Mt. Charleston Guide Book?

Hi Everyone,
Perhaps, I have missed something but I can't seem to find a guide book for Mt. Charleston other than Islands in the Sky, which must be out of print since I can't find it online anywhere other than used copies for $90+. Gonna take our first trip up there in a few weeks, does anyone have some good recommendations?
Thanks!
Andrew

You can get Islands in the Sky from the Vegas REI or from desert rock sports. You can also order it from Desert Rock Sports: desertrocksportslv.com/orde…

I've got an old copy in great condition.

Can let it go for $75, but you have to cover shipping.

Andrew,

Two guide books: Islands in the Sky and Las Vegas Limestone by Roxanna Brock.

Climbing at your grade you'll be interested in probably the Hood, Robbers Roost, Imagination Wall. There are several multi pitch routes at the Imagination Wall. Ask about those routes at Desert Rock Sports.

Hood and Robbers are single pitch sport routes. Yellow Pine and The Mary Jane Crag near the end of Canyon Road parking lot for the Mary Jane Falls trail might be a good introduction to the area or just hike up to the Hood...It is not that far

Robbers gets shade almost all day, Hood gets sun in the mornings as it faces SE. Imagination Wall gets sun on the west side in the mornings.

Free camping is now limited since the Forest Service closed the area where free camping was previously allowed off Canyon Road near the Imagination Wall. Water and flush toilets at the Visitor Center on Kyle Canyon Road.

No supplies or fuel is available on the mountain.

The Forest Service really has clamped down on free camping. I went to camp at the spot you are talking about Thomas, seeing it closed I drove around towards Lee Canyon and figured I could find something over there. The Forest Service has installed gates on many of the dirt roads over there that had good primative camping.

Wow thanks for all the replies!

don't pay 75 bucks for a guide book. plenty of copies in town at the original, reasonable price. i can't comprehend a climber trying to make a buck off a climber, things have changed. you can locate a couple copies through the clark county library system to use for free (locate online).

if in doubt, stop in and ask for some beta at desert rock sports, they're good guys and won't double prices or screw you over because you're visiting.

MP has good enough info on how to locate the popular spots/climbs.

enjoy your trip, i can "let that information go" for free brother, but YOU pay for shipping! LOL...

jon

Jon O'Brien wrote:enjoy your trip, i can "let that information go" for free brother, but YOU pay for shipping! LOL... jon

haha thanks! I ordered a copy of islands in the sky off of desert rock sports. Can't wait to get up there!

thanks for all the info!

Resurrecting an old thread.  Anybody looking to offload a copy?  Will pay for the book and shipping if it's in ok condition.

Charlie S wrote: Resurrecting an old thread.  Anybody looking to offload a copy?  Will pay for the book and shipping if it's in ok condition.

The book really isn't that helpful anymore.  There's been so much development at Charleston since that book was printed that it only contains a fraction of the routes available there now.  Plus some of the other areas listed there now have access issues.  MP is a great resource for most areas at Charleston.  Been going there all summer and haven't had any issues finding areas or routes.

There are no more copies of Islands in the Sky at Desert Rock Sports as of 7/30/19. If it shows up available to order on the site, its an error, don't do it.

bkozak wrote:

The book really isn't that helpful anymore.  There's been so much development at Charleston since that book was printed that it only contains a fraction of the routes available there now.  Plus some of the other areas listed there now have access issues.  MP is a great resource for most areas at Charleston.  Been going there all summer and haven't had any issues finding areas or routes.

^^ This

We have a copy and it's mostly an interesting historical document.  Or coaster.  Of very little use as a climbing guide at this point.

Mountain Project is the only source I know of until a new guide is published, if one ever is.

I disagree about Islands in the Sky being not useful. It's actually a well written guidebook. There are a bunch of new crags on Mt. Charleston that aren't in the book but the areas (at Charleston and elsewhere) in the book are well documented.

Regardless, as others have said, most crags at Charleston are well documented on Mountain Project and you shouldn't have too much of an issue just using that.

KyleSmith wrote: I disagree about Islands in the Sky being not useful. It's actually a well written guidebook. There are a bunch of new crags on Mt. Charleston that aren't in the book but the areas (at Charleston and elsewhere) in the book are well documented.

Let's be clear about this...

The guide is of little use because there are several areas in the guide that literally don't exist anymore (due to access issues or the expansion of the metro), areas in the guide have one or dozens more routes since the guide's publishing, and MANY new areas that are non existent in the guide.  

Is it well done?  Yes, the guide is/was a good guide at time of publishing.  Like, 20 years ago.  The Vegas climbing scene has changed a bit since.

Few climbing guides stay relevant indefinitely.  They're good historical documents though, which is why I wouldn't just throw certain ones out.  Like Islands in the Sky.

KyleSmith wrote: I disagree about Islands in the Sky being not useful. It's actually a well written guidebook. There are a bunch of new crags on Mt. Charleston that aren't in the book but the areas (at Charleston and elsewhere) in the book are well documented.

Regardless, as others have said, most crags at Charleston are well documented on Mountain Project and you shouldn't have too much of an issue just using that.

I'm sure it's still very useful for places like the Hood and Robber's Roost, but for us normies at the lower end of the grade scale who can't climb the hard stuff there, it's of little use for Charleston specifically   

Also I'm sure that with how popular those areas are, you can always just ask some other people there about where the routes are if you have a hard time discerning them from one another.  There's always a climber at the crag who's a walking guidebook and knows the grades of every single route.

New limestone book in 2 or 3 years i think?? First heard rumors about 2 years ago, ran into some guy drawing topos and taking notes at Nueva Esperanza a few months back and said it was for the guidebook.

5.Seven Kevin wrote: New limestone book in 2 or 3 years i think?? First heard rumors about 2 years ago, ran into some guy drawing topos and taking notes at Nueva Esperanza a few months back and said it was for the guidebook.

I ran into a group of 3 taking pictures at Nueva a couple weeks ago.  They're actively working on the guide book.  I did not ask "how long", because honestly that estimate from guide publishers is rarely close.  But it was good to see them hard at work on it.