Year-long Road Trip Itinerary

So about T Wall, it's primitive camping right off the parking lot. It's not something I would rate as quality camping, but you're also right next to a river, so that's nice. The time you're going to be there is perfect, though. You'll be freezing in the parking lot, but that orange rock bakes in the sun, so you'll be pulling off layers at the crag.

That time of year is also prime for bouldering in the Southeast, if that floats your boat--LRC and Rocktown would both be stellar.

You could also break up the 30 days by spending some time in the Obed or North Carolina (Rumbling Bald, Linville, etc.) It's all within about 2-4 hours, so it would be easy to move around--even if for a few days.

May might be a little early for the High Sierra, but if so you should just go to the Valley. Which is a notable absence in your plan!

My girlfriend will have not climbed for quite some time, and thus was thinking about starting somewhere a bit more forgiving

I think the Valley is really forgiving. Tons of good moderates.

Definitely hit Index, even if briefly. You're driving right by it.

Others have hit on the reasons you shouldn't bother with Smith on this trip. Maybe one day, just to see it.

I would spend as much time as possible in Squamish, it's my favorite place. Once you can climb 5.10 multipitch, the area really opens up. I spent over a month there last summer and would do it again every summer forever if I could. I think you could easily fill a month and a half. The weather will be perfect almost every day in July and August.

I would definitely not spend 3 weeks in Tensleep. But I vastly prefer trad/crack climbing to sport.

Maybe spend some time in the Tetons? Or Devil's Tower?

I've only spent 2 days in the Gunks, I'd like to do more, they're cool, but 3 weeks seems like more than necessary.

The Creek in March should be good. Might have some weather, but that's how it goes.

Eric Fjellanger wrote:I would spend as much time as possible in Squamish, it's my favorite place. Once you can climb 5.10 multipitch, the area really opens up. I spent over a month there last summer and would do it again every summer forever if I could. I think you could easily fill a month and a half.

It looks like the camping by the Chief is $10/night/person?! Am I reading that correctly? Are there any safe and comfortable places for van-dwellers, or is the camping at the Chief in tents the way to have the experience? What did you find out in your month long stay?

Thanks Eric!

Skip the Gunks. It's crowded and expensive. There are way cooler places to climb in New York (Dacks) If you make it to 10 Sleep then spend a day or two at Vadeuwoo!

I would not climb at the T-wall in December, and if I did I would definitely find another arrangement than the free camping near the parking there. J-tree or other desert climbing is so much better in December.

Before my first trip to the Cirque of the Tower someone once told me, "That's were God Lives", I'm a pretty devote non-believer, but if I'd have to place a bet I'd go with the Cirque. While there head down the N. Popo Agie River and check out the climbs in the Papoose lake ares.

+1 for not spending that long at the Gunks, It is a good and unique area, but it gets repetitive and is a total shit show on weekends. A few days is enough to get a flavor of the place, and then i'd move on to the adirondacks/new hampshire.

Devils Tower and especially the Needles/Rushmore in South Dakota would be a good add on to the Tensleep time. The Needles are really cool and unique for both sport and trad.

You are hitting the Utah desert at the perfect time, and Zion is good at that time of year too. You'll probably want to mix up the Indian Creek cragging and tower climbing since it all the same area and variety is nice.

I've been to all of the places on your list, and I think you've got a great trip planned. As far as staying at the TWall for an extended period, I think it's the country's best winter crag. While break-ins have apparently been an issue in the past, I have always enjoyed the free camping at the base of the wall. Additionally, there are so many more crags in within an hour's drive of Chatty that you could hit up if you wanted a break from classic the splitters, faces, aretes, roofs, and corners that are the TWall. Yes, on occasion you will get rained out, but for me the conditions down there are more enjoyable than JTree or the SW.

I'm going to be on the road this summer. Maybe I'll see you out there.

I think 3 weeks in Tensleep is perfect! I spent exactly 3 weeks last July. Easy to live cheaply, and really friendly and easygoing town. I could spent lots of time there. Buggy though, and I guess not too much variation in style. Mostly vert, and no worthwhile trad really.

If you get bored, cruise over to Lander. Steeper rock, bigger town.

Sounds like a great trip!

Thanks all for the replies. Too many to individually respond to, but from every comment I've added information to my massive spreadsheet and have tweaked my itinerary with additions and subtractions.

Notable changes:

Possibly start the trip with Yosemite IF Tioga will be open around June 1st.

Gunks for shorter. While I've toyed with skipping the Gunks and going through Colorado as some have suggested, I think I like the semi-circumnavigatory(?) nature of the trip and the idea of visiting a couple of the areas in the NE. I'll probably hit the Gunks for a week or so and either go to the New/Red or western NC earlier OR include some other notable NE locations (Dacks, NH generally, Cathedral/Whitehorse, etc.). Likely will be a combination of those options.

Vertical tech sport is my favorite type of sport cragging and thus I don't think I'll dislike Tensleep for 3 weeks. That being said, it seems as though there are several other nearby WY alternatives offering a variety of other options should I get bored of that singular kind of climbing.

Definitely going to check out T-wall and spend some time there. It's a tossup over winter as everyone knows, and I'll play it by ear, but I really think I'll like T-wall and will camp there for at least a bit of time prior to heading west to AZ/JT. The coldest part of winter is long, and I like the idea of spending some of that frigid time in the SE broken up with a week-long road trip across the southern states as I move west.

INCREDIBLE response from the community. Very, very helpful in this planning stage.

kipp.fo wrote:I'll probably hit the Gunks for a week or so and either go to the New/Red or western NC earlier OR include some other notable NE locations (Dacks, NH generally, Cathedral/Whitehorse, etc.).

Go to Rumney. There are 95 sport routes in the 5.12 range, most of them vertical.

mountainproject.com/scripts…

For the north-east, I have to agree with others -- too much time in the 'Gunks. There are far better choices: Adirondacks would be one good choice. But New Hampshire another -- for trad: Cannon cliff, Whitehorse Ledge, and Cathedral Ledge. For sport-climbing, Rumney is well worth the visit.

David Gibbs wrote:For the north-east, I have to agree with others -- too much time in the 'Gunks. There are far better choices: Adirondacks would be one good choice. But New Hampshire another -- for trad: Cannon cliff, Whitehorse Ledge, and Cathedral Ledge. For sport-climbing, Rumney is well worth the visit.

Thanks David, definitely am going to try to visit as many of those as possible, particularly Rumney and Whitehorse.

Does anyone have updated information on Squamish camping? SO many said that I should extend my stay there and stay AT LEAST 3 weeks and ideally more, but upon researching online it seems like the Chief campground is by far the place to stay yet I believe it's $10/night/person. Is this correct/the best option? Have fellow van-dwellers found a good place to park and camp for an extended period?

DO NOT MISS OUT ON SOME NC CLIMBING!!!!
Looking GLass, Rumbling Bald, Shortoff, Shiprock, Moore's, Stone!!!

Can you keep a blog of some sort so I can live vicariously through you and your girlfriend? This sounds super awesome!

We stayed at Alice lake campground when we were in Squamish. It seemed much nicer than the Chief campground. It was cheaper to because we split between 6 people. Not sure with only two people. All the campgrounds up that way seem stupid expensive.

There is some free camping we found but people seem like they keep its location to themselves so I am not sure I should post that on here...

I'd stay at the Chief campground for your first week. It's the social hub of the area and you can meet a lot of people there. There is free camping around and you'll figure it out by talking to people.

Another thing that occurred to me to mention- In my time on the road I came to the opinion that driving on interstate freeways sucks! For example, going to Washington from Bishop, I greatly prefer US 395 and 97 to battling big rigs and clueless cruise-controllers on I5.

Drooling at your itinerary, holy shit that looks great.

Kipp is your avatar pic a bail off of El Cap? If so, what about finding time in your Year of Dreams to fire the Captain?

Extremely jealous, but more just extremely psyched about a climber getting to do this. Looks like fantasy itinerary to me - it's just beautiful.

FWIW, on a roadtrip I spent about 15-20 days at the Gunks and I was seriously bored with it. On a roadtrip, 8 days would more than be adequate. Its good to see but it's really not that good.

Desert towers will be fine in the time you mention. Question for you, is the previous month in the creek just to crush cracks or is it to learn how to deal with splitters? If it's the former, do your towers mid march to mid april. If it's the latter, you might not find enough towers to climb in a month.

Will you have a 4wd?

I suggest you buy or print a USA road map and draw in your trip. Highlight each area you're going to. Now, put a dot next to all the other climbing areas semi-near your drive. This will allow the option of one and two day stops at interesting small areas (devils tower, vedauwoo, T-wall).

Weather at the Red and New is funny. In Oct it'll surely be perfect. By early december it may be perfect or covered in feet of snow.

I assume you're using the red as a training montage, which you will then take that fitness into the desert and do magical things with your newly energized forearms? I did that once, it was awesome.

Your trip starts out weird. I'm assuming you live near there? I can't imagine there is much to do in the high Sierra in May or June. Tahoe cragging and eventual big stuff should be OK. I'm afraid you're exactly one year from being able to have fun on stuff like the Hulk. By the end of your trip, Red Dihedral and Positive Vibes will be easy for you.

Sounds fun. I'm jealous.

If you guys break up can I take your place?