Backpacking and Climbing Combo Trip

Does anyone have any recommendations for a several day on trail backpacking trip that could link up several climbing areas? I will have a group of beginners with me, so I'm thinking something in the 5.4-5.7 range. Long trad would be best, but I'm open to anything.

Some areas I've considered are the Wind River Range and Linville Gorge/Mountains-to-Sea trail in North Carolina. Any other ideas? Thanks!

Are you looking for a climbing crag? Most of my favorite trips such as this have a mountaineering flavor that requires high altitude experience. For example, Grand Teton - Owen Spaulding route is my all time favorite.

The Wind Rivers is a fantastic place to backpack/climb but I don't think it fits the bill for beginners. Alpine climbing is serious and can get dangerous fast if you don't know what you are doing.

If I were in your situation I'd probably find a good place to climb with road access to get your group on the rock. Then I'd do a separate backpacking trip into the backcountry. Climbing gear is heavy so if climbing is not the main objective of the trip the gear weight might make the backpacking miserable.

Tyson Anderson wrote:If I were in your situation I'd probably find a good place to climb with road access to get your group on the rock. Then I'd do a separate backpacking trip into the backcountry. Climbing gear is heavy so if climbing is not the main objective of the trip the gear weight might make the backpacking miserable.

Thanks for the responses. I guess we are looking more for just a wilderness climbing experience than a dedicated backpacking trip. So most of it would be climbing with some hiking in between crags. Hopefully wouldn't have to put in very many miles per day in order to deal with the extra weight. Also, while I have experience guiding in the southeast and some experience in the Utah desert, I have no alpine climbing experience, so that might exclude the Winds.

For a 2-4 day (depending on the walk:climb ratio) trip, taking the Sheltowee Trace through the Red River Gorge is a pretty cool deal, with several crags (though not the "best" ones) close to the trail:

(LINK)

The sheltowee trace is well marked and fairly well maintained. Easy road access to start/finish points marked on the map. On the linked map, the sheltowee trace is the red dotted line.

More info on the routes and crags listed can be found HERE

The Winds are a serious place, and even easy 5.6 routes there are undertakings that should not be taken lightly or attempted by beginners. The minimum approach length to anything in the Winds is at least 6 or 7 miles. With any backpacking/ climbing trip, especially with beginners, you are looking carrying an average load of 60lbs or more, and in a place such as the Winds where longer trips are necessary maybe more. Weather, rock, and descents can be hard to read in the Winds or in any Alpine situation, and if you have little experience in that type of scenario then you very well could be endangering your beginner friends.

If your friends had a little more experience in longer rock routes I'd say go for the Winds.

Linville is great. If you head down to the amphitheater you'll get a wilderness feel. Camp right past the chimneys (about a .5 to 1 mile hike from parking lot) and you'll feel like you're in the wild. Head down to river for a really nice trip.

There are so many options for 5.4 to 5.7 in Linville, even up to 5 pitches. It'd take you weeks to climb all those easy routes.

Another option if you want to go out west is to head to Rocky Mountain National Park. Climb in Lumpy Ridge and then go backpack up in the alpine when you get tired of climbing.

Try Grenadiers & Trinity pks San Juans, CO ... Wham Ridge, N Ridge of Arrow, N Face of Middle Trinity ...

You might consider this place: killer B-packing (horse packers can take your stuff up the majority of the big up-hill saving your legs for climbing) and when I say killer backpacking I mean it... all trails end a long way before the gorge and the place wild.

The climbing.... most of the big rock formations can be summited via class 4 or low 5th class.

And if you climb here your climbers will get to experience 3rd and 4th accents.... some pretty cool climbing.

mountainproject.com/v/the-g…

have fun.

You would need to check on the trail system but I thought it would be cool to walk from Boulder to Eldo climbing the flat irons on the way. There is tons of beginner climbing there.

So it looks like we are leaning towards a backpacking/canyoneering trip in the Dirty Devil/Robber's Roost area of Utah. Anyone climbed in that area before? I'm aware of the San Rafael Swell climbing, that's one option. We may try to climb Looking Glass Rock and Wilson's Arch on our way out there, and possibly hit up 1000 feet of fun on the way back.