Beta for Seneca

Planning a trip from Madison WI to WV at the end of Oct (assuming this gov't thing will be sorted by then...) Hoping for some recommendations for a sweet trip. Topics of interest include:

• Rack
• Campsites
• Beer/Food
• Routes (I lead 5.7/5.8 @ Devils Lake)

Rack: Doubles up to 2, bring a 3 and a 4, a 5 can also come in handy on a few routes.

Campsites: There's Seneca Shadows, which is a federal campsite and will probably be closed. Princess Snowbird is the other option, and IMO the better of the two spots anyway.

Beer/Food: There are something like 4 buildings in the entire town of Seneca. Fortunately there is food and beer in one of those buildings. Buy a sixer downstairs at the general store and take it up to the Front Porch, where they serve good pizza and other basic restaurant fare. Otherwise there's not a whole lot of options, Seneca really is in the middle of nowhere.

Routes: Never climbed at Devil's Lake, but 5.7 is a grade with a lot of super classic options at Seneca. Be aware however that some 7's there are easier than others. For the easy half of the scale check out Ecstasy or Green Wall. If you wanna do the hardest .7 ever go for West Pole. There's tons in between. One of the many great things about Seneca is the plethora of amazing moderates.

Seth is spot on. Also, regarding the govt shutdown, as far as I know, Seneca won't be shutting down since there's not gated and it's not manned. Princess Snowbird is private and doesn't have anything to do with the USFS, so should be fine as well.

You can monitor the local climbing shop, The Gendarme, on Facebook, for any updates about whether the rocks are open or closed, but my understanding is that they'll be open regardless of whether Congress can get its shit together by then.

Seneca is awesome! You'll enjoy it. I've never climbed at DL but I hear it's slippery. Seneca is nicely frictiony in my opinion. Both areas have a reputation as sandbagged so it would be interesting to hear your perspective after you climb there.

Other 5.7 routes that are really good include Soler. Another vote for West Pole. For 5.8 get on Triple S, it's spectacular. To push yourself a bit more try Bring on the Nubiles, Marshall's Madness, High Test, Castor and Pollux.

enjoy!

I have climbed at both Devil's Lake and Seneca. I think you will find the rock/grades to be very solid and comparable. Lots of great classics in the 5.7-5.9 grades that will work ya but keep ya smiling. Especially routes like Triple S.

Hey Mike,

I sent you a PM with some info.

Cheers!

Seneca is open for climbing. The discovery center is closed and gated off, but Seneca Shadows is still open. It is a national recreation area, so technically I believe it is supposed to be closed (I heard rumors that the ranger mentioned that he was asked to get the climbers off it), but that won't happen.

There is a sign about the shutdown on the bathroom in the parking lot. The lock on the door is broken, so it will be open either way. I imagine it will probably get pretty gnarly in there. (Bring your own TP!)

Swing by the Gendarme and say Hi! Oct. 19th is our chili cookoff / fall party.

be prepared that in Seneca you will not have cell phone coverage, at all, regardless of carrier.
So the "yeah I got there" text to the wife isn't going to happen.

I've climbed at both areas sparingly and would say the rock at Seneca will provide quite a bit more friction than DL quartzite, that s&*$ is slick!

Also, as stated above, both areas have a reputation of "sandbag" ratings, although in my limited experience pretty in-line with most areas with such a reputation, nothing to be overly intimidated by. Have a great trip!

Also, gov't shutdown aside, it would be a shame to be so close to the New and not check it out if you have the time & transportation...