I'll be heading down to Tucson by way of Denver and Moab in early May. I've never been to this region of the country before. I have a little less than 1 week and the straight drive is about 32 hours.
I plan on seeing arches and canyonlands at least but I also want to do a bit of climbing. The kicker is I'm absolutely trash at crack climbing due to lack of experience. I can lead up to 5.11-.
Any suggestions for things to see and places to climb along this route?
More details such as gear , experience and timeline will yield better suggestions. Along the way:
Eldo trad scenic adventurous. Clear Creek Canyon sport highway noise. Frisco long easy sport multi alpiney. Paddle on lake Dillon. Rifle sport CO national monument ottos route fun easy trad tower. Mountain bike in Fruita. Arches the owl short easy tower. Wall Street Moab sport and trad.
May weather can vary quite a bit along this route. Cold rain or snow is not out of the question as well as hot in the sun
Thanks Gregg. That'll give us a good starting point. Looking for sport routes, multipitch with good views is a plus, as we don't have that in the Midwest.
Timeline is up in the air except we've got about 6 days to do 32 hours of driving. We'll probably end up just outside of Denver by the first day, and it's 14ish hours to Tucson from there.
Gregg has a good tick list for sure. Ottos route for sure is a good goal. Good easy trad lead without much crack technique required. The crux is more like a gym sport pitch (So the beta is on MP, i have yet to climb it). If youre headed to Moab and then to Tucson, i recommend a stop in Flagstaff, Az. The Pit or Jacks Canyon has some not to be missed climbing. Mainly sport though. Excellent location and ample free camping plus local amenities. Flagstaff is a cool town in general.