Anywhere to climb in November that ISN'T the desert on the west coast?

Shelf Road is totally the kind of place I'm looking for, thank you! And for a Washingtonian, it's plenty off the beaten path. :)

very good thread, people. thanks for all the good tips here!

I spent 6 years in New Mexico and Nov-Feb climbing can be (is very often) amazing in the small areas around Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Albuquerque, etc. Forcasts ranging from low 30s-45F can be t-shirt weather on the south facing dark rock of areas around White Rock, etc and no crowds. Usually no other people! Cochiti is very nice. Low 40s to 50s can be perfect for El Rito (Maple-like and amazing). Similar goes for Enchanted Tower (welded tuff like Smith). All of these areas offer south lots of south facing wind-protected walls and most have a mix of sport/trad. A mini tour of NM would almost surely be very productive. South latitude means slightly longer days than a few other mentioned areas.
Joe

Just go to Joshua tree and walk for more than 10 minutes. Then bam, you reach desolation.

If you come to Chattanooga you could climb every day of the month of November. Trad, boulder, sport. Been here 2 years and just starting to put a dent in it. We even have places where you can climb in a full on downpour and stay dry.

Cochise Stronghold

Guy Keesee...You are funny. Lol. The irony.

aikibujin wrote:I second Shelf Road in CO. But it's not exactly "off the beaten path", Shelf is where most Front Range climbers spend their weekends in winter if not skiing/snowboarding. November is prime time. mountainproject.com/v/shelf…

I was looking for places that were within driving distance of Austin, TX (and not in Mexico) for a Thanksgiving trip and Shelf Road popped up on my radar. Will it be too cold come late November?

SRB25 wrote:Guy Keesee...You are funny. Lol. The irony.

I know..right? A climber from Moorepark, practically a suburb of LA, complaining about stuck up climbers from SF. To be fair, maybe he drives all the way to ORG in winter to get away from stuck up LA climbers too.

Hank Legan wrote: I was looking for places that were within driving distance of Austin, TX (and not in Mexico) for a Thanksgiving trip and Shelf Road popped up on my radar. Will it be too cold come late November?

No, Shelf is pretty climbable year round. Keep in mind that this is Colorado, which is one of those states known for fairly fluctual weather. You may run into a day of horrible cold or a sudden snow storm but on a whole I've gone down there in November 3 years in a row now with little issue. Snowed the last day we were there last year but otherwise was nice weather. Be ready for cold evenings in the desert.

csproul wrote: I know..right? A climber from Moorepark, practically a suburb of LA, complaining about stuck up climbers from SF. To be fair, maybe he drives all the way to ORG in winter to get away from stuck up LA climbers too.

Pretty Cool of you Guy:

Guy Keesee wrote:I learned how to drive in Germany.... The Germans teach people the rules of the road, and then they enforce the rules... So, no clogging up the left lane (even if your the only car on the road... move to the right) No passing to somebody's right.... big big no no No distracted driving, if your eating, texting, fooling around with your GF and a cop sees you do something erratic, they will bring that one down on your ass. These three simple rules make driving a joy.... and you can go as fast as you can... if it's safe. to Limpingcrab.... one time going up the hill to Sequoia a rented motor home was just barley moving.... I passed all the cars and the motor home in the trusty MGB-GT..... then I slowed down to a walk and stayed there till the MH started to overheat and the driver too. Much fun watching the driver flip me off and shout curses at me as steam started to roll out from under his hood.....

Guy, feel free not to come to Yosemite or Tahoe or any NorCal spots. We wouldn't want to annoy you with our "stuck up" attitude. Clearly we are the ones with the attitude problem. Correction: Character flaw.

Leo L. wrote: No, Shelf is pretty climbable year round. Keep in mind that this is Colorado, which is one of those states known for fairly fluctual weather. You may run into a day of horrible cold or a sudden snow storm but on a whole I've gone down there in November 3 years in a row now with little issue. Snowed the last day we were there last year but otherwise was nice weather. Be ready for cold evenings in the desert.

Cool. Cold evenings in the desert and fun climbing during the day is the exact point of the trip.

Hank Legan wrote: I was looking for places that were within driving distance of Austin, TX (and not in Mexico) for a Thanksgiving trip and Shelf Road popped up on my radar. Will it be too cold come late November?

Unless you're unlucky and encounter a snowstorm while you're here, it's generally very pleasant in November. Chase the sun and you'll be fine, but don't forget the sunscreen!