Enchanted Rock General Questions and Rope Length

I'm planning on heading to Enchanted Rock tomorrow with my wife. I'm trying to decide if I need to bring two ropes or if one 70m will be enough. We'll mostly be climbing 7's and 8's.

Also we're planning on arriving at the park around 5:00PM on Friday will that be too late to get a campsite?

Thanks

I recall a single 70m will work for most routes, especially if you intend to hit classic crack areas. Some of the slab routes on the back of the Main Dome may require something more than a 70m, but if you just make sure to knot the end of the rope you can still get off of them fine.

These are the must-do cracks:

mountainproject.com/v/tripl…

What Stich said...

Your 70m will work just fine for most climbs. Be aware that there are some back-side dome climbs that will stretch your rope to make it back to ground and a second rope would be best for a few. "Easier Than It Looks" would be one that will take almost all your rope. This is a good warm up climb, by the way.

There is a great guide book at the ranger station up front, Enchanted Rock A Climbers Guide, by Sean O'Grady. It has all the details you need. Less than $20.

Getting to the park that late in the day may hinder you finding a good camp spot because of Spring Break season, but if you can get camp #35 - I believe this to be the best camp spot right at the foot of the Little Dome. From this camp, a short jog to the right and scrambling up the outer section of the Little Dome you will find the quick way to the Echo Canyon trail that leads to the back-side of the Big Dome.

There are quite a few good climbs around the Motor Boat area that will be in the grade range you are looking for. Also, most of the multi-pitch is within your grade too. If you can, Cave Crack is a classic. Watch out for the bats in the cracks!

Edit to add:
DO NOT anchor to any trees! The rangers will fine you. DO NOT keep your food stuff unattended or easy to get to, for the critters will get it. They will eat right through any plastic bin/container to get to the good stuff inside.

If the park is full, there are some other privately owned camping options near Fredericksburg. There's one KOA location off 290 before you get into town. We stayed at one of those sites once when the park was full.

A 70m will be fine for any of the cracks. If you climb on the backside a 70m will not get you down some climbs particularly in the Devil's Slide area (e.g. Mark of the Beast). However, if you top out these climbs, there is a 30m rap station above News Wall.

For camping, if you get shut down at the park, try the Frontier Outpost about 7 mi from the park on 965 towards Fredricksburg. $5 a night/person plus live music. Can't go wrong there.