Humbug Spires Route Advice and/or Partners 7/2-7/6

My girlfriend and I will be heading to the Humbug Spires in the middle of a two-month road trip on 7/2-7/5- our first trip to the area. We were intending on heading to Vantage, WA, but decided on Humbug based on weather recc's:
Frenchman Coulee Post

If you're interested in climbing with us, please let me know!

If not, I would love to hear your advice on your favorite can't-miss routes/areas. Seems like routes are a bit spread out so we reserved a campsite at the Divide Bridge Campground in the hope that this would be a good launching ground.

For reference:
- I lead ~5.9/10a trad and follow 10c/d
- I lead 5.10d/11a sport and follow 11b/c
- My girlfriend is just learning to lead over the last year but she's a great climber and fast learner (5.8+ trad/5.10a+ sport)

Cheers and thanks for reading,
-Jason from San Francisco

(forgive me if you see a similar post in other regional sections or a refresh of this post in a few weeks - I am trying to ping locals in each area along our trip!)

The Mutt and Jeff is the obvious climb to do and there are many variations around it.

I think the Wedge is well documented in the Butte climber's guide, but you'll need to explore some. It would be difficult to explain via the internet where other good climbs are.

As far as the Wedge goes, I thought Dogleg Crack was good. The SW Face and SE Chimney routes would also be good routes for you.

There is a great campsite just beneath the Wedge.

Thanks Tom! I ordered the guide and am waiting for it to arrive.

How many days would you plan to climb if you wanted to hit a good chunk of the classics? Perhaps the book will help me figure it out but would love to hear your opinion?

I think you could climb many of the worthwhile routes on the Wedge in 2-3 days. I wouldn't spend too much time hiking around trying to find the other formations if you only have a couple days. There is great climbing throughout the area, but it is difficult to navigate if you are unfamiliar... I mean, all the domes kind of look the same.

Here is a BLM map with some of the other domes on it.
blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib…

Thanks Tom, the navigation was my concern!

We had initially earmarked 3-4 days for this stop. Would there be a best second option if we cragged out the Wedge after the first couple weeks? Otherwise, perhaps we'll leave early for our next destination.

Are you a local? Feel free to come out for some climbing if so!

If your heading to MT form the west, you might consider making a stop at Blodget canyon (south of Missoula by Hamilton) on your way. Classic mulitpitch trad with most routes > 6 pitches. Also free camping at the head of the canyon and great bouldering/single pitch trad just down the road in lost horse canyon.

Thanks Dan! We've heard a good few recc's on Blodgett - I'm torn because we when we leave Leavenworth on 7/2, we have a total of 5 days before heading to City of Rocks. Not sure whether or not it would make sense to hit both Blodgett and Humbug...

How are the approaches in Blodgett? My one rub on Humbug so far is that if you're car camping like we'll be, it seems like all the approaches are multiple miles.

Blodgett and Lost Horse are both stellar. The approaches in Blodgett are a little bit long.

Timebinder .11b is about 3/4 of a mile

Nez Perze, Shoshone, and Flathead are all about three miles and offer some of the best routes in Montana

Blodget approaches can be a bit of a pain, but aren't really that far. to get to the base of shoshone spire (next to last formation) takes ~1-2 hours (about 2.5 miles)depending on your fitness and is reasonable to do car to car in 10 hours without pushing it too hard. The talus hop after you cross the creek up to the formations can be a little brutal.
The Humbugs will definitely be less crowded and a bit cooler,also more of a wilderness experience.
The Bitterroots (Lost Horse, Blodgett, Mill Creek etc.) have a lot of rock but some would consider it's quality to be more "scruffy" than classic areas like Leavenworth or the City.

Blodgett is easy. the trail is basically paved (very well traveled) but the routes will be in the sun and there might be a good tick population. I would highly recommend Blodgett if you can get up early and get after it. everything in Montana is going to be a hike, thats just how it is. Humbugs will be a further and more involved hike than anything in Blodgett, but still also worth it. Gallatin Canyon in Bozeman is also a great spot with tons of classics and good variation of aspect and grades. The dragons back is another great option with a easy approach and some great lines. where ever you go, be ready for adventure, the city will seem tame comparatively. have fun! All are some of my favorite places to climb and visit

Thanks everyone! I'm more intrigued by Blodgett after the new comments.

We climbed a lot of stuff last summer in Gallatin actually. How would folks compare the approaches to the best climbs in in Blodgett to those in Gallatin?

We found the approaches in Gallatin to be steep and loose but otherwise not too bad.

the approaches will be similar to the hike in on the Gally, but more talus than loose in Blodgett when it gets steep. probably about the same time to Spare Rib as Shoshone. Either way not bad, don't worry and just go do it.

You will definitely be putting in some miles if you are car camping at the Humbug Spires. There is other good climbing around Butte, but it's not really a destination...

Blodgett is a great alternative, with excellent climbing. Many of the routes have bolted belays and you can rap with a single rope if you aren't feeling it. You also have some shorter options in Kootenai and Lost Horse, which are very close to Blodgett.