Summer Bouldering Locations USA

Hi Guys,

New to the site. My girlfriend and I are traveling cross-country to boulder, hike, camp and swim for about 5 weeks, starting in NY. We are both beginner-intermediate outdoor climbers, and we boulder exclusively. Who has advice on where to seek out? Already avoiding Hueco and Joe's Valley due to the heat. So far, we have:

Flagstaff, AZ
RMNP, CO
Lake Tahoe, CA

We appreciate any and all suggestions! Thanks.

Best,
Noah and Alexa

First two places I'd think of would be Tahoe and RMNP, also if you're driving through CO, Independence Pass has some cool bouldering.....you could add Leavenworth area too.

Ft. Collins, CO

CALIFORNIA
Big Bear area and Holcomb Valley
Santa Barbara area - Brickyard and Pine Mountain
Black Mountain and Tramway
Yosemite and Tuolomne
Mammoth

Even the mountain California spots might still be too warm in the day, but should be good morning and evening.

Not trying to be a jerk, but I grew up in Santa Barbara and learned to climb there. It is far from a destination area. Not a big fan of Holcomb either. I will add that Flagstaff is outstanding, and well worth the stop with a variety of rock types to suit different styles.

Grayson highlands state park, VA

If you make it as far north as Leavenworth, then you should definitely continue on to Squamish as well.

Tuolumne is awesome. Sort of hot during the middle of the day, but you can chase shade in the mornings and evenings. Really good hiking (both day hikes and backpacking) and swimming holes as well. The only downside is the camping situation is a pain.

I personally think Santa Barbara is a great spot for beginner/intermediate bouldering - which they say they are. Maybe it's not a destination, but I know when I was a beginner I would have had more fun at The Brickyard than Yosemite's hard granite old school sand bags. And it's not like they're gonna climb out Brickyard, Lizard's Mouth, Painted Cave, and Pine Mountain in one trip. Also it's close to the beach. (Re: swim)

The only downside is the fucking gnats.

Obviously I'd be recommending a lot of different stuff if it wasn't summer - pretty much the worst time to boulder in CA and much of the country.

:)