Summer Long Climbing Trip

Long trip starting in Breckenridge Colorado on April 20th, our route consists of Moab, Zion, Owens River Gorge, Tuolumne, Tahoe, Yosemite, Smith Rocks, Castle Rocks, Sinks Canyon and Devils Tower.
We're looking for really any input, thoughts, ideas or past experiences on routes, including/excluding areas and why and anything in between.

Thoughts appreciated,
-Seth

Mill creek and ten sleep should be on the list. Definitely do some stuff in the sierras. Don't make too many plans and don't try to see too many places. The weather and how much fun you are having should dictate how long you stay at each area.

Ps, Moab area will be hot in may, but mill creek mt stillbe awesome.

Red Rocks is pretty incredible. Not sure if it would line up with your itinerary or not, it's got stuff for every season though.

I've found that longer trips to places are more rewarding, I almost feel like a local after 2-3 weeks. It's really nice to spent a long time and get to know the rhythms of an area, find neat swimming holes, and not stumble around with a guidebook out looking for an obvious crag.

That said, here's some camping info:

Zion has free camping at a place called Mosquito Cove, then there's also some free spots if you drive (leaving Zion) uphill and left.

Owens is a pit. I don't know why anyone would go there. It's literally a hole in the ground. Ugly. Hot. Camping infestedby rednecks. Seriously, this dude was driving up and down the campsite at 2am hollering slurs about Blacks and homosexuals. Stay in the Sierras.

You'll want to stay at Smith. It gets hot there, but the formation allows you to move and chase shade as desired. Solar heated hot showers at the state park camping wash away long days. Camping is set up so there's a centralized cooking area, everyone congregates here. You sleep a few hundred feet away - and it's quiet. You can walk to the crag from there. Great mix of trad & sport.

I got a lot more to say, but a lot of work to do.

DL

I'll second the longer stays are more rewarding part. I haven't been on a long road trip in years but I always liked to get to know a place once I am there. Some places are worth staying up to 3 weeks. I had a buddy who always wanted to do whirlwind trips hitting as many spots a possible but if always felt rushed to me.

Sounds like there's more then one reason climbers drove past Owens with out stopping for decades.

Devils Tower can also be hot in the summer but as you can chase the shade there is always something to climb. Once your there its only a 2 hour drive to the Needles and you could hit Spearfish on the way.

Have a great summer.

I would suggest stopping for a few days in Maple Canyon on your way to Zion. I would also suggest going to Ten Sleep instead of Sinks. I could be wrong but Sinks is more of a shoulder/cold season crag. Most of the good stuff faces south. Ten Sleep goes into shade in the early afternoon and is at a higher elevation.