Zion honeymoon beta!!!

Hi everyone,

I am going to Zion for the first time this April for my honeymoon!

I am looking for some route suggestions for my ability and skill level.
Unfortunately I do not climb aid and I know lots of zion involes aid.

Specifics:
- Free climbing
- moderates (5.7-5.10)
- 1-5 pitches

Any suggestion/beta would be great! We are going to be there for nearly a week so suggestions of other things to do besides climbing would be great as well.

Thanks,
Carson

edit:

Led by Sheep on Aries Butte is a really fun moderate bolted slab multi-pitch in an amazing setting. PerhapsFor something more challenging, Mrs. Buttersworth/Tooele Tower or Ashtar Command on the Itaxia Tower.

Consider looking at doing some technical canyoneering. Tom Jones has all the beta you need for an awesome honeymoon adventure. I suspect that most other free climbing in Zion will be far less fun or romantic (ie hard, sandy, and requiring some aid) For moderate free climbing you will have more options at Red Rocks and some stuff in St George (snow canyon - cloud walker, prophesy wall - sticky revelations)

canyoneeringusa

also, I linked a blog from a few years ago of recommended routes here

Iron Messiah...you can rap the route at any time.

Thank all of you for your help! I'm sure we will be able to fill out our time there with some awesome climbing.

One route that really stuck out to me is the Headache! Does anyone have any beta on the difficulty of the crux pitch, which looks to me like the first 10b pitch? My fiancé is just now learn to climb cracks so I'm trying to figure out what might be doable for her!

It is the easiest real crack route we have in Zion...every thing will be harder from there, Kung Fu Fighter, Smash Mouth, Gypsy's Curse, etc. It is also the cleanest, most tourist friendly, why it has been written up in Climbing and Rock and Ice as such a classic. If she can't second 5.10 crack, you really are better off heading for St. George or Red Rock if you both want to climb that bad. Zion has great hiking. Led by Sheep is really a glorified 5th class scramble.

If you are both willing to challenge yourself, a lot of good routes will open up to you in Zion just one level of difficulty beyond the Headache. The first pitch is the easiest. Most veteran climbers will label the last pitch the most difficult. The middle pitch is sustained, but with plenty of rests. Can back off of the route at any time. Need double ropes from the top of the 3rd pitch. There is literally no approach to at least try the first pitch. She will know then whether she can climb much in Zion or not. It is a short, rather straight forward, hand crack.

If either of you want to learn better crack skills, I will be glad to take you out in St. George.

I would suggest getting Bryan Bird's "Zion Climbing" guide book. it is by far the best resource for free climbing in Zion, and I wouldn't take any advice for Dow Williams he's just here to stroke his hugh ego. If you have any questions while your there go see the boys at Zion mountain School they'll give you any info you need.