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West Coast Climbing Recommendations?

Original Post
Jason Albino · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 180

I'm planning a great climbing road trip with my girlfriend this June-July and would love to hear your expert recommendations on camping, guide books, and specific favorite climbs at the following locations (these are at least tentatively where we are headed):
- City of Rocks, Idaho
- Grand Tetons, Wyoming
- Gallatin Canyon, Montana
- Leavenworth, Washington
- Smith Rock, Oregon

If it helps, I'm a ~5.8 trad leader at places like Joshua Tree and Yosemite, and have done multi-pitch climbs as long as about 8 pitches. Just getting into sport climbing as well, having lead 6a-6b+ routes in Thailand recently. We'll probably have 3-5 full climbing days at each of the above locations and are open to stopping anywhere else on that driving loop if it's a can't miss location.

Thanks for your thoughts and hopefully this helps others too!

Andy Laakmann · · Bend, OR · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,990

June will be early for the Tetons. You'll be dealing with lots of snow still.

July, go to Squamish. Don't go there in June though.... typically wet. Skip Leavenworth for it (IMO), Squamish is 10x. In a perfect world, I'd plan 2 weeks in Squamish to allow for some rain. Heck, you could spend the entire month there and not be disappointed! Plenty of sport routes of all grades up in Chek canyon 20 minutes north of Squamish as well.

City of Rocks is awesome. Can be hot in June (definitely hot in July), but there is plenty of shade since the formations face E/W so you'll still have a great time.

I've never considered Gallatin Canyon a destination (and the Montucky folks probably plan to keep it that way!)

Smith will be hot as well. You can seek shade, but given your leading abilities you might be restricted at Smith when coupled with only shade climbs.

Ethan Henderson · · Washington · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 602

Index.

Camping is free and right across from the lower town wall.
And free topo's are availabe online (just search)

Aaron Olson · · Seattle, WA · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 5
Ethan Henderson wrote:Index. Camping is free and right across from the lower town wall. And free topo's are availabe online (just search)
If you are a 5.8 trad leader index might be a little intimidating. Leavenworth is pretty sweet, so you'll have fun there. Exit 32 and 38 has some fun sport climbing, and vantage has some good sport and trad. The real gem though lies 3.5 hours north of Seattle in squamish, Canada. You would have a great time there judging by what you're looking for.
Josh Kornish · · Whitefish, MT · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 800

When you swing through Montana consider Blodgett Canyon and Lost Horse Canyon over Gallatin. Free camping with some stellar climbing. I can give you more beta if needed.

Also if free camping is what you're aiming for I have a sweet spot just outside the Tetons. Although if you're an AAC member the climber's ranch is the way to go.

Jason Albino · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 180

Thanks all for your notes thus far! Really appreciate it. In terms of camping, I don't really mind paying for it, so would love to hear your favorite sites/spots free or otherwise!

Andy: I am hearing more and more reasons to skip the Tetons, so I'm leaning towards that now. Hoping for more time climbing and less time routefinding/scrambling. Any guidebook recommendations for Squamish? I'm always on the lookout for books with more information about fewer routes, as opposed to the usual limited information on hundreds of routes a la those Falcon guides.

That's the fifth vote I've heard for City of Rocks, so really looking forward to it!

Ethan: Is Index the name of an area, or a route? If the latter, where is it located?

Aaron: Thanks for the vote on Leavenworth, I've marked down your recc's.

Josh: Thanks for the additional Montana recc's. Just got a SW Montana guidebook so hopefully those are covered?

bearbreeder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 3,065

theres a new squamish book coming out this year ... get that one

free camping at cheakamus as well ...

Andy Laakmann · · Bend, OR · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,990

Personally, I don't think Index is worth the trip for a 5.8 leader. If you happen to be driving over the pass from Leavenworth than sure, hit it up for a day. But that'd be it.

There are what, like 2 routes at that grade at Index? :)

Bapgar 1 · · Out of the Loop · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 90

+5 for Andy's suggestion.
Having climbed all over the NW. If I could I would push the trip into July and then just post up in Squamish and do as much of everything there for the month.
Like he said, you won't be disappointed.

Austin Baird · · SLC, Utah · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 95

You don't want to miss the City. Climbing is great and it's some of the prettiest country around. Plenty of good stuff for the moderate leader (both sport and trad) too.

sqwirll · · Las Vegas · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 1,360

If it were me, I'd hit

City of Rocks
Humbug Spire
Leavenworth
Washington Pass
Squamish

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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