North Fork Rock Climbing

North Fork (of Mill Creek) is a great cold weather sport and trad crag in the LaSal mountains about 45 minutes to an hour from Moab, depending on whether or not you can drive the last 1.5 miles. Where you end up is right above Moab in between South and Wilson Mesas on BLM land with massive southern exposure, long sustained pitches on featured sandstone, and scenery as good as anywhere in the Moab area. Probably the only Moab crag with good cell service. If you don’t find something you like, at least you can update your facebook status and complain. Though situated at about 7000’, it is often a solar oven while cold air hangs in the valley during winter inversions. The rim is very flat so runoff is generally not a problem after a storm and moisture/snow gets nuked very quickly if sunny. DO however read the approach info below regarding the final dirt road and mud/snow! The rock is softer and more desert like than Mill Creek so expect tiny edges to be fragile. Make sure the belayer at least has a helmet. Most or all routes have or will clean up with traffic but most are really good as is for the experienced desert climber. This is an approach from above crag like Mill Creek. And it is possible to scramble down below and avoid rapping in for all known routes. But loose unstable side hilling, bush whacking, and down chimneying, make rapping in the preferred alternative for most folks. For all but the Job Board, you will need a 70M rope! I suppose rapping in could eventually be a problem if it becomes busy. By nature, North Fork is definitely not kid friendly or dog friendly for those hounds that don’t do well unattended on the rim.

Let the squabbling begin…