Best JTree guidebook?

I have been to Josh once, but plan on spending another week or two there this winter. What is the best book for me? Most interested in 5.7 to easy 5.11 trad, followed by 5.8 to hard 5.11 sport. I am sure I will be back in the future and avoiding crowded climbs is important to me.

The Wolverine Publishing guide, no question.

Is there any walls that have easy (5.7/5.8 trad and moderate 5.9-5.10c sport nearby). Particularly interested in less slabby stuff, but realizing that might be a tall order in Josh.

I love the old Randy Vogel guidebook, circa 1992. It should be out there in online used bookstores. It's dated and lacks specific detail about routes, but it's enough to get you where you want to go, and it covers virtually all of the park.  

I like to add notes to my Vogel guidebook with newer information or more detail from MP. It works great.

Ryan Pfleger wrote: I have been to Josh once, but plan on spending another week or two there this winter. What is the best book for me? Most interested in 5.7 to easy 5.11 trad, followed by 5.8 to hard 5.11 sport. I am sure I will be back in the future and avoiding crowded climbs is important to me.

I like the one on the left....maybe it's the cool cover ..I don't know....

Josh Glantz wrote: Is there any walls that have easy (5.7/5.8 trad and moderate 5.9-5.10c sport nearby). Particularly interested in less slabby stuff, but realizing that might be a tall order in Josh.

Rock Garden..... no real sport climbing but after you get to top ya can set some TR’s.... all sort of steep. 

Todd Gordon's new guidebook will probably be of most interest to you.  

toddgordon Gordon wrote: I like the one on the left....maybe it's the cool cover ..I don't know....

Good choice. 

Buy Todd Gordon’s guidebook best around 

Shaunae Heideman wrote: Joshua Tree Climbs Paperback – 2015
by Randy Vogel (Author)

- Great pics, but other than that.... I do not recommend this guide book. I keep finding it lacking. I would recommend that you find a book that covers the ENTIRE park.
We had trouble finding camping, a spot opened up in Jumbo Rocks, the above book doesn't cover anything on the East side of the park. 

Joshua Tree Climbs is a Select guide to over 1,000 routes. It is not a comprehensive guide. I am sorry your experience was a disappointment.

However, I will note that there are 114 quality routes covered in the Eastern part of the Park (Conan's Corridor, Zebra Cliffs, Whispering Wall [Pope's Hat area], Split Rocks, Belle Campground and Emerald City). So, I am at a loss to understand your statement that it doesn't cover anything there.
_____________________

If you are interested in Sport climbs, I would also highly recommend Todd Gordon's guide.  If you plan on spending lots of time at Josh, I would also recommend Robert's guide which covers many more (3000+) routes (but, is not comprehensive either - there are perhaps 9,000+ routes in the Park).

From the search feature on MP......

​https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/116520813/what-is-the-current-preferred-guidebook-for-jtree-trad-routes-dont-care-for-boul#ForumMessage-116528264​​​

Randy wrote:

Joshua Tree Climbs is a Select guide to over 1,000 routes. It is not a comprehensive guide. I am sorry your experience was a disappointment.

However, I will note that there are 114 quality routes covered in the Eastern part of the Park (Conan's Corridor, Zebra Cliffs, Whispering Wall [Pope's Hat area], Split Rocks, Belle Campground and Emerald City). So, I am at a loss to understand your statement that it doesn't cover anything there.
_____________________

If you are interested in Sport climbs, I would also highly recommend Todd Gordon's guide.  If you plan on spending lots of time at Josh, I would also recommend Robert's guide which covers many more (3000+) routes (but, is not comprehensive either - there are perhaps 9,000+ routes in the Park).

Why would you want the whole park? There are only 100 or so climbs worth doing there anyway. Who cares about a 30ft chosspile with a 1+hr approach?

An out of print one: it will scare the shit out of you!

My friend and i were both purchasing guidebooks together in jtree. i got the vogel one, he got the new miramontes one.

we used the miramontes one exclusively.

Randy,

When are you coming out with JTree Central?

Can we just get a guidebook with 300-500 of the best 5.10 and above climbs in Joshua Tree that is unbiased by the "cool" routes their friends sent? There is some amazing climbing in the park but it is annoying to flip through a guidebook and filter through all the bombs, and then there is only several pages of top 10 Sport/Trad/etc, which is not enough (some of the top 10 are choss too, but thats a separate discussion).... if there ever was a place that needed a "best climbs of XXXX" Joshua Tree would be the best one. 

caughtinside wrote:

It’s called mountainproject ya dufus. 

But yes, Josh could use a 16th guidebook. 

That is offensive.

They are going to come out with more guidebooks (they always do), so it was a simple suggestion to make the new editions actually useful.

caughtinside wrote:

Run along now, your parents said you're late for dinner. 

fekkkkk hahahahaha nice.

Gumby the White wrote: Can we just get a guidebook with 300-500 of the best 5.10 and above climbs in Joshua Tree that is unbiased by the "cool" routes their friends sent? There is some amazing climbing in the park but it is annoying to flip through a guidebook and filter through all the bombs, and then there is only several pages of top 10 Sport/Trad/etc, which is not enough (some of the top 10 are choss too, but thats a separate discussion).... if there ever was a place that needed a "best climbs of XXXX" Joshua Tree would be the best one. 

Anyone can write a book, you know. If you feel you've got the material for the best climbing book in J-tree by all means get right on that. 

Someone gave me the Miramontes book which I think is good for getting some general beta for lots of routes. Not much detailed info for most routes though. I’ll usually follow up with some research on MP.