Moonlight buttress approach
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I am headed down to give moonlight a go this weekend. The approach beta is a little lack luster and since this is my first time going it would be good to have some concrete details. Where do you park? What about the river crossing? And is the trail obvious once the river is crossed or will it take some searching in the dark? |
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Tommy Barker wrote:I am headed down to give moonlight a go this weekend. The approach beta is a little lack luster and since this is my first time going it would be good to have some concrete details. Where do you park? What about the river crossing? And is the trail obvious once the river is crossed or will it take some searching in the dark?Park at Big Bend. It's kinda hard to miss Moonlight Buttress. |
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It's pretty straightforward. Park at Big Bend and find the best spot to cross. I don't think you need to get a parking permit this time of year, but double check at the Visitor Center / Wilderness Desk. If you are leaving stuff at the base, bring some poles to help the crossing. The water should be low this time of year, but will be cold. If you have a 2nd pair of shoes you can get wet, cross in those as you can get across faster, then change into a second, dry set on the other side. Also be prepared for many other parties on the route, most of them free climbing. Not sure what time it goes into the shade this time of year, I know in ~April it's 2 PM. |
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Well, if you're there on the weekend you park at the Visitor's Center or in Springdale and take the shuttle. |
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You're gonna die. |
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Tommy: it may be a good idea to check out the alternate approach from Angel landing trail if rain is in the forecast. Last year the river was impassable after the rain. I bailed from Moonlight and had to walk out the long way. |
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You can see how distinct the trail is on this map google.com/maps/place/Zion+…@37.2759084,-112.9480457,169m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x7c2e3a15aa3656f5!6m1!1e1 |
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"Approach: Drive into Zion to a bend in the road and park in the lot on the left (Big Bend parking lot), or, continue on for 500 to a paved pullout on the right. The Moonlight Buttress is obvious. Continue on foot up the road, drop down to the river, and cross near a huge boulder on the far side. Pick up a great climbers trail to the base of the route. Begin the route well to the left by scrambling up a 4th class passage to the first belay. The approach takes about 30 minutes." |
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Josh, sorry I didn't look at the free beta. I just assumed it would be the same as what was on the clean aid. I didn't mean to upset you. Justin, thanks that was exactly what I was looking for! |
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T$ Barker: |
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vgw wrote:Tommy: it may be a good idea to check out the alternate approach from Angel landing trail if rain is in the forecast. Last year the river was impassable after the rain. I bailed from Moonlight and had to walk out the long way.Maybe I'm misunderstanding this, but if it rains, you shouldn't climb the route. It's sandstone. I understand the request for info, but if you've been there it's obvious. It's the big buttress across the river. Wade and you're there. Not a bad idea though to check about a good place to park. Those policies seem to vary over time. Great route. You'll have a blast. |
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Fat Dad wrote: Maybe I'm misunderstanding this, but if it rains, you shouldn't climb the route. It's sandstone. I understand the request for info, but if you've been there it's obvious. It's the big buttress across the river. Wade and you're there. Not a bad idea though to check about a good place to park. Those policies seem to vary over time. Great route. You'll have a blast.fat dad: I was suggesting the OP to get familiar the alternate approach in case rain forces him to retreat. In my case knee deep crossing the day before turned into a class 5 rapid. |