Golden Gate State Park climbing under review

Hey all-

I ran into Steve Mulhauser and an GGSP ranger at the Grendel on Monday. Steve is the head ranger in Eldo and was invited up to GGSP to do an assessment of the bolting and access to The Grendel and Dude's Throne (among other crags in the area as well).

Despite the area being developed very well, with erosion friendly approaches and fantastic bolting; it is a fact that bolting in State Parks is not permitted. So the only concern here is that there are routes in a state park that are not a part of a management plan.

Just a reminder: dogs are to be leashed at all times in state parks.

I love climbing at Golden Gate State Park, but primarily climb on Mt. Thorodin. Any new areas being officially opened up is good news!

Stich wrote:Any new areas being officially opened up is good news!

That's the thing.. every bolt in GGSP is there illegally and now we're at the park's mercy for incorporation into a management plan,.. or potentially an outright ban on climbing due to the developers operating under the radar.

So I guess the point here is to let the park officials know that we're in for the long haul and we're willing to self organize to keep the place open and to protect it.

I'd be in for starting or joining a "Friends/Climbers of GGSP" group. Same for Staunton.

I always assumed the bolt regs in State Parks were similar to wilderness areas and national parks.

I was actually planning on climbing there (Thoridin) for the first time this weekend.... I would definitely be interested in helping out with any clean-up/trail work efforts - especially if it helps us keep our access there. Anyone taking on the role of 'organizer' for this yet?

I live on the western border of GGCSP and have climbed there a lot. I've never clipped a bolt there since I've only climbed on Thorodin and Ralston Roost. However, I have found bolts in areas not in the climbing guides...I won't say where right now.

Anyway, I'd be interested in helping as much as I can with anything. I'll help with a cleanup effort too...since I got a damn C3 stuck on Thorodin two years ago and left it behind, oops!

Amazingly I have climbed at Dude's Throne since 2003 and established many of the routes in broad daylight in plain view from the busy Dude's Fishing Hole. At the time in 2003 and 2004 the maps I saw claimed the area had unrestricted climbing access. Since then I have not placed any bolts.

As for the Grendel, I was under the impression that the crag is actually on National Forest land, even though it is approached through Golden Gate. There is an excellent trail leading to the base.
Please see my guidebook "Golden Rock Climbs"

At Dude's Throne, the best approach is listed in the guide and takes less than 15 minutes. I have added some cairns

A bit of history....

Before I ever drilled a bolt, or even climbed in Golden Gate, I went to the Ranger Station and inquired at the desk about their policies regarding rock climbing, being off established trails, putting up new routes, I even asked about putting in bolts for protection. I was given a very clear response, go where you want, climb what you want, stay safe. After putting in the first several routes at Dudes, I went back to the ranger station again to ask about their bolting policy. I was told they had no policies for their park regarding climbing, and that we should be safe out there.

As far as I know, Dudes, and the Grendel were both developed largely before Golden Gate State Park addressed the issue of rock climbing in their management plans.

Climbed at Thorodin yesterday for the first time (fantastic day - did not see another soul on a Saturday). We had to buy a day pass for the park and the rangers asked where we were heading. When we told them we were climbing they just seemed super concerned for our safety.... wanted to know if we had CORSAR cards, cell phones, SPOT device and took down our car description and emergency contact information. They were really nice, but seemed a bit overly concerned/anxious - have they had issues up there with climbers getting into trouble?

On a side note, I did make the mistake of parking on the shoulder of the Gap Road - which earned me a nicely written warning note (did not see any signage and didn't realize it was illegal). So don't do that!

It's a beautiful area and I cannot wait to do more exploring there - best day climbing I've had in awhile!

there's no requirement to carry locator devices; it's just a idea to have something if you actually needed help. no issues more than anyone else using the mountains. if you got the card or other conservation license, fantastic; it helps.

ErikaNW wrote:We had to buy a day pass for the park and the rangers asked where we were heading. When we told them we were climbing they just seemed super concerned for our safety.... wanted to know if we had CORSAR cards, cell phones, SPOT device and took down our car description and emergency contact information. They were really nice, but seemed a bit overly concerned/anxious - have they had issues up there with climbers getting into trouble?

Not that we (Eldo) know of, but as this thread has discussed, climbing has just recently come onto the radar for Golden Gate, and we have been in discussion with the staff over there throughout the spring and summer about climbing and climbing management. Like anything new, there is a learning curve, and we would guess that few enough people climb there for the rangers to be able and willing to ask a few friendly questions, perhaps for their education as much as your safety.

Several posters have discussed putting together an advocacy group for climbers in the park. This is an extremely good idea, and there are enough local climbing advocacy organizations to put something very effective together in a short amount of time. You'll just need some people to step up and lead.

Make yourselves known as an active, open, and positive presence that will work with the staff for the betterment of the park and the people who enjoy it.

- The Eldo Rangers

Yes, Erika. Just park at Panorama Point and walk from there next time.

Just to clarify - they didn't make it sound like we were required to have a locator device, I think they just wanted to know what our level of preparedness was if we did have an issue - and we were mildly surprised to have them ask about that. They were super nice, just seemed really concerned. We do have conservation licenses, whatever AAC provides, and have been talking about getting CORSAR as I believe some of that money goes directly to SAR organizations?

I felt so bad about the parking, since we were trying really hard to be good representatives for the climbing community and it was a bonehead mistake. And of course they knew exactly who it was since they had taken down our vehicle information - felt stupid. Hadn't been there before and really wasn't certain about where to start hiking from, of course Panorama Point is the obvious choice and we know now for next time. It's a really clean area, but we did pick up a bit of trash that we found on the approach.

I would be happy to help out with any kind of advocacy group in whatever way I can. Although, given my limited knowledge of the area I would probably not be the best choice for starting one, I am good at getting stuff done and following through if someone else wants to take the lead and needs help with it. Just PM me.