to hueco in july.
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unga123
Apr 11, 2012, 8:26 AM
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marc801 wrote: unga123 wrote: Hello RC.com, A friend and I are going to do a cross country rock climbing trip this summer. We will be starting in texas, going west in a big circle (oval) then coming back to texas. We do sport climbing and bouldering at a 5.11 and v4/5. So I am asking for your help in deciding where we should climb. Any cool spots right off the highway? let me know. Any crags that i have to hit? Please tell me. Basically anything in NM, Arizona, Cali, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada are on the table. Keep in mind this will be in the summer so cooler places would be better. One more thing. Would Hueco Tanks be out of the question in the summer? Is it still climbable? <adding a reply to the question of when> Probably during July. Also, the trip could be anywhere from 1 week to 1 month depending on money situation and what we have planned. This is all really vague - it's almost like you're not really asking for help in planning but asking us to do almost all the planning. Why not propose some possible itineraries or areas that interest you and then get feedback on those?
I really don't feel that I'm asking you to plan anything. The only "planning" part I guess would be if Hueco is climbable in the summer. Other than that, all I'm asking for great places to climb in the southwest within our abilities. That is all.
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unga123
Apr 11, 2012, 8:28 AM
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climbingaggie03 wrote: A climbing trip in July sounds like a bad idea to me, I'd wait til september or so, but that's just me. For sport/bouldering I'd say look into shelf road near canon city, co. Tons of great sport climbing there. Maybe some climbing in Rocky mountain national park, I'm not sure how much sport climbing is there though. You could climb in the shady parts of clear creek and boulder canyon. I'd steer clear of Utah, Mt Charleston near Vegas might be ok. From there, I'd go to Yosemite, Owens River Gorge might be climbable, but I'd bet it's too hot. There's plenty of bouldering in Yosemite, and you might find some good bolted routes in toulome or someone to climb with that can rope gun gear routes for you. If you find yourself in Socal big bear has climbing that is pleasant in the summer, but it's definitely not a destiation. There's no way on earth I'd try and go to hueco in july.
Thanks for help. I agree with you about the summer thing, but we only have summers free.
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granite_grrl
Apr 11, 2012, 4:41 PM
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Seeing as you live in Texas what do you consider "too hot"? I can almost guarantee that what I consider too hot is not as warm as what you consider too hot.
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unga123
Apr 11, 2012, 5:37 PM
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granite_grrl wrote: Seeing as you live in Texas what do you consider "too hot"? I can almost guarantee that what I consider too hot is not as warm as what you consider too hot.
Honestly, short of triple digits nothing is too hot. With the heat I'm concerned more about rock conditions. But some types of rock hold up better with heat than others.
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totallyspoked
Apr 12, 2012, 6:51 PM
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If Texas is as hot this as last, 41+ days over 107, I would stay hot (south) as long as possible. Then work your way to the higher elevation. Maybe az, ca, ut, and then colorado. If its 107 in Tx and you stop in Breckenridge Brewery for an fresh batch of Yeti, where its prob 70 deg, then going back to the heat will prob suck. I know it did when I left there last year.
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byran
Apr 13, 2012, 10:53 PM
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There's lots of good sport climbing and bouldering around Mammoth, CA that would be nice in July. The Tahoe area also offers a lot of stuff and isn't too far from there. Owens Gorge and Yosemite Valley are hellish in July. The bouldering in Tuolumne would be good though.
Also look into the Wasatch Range/ northern Utah. I've never climbed anything there but it sounds like it would be up your alley.
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K-Tanz
Apr 14, 2012, 4:29 AM
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You should hit up the Independence Pass area between Aspen and Leadville, CO. The temps are super moderate due to the high elevation and the shade is abundant. There are TONS of quality sport routes and easy camping. There is a quality guidebook available at local shops. The closest would be in Buena Vista or Leadville. You will have the crags to yourselves. From there you could head north to The Front Range (Clear creek canyon has a very high density of quality sport routes in that range). For native Coloradoans it is probably too hot but, being from Texas, it should be no issue for you. From what I understand there are many hundreds of sport routes in this very dense area.
Watch out for those afternoon storms, you are very likely to get dumped on for about forty minutes in the afternoons but skies will be clear before and after (hopefully).
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marc801
Apr 14, 2012, 3:12 PM
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byran wrote: Also look into the Wasatch Range/ northern Utah. I've never climbed anything there but it sounds like it would be up your alley.
Maple Canyon - all sport
American Fork Canyon - all sport
High Uintas (depending on snow level - the climbing is at 10K' and the temps rarely above the low 70's)
The above can be considered destination areas. The following may have interest, but most don't head to UT expressly for these...
Rock Canyon - Provo
Big Cottonwood Canyon - a large mix of sport and trad
Hellgate Cliffs - across from Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon (bring helmets for the rocks the mtn goats drop on you - we've had a death from that)
Devil's Castle - above Albion Basin in the Alta ski area - multi pitch alpine sport - some routes need supplemental trad gear.
City of Rocks and Castle Rock State Park - next to each other in SE Idaho - huge mix of sport and trad.
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unga123
Apr 14, 2012, 3:31 PM
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marc801 wrote: byran wrote: Also look into the Wasatch Range/ northern Utah. I've never climbed anything there but it sounds like it would be up your alley. The best options for sport at that time of year would be: Maple Canyon - all sport American Fork Canyon - all sport High Uintas (depending on snow level - the climbing is at 10K' and the temps rarely above the low 70's) The above can be considered destination areas. The following may have interest, but most don't head to UT expressly for these... Rock Canyon - Provo Big Cottonwood Canyon - a large mix of sport and trad Hellgate Cliffs - across from Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon (bring helmets for the rocks the mtn goats drop on you - we've had a death from that) Devil's Castle - above Albion Basin in the Alta ski area - multi pitch alpine sport - some routes need supplemental trad gear. City of Rocks and Castle Rock State Park - next to each other in SE Idaho - huge mix of sport and trad.
Thanks for the awesome reply.
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marc801
Apr 14, 2012, 5:13 PM
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unga123 wrote: marc801 wrote: byran wrote: Also look into the Wasatch Range/ northern Utah. I've never climbed anything there but it sounds like it would be up your alley. The best options for sport at that time of year would be: Maple Canyon - all sport American Fork Canyon - all sport High Uintas (depending on snow level - the climbing is at 10K' and the temps rarely above the low 70's) The above can be considered destination areas. The following may have interest, but most don't head to UT expressly for these... Rock Canyon - Provo Big Cottonwood Canyon - a large mix of sport and trad Hellgate Cliffs - across from Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon (bring helmets for the rocks the mtn goats drop on you - we've had a death from that) Devil's Castle - above Albion Basin in the Alta ski area - multi pitch alpine sport - some routes need supplemental trad gear. City of Rocks and Castle Rock State Park - next to each other in SE Idaho - huge mix of sport and trad. Thanks for the awesome reply.
CofR/CR are indeed destination climbing areas - about 3 hrs from SLC.
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climbingaggie03
Apr 14, 2012, 7:44 PM
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city of rocks is awesome, although I went there with just draws, and felt pretty limited. It's definitely a cool place though, and I was there in late june and the weather was perfect. If you're going to go to City of rocks though, I'd reserve a camp site, finding a site can be tricky.
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marc801
Apr 14, 2012, 9:34 PM
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climbingaggie03 wrote: city of rocks is awesome, although I went there with just draws, and felt pretty limited.
There's a great 10a (forget the name) that suckers a lot of people into thinking it's a sport route due to the 3 bolts at the bottom that protect the slabby moves. They get very spanked at the 9+ finger crack that finishes the route if they don't have an assortment of nuts and small cams.
Another good 11b nearby is protected entirely with bolts...except for that one spot where you need a 4" cam to keep you from hitting a ledge (which would be a very nasty fall) if you blow the 10d move.
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clee03m
Apr 14, 2012, 10:19 PM
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City of Rocks is awesome. If you can, check out Wild Iris in WY. You can climb in the summer. Limestone climbing is nothing like any other. Really beautiful climbing and scenery.
If you decided to drive up north to canada, there are some cool places to climb in WA. Probably not destination enough on their own, but Infinite Bliss is the longest multipitch sport climb in North America. World Wall in Little Si has some of the loveliest 11's anywhere.
I say Canada because Squamish has great bouldering and I hear there are some cool sport climbing too. Perfect for summer climbing.
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plantmandan
Apr 15, 2012, 3:03 AM
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I would strongly recommend the Eastern Sierra. You could easily spend a whole month there. Many lifetimes worth of rock, amazing natural hot springs everywhere, and lots of easy camping. Yes, it can get warm during summer, but you can climb in the shade or during morning/evening hours and be fine. If there is a heatwave, you can head up into the mountains and explore.
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blueeyedclimber
Apr 15, 2012, 6:27 PM
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Is Squamish out of the question? July is a good time to go and it has what you are looking for.
Josh
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goldeneagle
Apr 16, 2012, 3:04 PM
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If your going to Cali, go to Yosemite. If your willing to brave the crowds, its totally worth it. I would recommend camping outside of the valley, as almost everything is usually sold out.
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donald949
Apr 16, 2012, 5:21 PM
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Most of the destinations here in Ca are trad. There are plenty of high elevation summer destinations in the trad catagory.
But some spots for sport.
Holcom in the San Bernardeno/Big Bear.
Clark Canyon outside Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierras area. Should be good all summer long, but the drive in is spicy if you don't have decent ground clearance. I have seen people do it though.
Just north of there Toluome Meadows. There are sport routes. But you you will have to dig around to find them.
Just south of Mammoth is Owens River Gorge. Probably the biggest Destination for Sport and high ball bouldering in CA. Although I've never been there. Which will be warm, but if you are good to 100, then you will find climbing in June there fine.
Just south of ORG there is Alabama Hills. Lots of moderates up to 10's. But a number of harder routes. Will also be on the warm side. But I have found fine climbing in May and early June there.
Right up the hill east from the Hills is Whitney Portal. You will have to research to find the Sport climbs.
City of Rocks Idaho. Again its a mixed bag of trad and sport. But I was fortunate to tag along with some locals one day on a business trip. They climbed 3 long sport routes that day. Again, you will have to do some research. But you should be able to find more than a couple days worth of things to do.
Anyrate, search through the databases here on RC and over at Mountain Project.
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marc801
Apr 16, 2012, 8:08 PM
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donald949 wrote: Clark Canyon outside Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierras area. Should be good all summer long, but the drive in is spicy if you don't have decent ground clearance. I have seen people do it though.
There are a number of other sport areas in the Mammoth Lakes vicinity and there's a current guidebook, which includes Clark Canyon.
donald949 wrote: Just north of there Toluome Meadows. There are sport routes. But you you will have to dig around to find them.
I'll say! For anyone heading to Tuolumne for the first time it's critical to remember: just because it has bolts does not mean it's a sport route!!! There are many bolted routes that have 40' - 80' fall potential - and those will be sliding, tumbling falls on cheese grater slabs.
donald949 wrote: Just south of Mammoth is Owens River Gorge. Probably the biggest Destination for Sport and high ball bouldering in CA. Although I've never been there. Which will be warm, but if you are good to 100, then you will find climbing in June there fine.
donald949 wrote: City of Rocks Idaho. Again its a mixed bag of trad and sport. But I was fortunate to tag along with some locals one day on a business trip. They climbed 3 long sport routes that day. Again, you will have to do some research. But you should be able to find more than a couple days worth of things to do.
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