Year-long Road Trip Itinerary

In May of 2016 my partner and I are embarking on an incredible year-long road trip. I'd love some feedback from those who have experience climbing these different spots. The trip is mostly climbing but will also be my first real large sight-seeing tour across the US and thus have a few sections where I'm spending additional time in non-climbing locales. We will be living out of a van and climb 5.12 sport, 5.10+ trad depending on type and safety. Not interested in bouldering, my ankles are weak and I'm not willing to risk tweaking them (yet again) on the trip.

Would especially love to hear about the timing I've planned for the desert areas in the spring and thoughts on my winter plans. Also, would be great to hear a line or two about personal experiences camping for extended periods in the Gunks, Ten Sleep, the Tennessee Wall, and in the different areas in AZ.

The first part of the itinerary (Bishop, Mammoth) I am pretty comfortable with and pretty set on-just got back from a 3 week trip up there and have a lot of objectives to complete. Included less for comments and more for continuity.

The overinflated driving times are tied to personal stops/visits along the way.

Cheers, thanks a lot!

May 1st -May 15th: Bishop (15 days)
-Owens River Gorge
-High Sierra Routes-depending on snow levels, likely snow/ice/skin approaches

May 15th-July 1st: Mammoth Lakes/High Sierra/Tuolumne (47 days)
-base in Mammoth Lakes
-lots of mileage
-Tuolumne if Tioga opens
-Russell, Palisades (Temple Crag), Whitney, Hulk, Lone Pine Peak, others

July 1st-July 20th : Travel North Through Oregon: Portland, Seattle (20 days)
-coastal route then cut NE through Portland, Seattle
-climb in Tahoe (few days) after leaving Mammoth
-Olympic NP visit
-spend time in Vancouver

July 20th-Aug 12th: Squamish (23 days)
-need AT LEAST 3 week window for weather
Is this long enough or should I extend it?

August 15th-August 25th: Cirque of the Towers (10 days)

August 25th-September 15th: 10 Sleep Canyon (21 days)
Is this an appropriate amount of time at 10 Sleep? Too much? Too little? Don't know a whole ton.

September 15th-22th: drive to Gunks (8 days)
Stop in Iowa to visit family.

September 22nd-October 15th: Gunks (22 days)
Did I allow enough time at the Gunks?

October 15th-17th: Drive to New River Gorge (2 days)

October 17th-December 1st: New River Gorge, Red River Gorge (45 days)

December 1st-January 1st: Tennessee Wall (30 days)**
I'm concerned if this will be too cold/too long to spend at the T wall. Is the camping good enough to warrant a month? Or should we just book it to AZ and hang in the SW alternating between AZ areas and JT trying to stay warm?

January 1st-January 7th: Drive to AZ (7 days)
Stop and see friends in Dallas, El Paso.

January 7th-February 15th: AZ, NV--> Mount Lemmon, Cochise Stronghold, Red Rocks (39 days)

February 15th-March 1st: Joshua Tree (14 days)
This can overlap with some of the 39 days allocated for AZ depending on weather. I'll likely move around to wherever is warmest, knowing full well that it's likely there will be some very cold days where I'll spend most of my time simply staying warm (in the period Jan 7-March 1st)

March 1st-April 1st: Indian Creek, Moab UT (31 days)
Will the Creek be warm enough by March 1st generally? I know that you can climb year-round with some warm days on south-facing exposures, but generally is March 1st a good starting date to head to the Creek?

April 1st-May 1st: Desert towers, Zion, Canyonlands (31 days)
Good time to be climbing towers? Not too hot? What about doing a wall in Zion-will it be too hot?

Even just one or two short comments would be highly appreciated-I know this is a long post thanks for taking the time to look through it.

Seems like you are way overestimating your drive time. 8 days to get from ten sleep to the Gunks?

Em Cos wrote:Seems like you are way overestimating your drive time. 8 days to get from ten sleep to the Gunks?

Realized I didn't offer a clear explanation for the two long ones. Edited post, thanks Em Cos.

No Smith Rock?

East Coast Climbing would be seriously incomplete without a stop in the Adirondacks and New Hampshire! Revise at once! :) Also a day in City of Rocks Idaho could break up the drive from BC to WY.

No Smith? No Lander? No Vedauwoo? No Colorado?
Your route makes sense in regards to it being a neat loop and you probably have your locations based on personal interest, but I think, with some of the areas you mentioned, you are missing high quality, near by climbing.

A few thoughts:

-Overall, it looks like a damn good itinerary. You go to each area at about the right time (although mid-winter is hard), have a sensible and efficient driving plan, visit an appropirate number of places, and spend an appropriate amount of time at each place. Trying to rush to "see it all" can ruin a trip, and having to leave out good destinations is inevitable (see the comments above). That is OK.

-Again, ignore comments about "But you MUST stop at XYZ". Usually the people saying that have limited road trip experience and are just touting their local/favorite area. Any well-planned road trip will have you driving past several dozen worthy crags on the way to the places you really want to go.

-Don't be married to your schedule. Flexibility is king. If the weather sucks or you get bored, bail and go somewhere else.

-More that 3 weeks, if possible, in Squamish. Maybe do the drive north a bit quicker to increase Squamish time. The variety in the climbing there is outstanding, so it will keep you busy for a while. Plus the hangout is great. Squamish weather is reliably good in July/August, especially the last few years. If anything, it might be hot.

-3 weeks may or may not be too much in Tensleep. Depends on how much you like it. When I've gone, I've gotten tired of vertical crimping after two weeks. You may stay psyched for the full three weeks though. I'd say budget 3 weeks. If you like it, stay the whle time. If you get tired of it, bail a week early and stop at Devils Tower and/or the Needles on the way eastward.

-3 weeks may be too much time at the Gunks. The climbing there is great, but isn't the most varied--pretty much all the climbs fit the same theme. 2 weeks should be enough to get you fill (but I may be wrong here). I think that extra may be better spent having more time for the New/Red. You can always budget 3 weeks for the gunks and bail to the New early if you feel like it.

-Winter is hard. Even places like Cochise, Red Rocks, and J-Tree can be brutally cold and windy in Dec-Feb. I would reccomend going to El Potrero Chico for the deepest/darkest part of the winter. It will be much warmer, more reliably nice weather, and the climbing is fun. Super cheap. Despite the news reports, it is safe to go there as a climber. If you don't feel comfortable driving your van there (border road is sketchy), ditch the van with family and fly to Monterray.

simplyput wrote:No Smith? No Lander? No Vedauwoo? No Colorado? Your route makes sense in regards to it being a neat loop and you probably have your locations based on personal interest, but I think, with some of the areas you mentioned, you are missing high quality, near by climbing.

This is helpful-thanks for the feedback.

Smith I'd LOVE to go to but wonder how I'd hit it sometime in fall/spring without a ton of driving away from the spots I've laid out? I'm not averse to driving but if you think of the loop I'd pass Smith in mid-July which would be unenjoyable from what I understand.

Would you climb Vedauwoo or in Lander over 10 Sleep/the Cirque? I only have so much summer to work with-I'd likely have to replace locations. The more I push on the west (Squamish, WY, ID) I end up either crossing out the Gunks or limiting my time at the Red and the New-and 45 days for the two is really a minimum in my mind. So my question stands-would you replace something in favor of those? Would you do things in Colorado in the summer instead of something else I have listed?

You can shade chase great routes at Smith at anytime, though July will definitely be a bit warm. Expect 80's in the shade. It's only a couple hours out of your way when going up I-5 and would be worth a trip if just to try a few classics.

You could hit Smith by driving straight from Tahoe area, skipping the coastal N. California/S. Oregon route and driving NW over the Cascades into Portland area. I have climbed at Smith in July and as long as you find shade it is possible.
Lander and Vedauwoo could be shorter stop overs heading south before heading east. I can't reccomend cutting out/shortening time at any locations because I don't know your personal objectives/climbing preferences.
What I can reccomend is lengthening your trip! Who wants to go back to work anyway?!
Ultimately I agree with JCM. It is important not to rush and push too many spots together. You can't hit them all and your personal goals are what's important.

JCM wrote:A few thoughts...

JCM-really appreciate the feedback.

Had been considering leaving the Sierra and heading north earlier-this confirms that thought.

Tensleep I think you're probably right-I'l likely get tired of vertical crimps after 2 weeks but will keep the budget at 3 weeks.

For the 3 weeks at the Gunks had the same thought-could also bail early and visit some areas in western NC en route to the New/Red.

Winter IS hard. I did quite a bit of reading and poking around creating this initial layout and noticed how many people highly recommended Potrero for the winter. We're really on the same page-I have been considering the option of ditching the van and flying to Monterrey. Other alternative will be to bring surf gear and stay near the coast in Ventura/Oxnard CA area or down in SD and surf for a few weeks to avoid brutal temps. Is there anywhere else in the US to seek refuge in the darkest months of the winter that I missed out west? Somewhere in NM?

Excited my thinking lined up with yours-thanks again for the reply.

You missed Eldorado Canyon and Index WA, the two best places to climb on earth. If you want more cracks in Oregon go to Trout. How did you save up enough to take a whole year off????

kipp.fo wrote:...May 1st -May 15th: Bishop (15 days) -Owens River Gorge -High Sierra Routes-depending on snow levels, likely snow/ice/skin approaches May 15th-July 1st: Mammoth Lakes/High Sierra/Tuolumne (47 days) -base in Mammoth Lakes -lots of mileage -Tuolumne if Tioga opens -Russell, Palisades (Temple Crag), Whitney, Hulk, Lone Pine Peak,

This is Jumbled up "Russell, Palisades, Whitney, LP Peak" fit more with your Bishop leg than your Mammoth/Tuolemne. Also there are arguably better places to climb than ORG. Though being able to climb 5.12 will make the ORG very fun I would add in Pine Creek Canyon at a minimum weather allowing.

Also be mindful that after Memorial day or there abouts The Whitney Zone (Russell) is permits only even for day trips. So start setting that up now.

I spent two weeks in Ten Sleep, and wished that I could stay longer. Lots of great routes, especially if you're sport climbing 5.12. YMMV, but I don't think that 3 weeks is too much time there. The camping is free, and close to town. There's a coffee shop that closes just as the brewery in town is opening, so there's always a place to be indoors if it's raining. The brewery has outdoor showers for super cheap ($2? $3?)

I also think that the 22 days at the Gunks could be better spent. New England gets such a small window of good conditions, and you're going to be here at the perfect time of year. I'd say to spend a few days in the North Conway area at Cathedral and Whitehorse if you're looking to do some trad climbing during that time.

This is totally a personal preference (since I prefer sport climbing), but if I were to spend 22 days in New England, I would rather spend most of that time at Rumney. Again, if you're sport climbing 5.12, Rumney has some amazing routes that you can get on mid-week without having to deal with the fall weekend crowds, including some routes that will stay dry no matter how much rain you get. (This is a little bit of me "touting my local/favorite area" as JCM warned you about, but I really think that Rumney is a spectacular early fall climbing area)

Looks like an awesome trip, I'm jealous!

Have you ever been to the valley? As in Yosemite valley? May is good, not too crowded, if you stay off of the supertopo routes.
And +1 for pine creek, some of the best (easy approach) sierra routes around.
West face of cardinal pinnacle.
oh, just have fun

gription wrote:Also be mindful that after Memorial day or there abouts The Whitney Zone (Russell) is permits only even for day trips. So start setting that up now.

Thanks for the reply gription. Just did Mithril about a month ago, know the permit deal and will climb midweek and deal with permits, but not a bad idea to maybe grab one online in late May/early June just to have.

I also realize re: the jumbled nature of Bishop/Mammoth. My family owns a small 75 year old rustic cabin in Mammoth Lakes that provides a cheap basecamp for exploring the east side. Thus, all of that is scrambled and I just wrote those in there as there are many objectives I want to complete and I just threw out what first came to mind. I included a "Bishop" leg as it is possible the snow levels will be too high to open the water system/make the cabin livable in May. In reality, these are a joint leg-I should probably edit that and make it more clear.

My girlfriend will just be coming off of a Central America agricultural system research trip and won't have climbed in nearly 6 months, and I thought ORG would be a fun option to start with. Will definitely go up Pine Creek and everything else nearby (Rock Creek, Clark, etc.) to start preparing her. Thanks for the tip on Pine Creek-heard a lot about it but never been-will most certainly check it out. Will most likely be skinning in/using crampons to access larger objectives if possible during May.

Muscrat wrote:Have you ever been to the valley? As in Yosemite valley? May is good, not too crowded, if you stay off of the supertopo routes. And +1 for pine creek, some of the best (easy approach) sierra routes around. West face of cardinal pinnacle. oh, just have fun

Thanks for the response Muscrat. I have been to the valley, though not nearly enough! Gave the Nose a push (bailed from Dolt) and did some of the classic moderates. Would love to get back. My girlfriend will have not climbed for quite some time, and thus was thinking about starting somewhere a bit more forgiving. Additionally, as we are coming from LA and with a potentially large El Nino I'm not betting on Tioga being open before June 1st and I definitely want to be on the east side by then. Very possible Tioga will open late June if it's a big snow year!

If snow permits, would definitely consider starting in the Valley and heading over the pass early June or late May when it opens. Thanks for the Pine Creek rec-100% checking it out.

I loved West Face of Cardinal! Next visit I want to do Crack Kingdom and run another lap on V8-so good!

Cheers

I agree with Rob. If you are looking for 5.12 sport, then take at least one of the three weeks you are at the Gunks and go to Rumney.

kipp.fo wrote: Would you climb Vedauwoo or in Lander over 10 Sleep/the Cirque?

No. Tensleep and the Cirque would be better experiences and are more destination worthy than Lander and the Voo. Lander actually isn't that awesome in the summer; most cliffs face south and the shade situation is difficult. Tensleep offers more shade and is better in mid-summer. The Cirque would be a fantastic experience and should not be missed (but bring mosquito repellant). The Voo is cool, but kind of brutal, and I wouldn't make it a priority unless you are really into offwidth. Devils Tower might be worth stoping at for a few days on your way through as a "bucket list" item.

Regarding Tensleep alternatives, the "big 3" summer sport crags in the US are Tensleep, Maple, and Rifle. All are good, and which to visit depends on what style of climbing you prefer. Tensleep offers vert/tech crimpyness, Maple offers steep enduro jughauling, and Rifle offers blocky cryptic mind bending brutality. Canmore is also an option, with good sport climbing, amazing scenery, and cool summer temperatures. You'd probably want to go there directly from Squamish, based on season and driving logic. Tensleep probably makes the most sense with your schedule at that time, since you are already going to the Cirque; it also offers the best scenery/camping combo of those options. I say keep your August schedule as-is.

kipp.fo wrote: I'd pass Smith in mid-July which would be unenjoyable from what I understand...I only have so much summer to work with-I'd likely have to replace locations.

That's the rub with Smith. It can be a tricky place to visit on this sort of trip, since it is a spring/fall destination located in the PNW, which road-trippers usually visit in the height of summer. As others had mentioned, you can, sort of, manage to climb in Smith in the summer in the shade. But you shouldn't. You only have so many days of summer, and the PNW is full of outstanding summer climbing. No need to waste time at an area that is out of season. Save Smith for another year when you can visit in late October.

kipp.fo wrote: the Red and the New-and 45 days for the two is really a minimum in my mind

Truth. More is better.

kipp.fo wrote: The more I push on the west (Squamish, WY, ID) I end up either crossing out the Gunks ...Would you do things in Colorado in the summer instead of something else I have listed?

Skipping the Gunks is not an unreasonable consideration. It is a great area, but it is a detour to get there, and there are a number of other areas that are good to visit at that time of year, including Colorado. The west has more climbing, longer routes, and more reliable weather, but the northeast is beautiful in the fall. Hard decision, lots of tradeoffs.

If you want to go to Colorado, late September would be a very good time to go. At that time, the summer T-storms have stopped but the winter storms haven't arrived yet; cool, stable conditions at the mid-elevation areas. You could arrange the schedule to drive from Tensleep to Colorado, spend ~3 weeks in Colorado, skip the Gunks, and go straight to the New/Red in early October (w/ Iowa stop, of course).

Where to go in Colorado would depend on what kind of climbing you are interested in. Rifle and the Black Canyon are good options at that time of year, but both are very demanding areas, in thier own ways. In either case, you would need to go prepared to try hard. Eldo is also good at that time of year, but logistics of road-tripping and van life in Boulder kind of suck, so you wouldn't want to spend much more than a week there unless you have a friend to stay with in town. Lumpy Ridge is also nice in September. So, lots of Colorado options.

Ten Sleep Canyon is an awesome place to climb, not like Lander in that the town leaves a lot to be desired, but the climbing will make up for it! If I could spend 20+ days there I certainly would!