Zion VS Moab

Hey folks,

Heading to Utah 3/10 - 3/17 hoping to get on a few key routes while there (Namaste, Iron Messiah, Stolen Chimney, and Fine Jade)

Looking at the weather forecast and webcams but still having trouble deciding if we should go to Zion first or Moab. We’re flying into SLC so both are the same distance from where we’re starting.

Thanks for the input!

Hopefully you know this, but it has been very rainy the last few weeks in those areas and the rock will need several days of dry weather to be climb-able.  Right now the forecast is for rain and clouds up until 3/9 at least.  Might be a good idea to bring skis or running shoes in case it does not dry out enough for rock climbing during your trip.

Luckily there are tons of fun things to do in UT, so there is no need to risk climbing on wet sandstone.  The skiing is great right now around SLC and there is plenty of good hiking and running in the areas you mentioned. 

Id plan on sport climbing in st g

Yup, the MP blurb says sandstone routes should be dry enough if the ground at the bottom is “dry and powdery”... but kindof hard to judge that without being there.

And... what we are saying is that it is unlikely to be dry. I l lived in zion for a long time. Its going to hold moisture.

If you go to zion st George has bountiful limestone in case of moisture.

Moab not so much

However Moab will dry faster and have higher qaulity sandstone that requiresless time to dry.

Please be very very suspicious of wet rock at the namaste area in kolob. There have been several successive bolt failures. The rock is very soft. It is in the process of being rebolted. 

I second Rob's suggestion. Go to St. George. That way if the sandstone is wet you could go to Underworld (s. facing basalt), Arrow Canyon, Sun City, etc. 

Costin Anghel wrote: Yup, the MP blurb says sandstone routes should be dry enough if the ground at the bottom is “dry and powdery”... but kindof hard to judge that without being there.

With how much it's going to rain this week, it's not going to be dry in Zion at any time during your visit.  As has been said, if you really want to go to zion for the scenery, go for it and do some great limestone sport climbing in St. George, but it's not going to be a week for climbing in Zion.

Ken Noyce wrote:

With how much it's going to rain this week, it's not going to be dry in Zion at any time during your visit.  As has been said, if you really want to go to zion for the scenery, go for it and do some great limestone sport climbing in St. George, but it's not going to be a week for climbing in Zion.

I don't know. If the weather.com forecast holds, the 16th and 17th could be alright. 

C Archibolt wrote:

I don't know. If the weather.com forecast holds, the 16th and 17th could be alright. 

Over 10 days away = basically useless.

C Archibolt wrote:

I don't know. If the weather.com forecast holds, the 16th and 17th could be alright. 

I'm not seeing that, it looks like it is raining tomorrow through Friday, then you have a couple days without rain, only one of wich is sunny, followed by more rain Monday through Wednesday of next week.  Based on that, I'm guessing it will be over a week to dry putting it past the end of the trip, especially on north facing walls that never see the sun like Namaste.

Is Kolob canyon re-opened now? 

You might have to decide just before you launch.  Forecast in Moab looks a bit better now, but, Zion area has more non-sandstone routes to get on (St. George/Mesquite).

Señor Arroz wrote: Is Kolob canyon re-opened now? 

Yes. 

Marc801 C wrote:

Over 10 days away = basically useless.

That's true. 

The rain and snow left the area very wet, there is rain still in the forecast for the next week or so. I'd suggest not climbing sandstone for 2 solid days of sun and warmth. With that said there is plenty of non-sandstone to climb if wet. Higher elev. areas still have snow, most of Zion i.e Namaste.

St. George area has more than sandstone to climb, quality non-sandstone climbing areas;
Utah Hills - Limestone
Woodbury Road Crags - Limestone
Black Rocks - Basalt (closed March 15 through June 30)
VRG - Limestone
Hurricave - Limestone

Canyoneering is great this time of year if you don't mind the wet and cold.

Thanks everyone for the replies. From looking through the Nevada forum as well it looks like Red Rock is also not an option.

Moab is looking like there’s a chance of being okay as long as the coin flip of rain on Wednesday falls on the right side... we’ll keep an eye on the forecast.

Current plan is most likely to go from SLC to Castle Valley and see the conditions there. If they’re piss poor it’ll be St. George or some other limestone for us!

Costin Anghel wrote: Thanks everyone for the replies. From looking through the Nevada forum as well it looks like Red Rock is also not an option.

Moab is looking like there’s a chance of being okay as long as the coin flip of rain on Wednesday falls on the right side... we’ll keep an eye on the forecast.

Current plan is most likely to go from SLC to Castle Valley and see the conditions there. If they’re piss poor it’ll be St. George or some other limestone for us!

Heads up, Castle Valley has an 80% chance of showers for Wednesday, plus 50% tonight, 60% Wednesday night. NOAA publishes actual rainfall data that can be quite useful in making decisions. Also take a peek at the past radar on KSL.  The storms here are very isolated.  Storms can skirt around the climbing locations, so they can be good even if down gets wet.  I've come to discover people are less conservative after a long drive or a steep hike...take that during your evaluation as well.

Flooding in Zion today.

Nearby Pine Valley got 2.7" of rain.

More on the way,..

The state, and most of the American SW sandstone (RR, moab, IC, Zion), is regularly getting hit with precipitation this spring. Please do not climb there.

Trust me, all of us wish we there as well.

Rob T wrote:

This. When people complain about local sources being all doom and gloom about forecasts, this is a big part of it. 

We’ve all heard “but I came so far/had this trip planned for months/waited my whole life for this” ad nauseum and are trying to prepare people to walk away rather than damage climbs. 

I get that, I wouldn't want people ruining the climbs in the gunks just because they made the trip out.

We hope that the sandstone in Moab will be dry, and judging from the current forecast and webcam images of castle valley there's some hope for that. If not, we're totally prepared to relocate to either Eldo or J-Tree. I've been looking for climbs in St. George but none of them really spoke to me, plus limestone is probably my least favorite to climb. I'll be sure to update this post on Sunday either way.

grog m wrote: The state, and most of the American SW sandstone (RR, moab, IC, Zion), is regularly getting hit with precipitation this spring. Please do not climb there.

St. George has an annual rainfall of 8.25". So far this water year that area of the state has received 21". Snowpack in SW Utah is 240% of normal.