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Climbing trip, where to go?

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Anna Gilyeat · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 0

Hi me and my friend from the uk are coming to Canada and America in June/July. We are going for 7 weeks and not sure where to go. We are flying into and out of Vancouver and we are definitely going to climb in Squamish for a few weeks. But we would also like to climb in another area. Unfortunately we will not have a car as we don't have enough money. So has anyone got any ideas of where is possible to get to via public transport or areas that are not essential to have a car. We are mainly looking for trad climbing but trad and sport areas would be cool.

Thanks very much if anyone has any suggestions.
Anna :)

Brian Prince · · reno · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 2,727

Here's something to read. A lot of good info on different areas to visit and some stuff on getting around without a car which, yeah, will limit you.

mountainproject.com/v/two-a…

Ken Noyce · · Layton, UT · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2,648
Anna Gilyeat wrote:Unfortunately we will not have a car as we don't have enough money.
Looks like you'll be in Squamish for 7 weeks (not that that's a bad thing).
Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245

Try to hook up w/ some other climbers that have a car. Otherwise you are going to spend the entire 7 weeks in Squamish. The US is not like the UK. It is not set up for travel w/o personal transport. Especially the west.

Locker · · Yucca Valley, CA · Joined Oct 2002 · Points: 2,349

Get someone to drop you off at Joshua Tree. Then weather permitting, prepare to BAKE!

Evan Sanders · · Westminster, CO · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 140

Rent a bike, and then take Greyhound or mega bus.

Aaron Nash · · North Bend, WA · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 212

If you want to stay in Canada, Skaha is a fun place to spend some time climbing in BC.
Like others have said; try to hook up with climbers who have cars. You could find trips to some Washington climbing areas (index, leavenworth, etc), or Smith. All are a reasonable day's drive from Squamish.

7 weeks in Squamish doesn't sound too bad to be though

dylandylandylandylan anddylan · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 107

I bet you could get to Smith pretty easily. I don't know how set your plans are, but you could either fly into Portland and then hitch/bus over to Bend, and then make your way up to Squamish. It will be getting warm by July though, and Squamish might be rainy until July, so if you could I would visit Smith first.

If you decide to go anywhere in WA or OR, look up boltbus.com, it's way cheaper than greyhound but only goes to big cities.

Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945

You could always rent a car (23 USD or 15 GBP a day) for a week or so at a time to take a trip. . .

mark felber · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 41
nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/…

Greyhound to Merced, YARTS bus to Yosemite Valley or Tuolumne Meadows. You might want to look for a cheap flight from BC to California and then take Greyhound. Greyhound from BC to California would be an adventure, but not a pleasant one.

The good news about the Valley is that you can reach lots of climbing on foot, and getting rides to the more remote climbs should be pretty easy. Also, there's a grocery store in the Valley, or much cheaper places in nearby towns (Merced, Modesto, etc.) if you can get a ride from someone. The bad news is that it can be hot as hell in the Valley in summer, the rangers are quite zealous about the one week limit (although a little resourcefulness and a low profile can help with this), and campsites are in high demand. Tuolumne is cooler in summer, but the climbs are more spread out. Also, campsites in Tuolumne are in very high demand, although you might stay at one of the USFS campgrounds east of Tioga Pass and hitch into the park to climb.

Edit: A one or two week car rental might not be a bad idea for Tuolumne. Getting anywhere by bus or train in the US is a long, slow process. You can burn up a good chunk of your vacation time on buses or waiting for buses. You can also end up spending a night in the middle of nowhere on your way from one climbing area to the next.
randy88fj62 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 291

Since you are set on Squamish you could hit the bugaboos to the east. not too far and lots of tourists that time of year to grab a ride.

Yosemite Valley is a must. Once you're there you can use the shuttles to get anywhere in the valley and then make your way up to Tuolumne meadows.

Depending on your skill level, there are plenty of high sierra climbs like the incredible hulk or the palisade traverse.

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
randy88fj62 wrote: Depending on your skill level, there are plenty of high sierra climbs like the incredible hulk or the palisade traverse.
None of which will be particularly easy to get to without a car.
Sam Lightner, Jr. · · Lander, WY · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 2,732

You must go to Banff... and while there, you need to hit the Back of Lake Louise. Its the best crag, pound for pound, on the continent. About 130 routes, about 80 of them are great.

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115

Getting by on a climbing trip in North America without a car is very difficult. There are two areas where it works OK, however: Yosemite and Squamish. Both have plenty of climbing within walking distance, a grocery store within walking distance, etc. Yosemite also has a little bus system within the Valley, which is pretty useful. Here's what I would reccomend:

Change inbound plane ticket; fly in to San Francisco or Oakland (CA) in June

Take public transit to Yosemite.

Climb in Yosemite in June.

In late June, Yosemite is getting really hot. At about the same time, the weather should be drying out in Squamish. There should be lots of other climbers who will be moving from Yosemite to Squamish at about the same time. Post up of the Camp 4 message board to find a ride. Offer to pay for gas. Greyhound bus is your backup plan.

Go to Squamish. Climb there in July.

Fly out of Vancouver.

doligo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 264
Evan Sanders wrote:Rent a bike, and then take Greyhound or mega bus.
I'm not sure it's a good idea - have you ever done that yourself? I dislike when people recommend something that may sound good in theory... Traveling with a bike on mass transit could be a PITA - a lot of them don't allow bikes, if they do, it's on limited basis and some require a box to put your bike in the cargo. Also, renting a bike long-term may cost a fortune - one would be better off buying a Huffy from Walmart. Then, traveling on a bike or with a bike plus climbing/camping gear and food may end up being a hassle...
Thomas Beck · · Las Vegas, Nevada · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,025

Anna,

Sam had a good idea. You could take the train to Banff and climb around there (lots of limestone climbing and supportive climbing community) till weather stabilized at Squamish. I'd start writing to the local climbing clubs around Banff, Canmore, Calgary and maybe Mountain Equipment Co-Op. Maybe they could connect you with some climbers. I'd also search here, Summit Post and climbing.com for people posting comments and climbs in that area. Maybe that would get you connected.

Yamnuska and surrounding areas...Ghost River should be OK in June. A little early for Bugaboos. their season is usually mid July to mid August

mark felber · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 41

JCM's suggestion is excellent. If you haven't already bought your plane tickets, I would fly to SF, Oakland or maybe LA and take public transit to Yosemite, then move on to Squamish. From SF or Oakland airports, use BART (light rail transit) to get as close as you can to Merced, then use Greyhound for the rest of the way, then take the YARTS bus to Yosemite Valley.

If you meet the age requirements, a one or two week car rental would make a week or so in Tuolumne Meadows much more enjoyable.

mr. mango · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 105

Boulder CO. Great climbing, miltipitch awesomeness, trad out the wazoo, aaannndd... It's all in the same area. From the town of boulder 96 percent of approaches are on foot. Nuff said. The incredible flatirons.

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
mr. mango wrote: From the town of boulder 96 percent of approaches are on foot.
That is totally false.
DrApnea · · Wenatchee, WA · Joined May 2011 · Points: 265

73% of statistics are made up anyway...

Anna Gilyeat · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 0

Wow thanks for the replies, really useful information. We have already booked are flight so can't change really. Was thinking maybe it would be possible that we get the greyhound down to San Francisco and from there get the bus to Yosemite/toulmne then get the bus back up and climb in Squamish. I looked into buses and it woul cost approximately £310. Does anyone know if index town walls is do-able without a car? And is it good? And is smith rock sport and trad, is the trad any good?

Thank you so much for all the information.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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