What is the best 5.11 in the United States?

I debated as to whether or not I should put this in the Trad Climbing forum because my real intent with this post is to get psyched about trad climbing, but I *do* like sport climbing and so I'll give the sport climbers a chance to state their case too :) . What do you believe is the best 5.11 in the entire country? Number of pitches doesn't matter. I nominate all four pitches of Japanese Gardens on the LTW as a contender at the very least... 

Vomit launch might have a good claim to that title

According to MP's "Top 20 Classic Climbs", either Positive Vibes or The Naked Edge

D7

Nick Titterton wrote:

According to MP's "Top 20 Classic Climbs", either Positive Vibes or The Naked Edge

But what do you think?

Have only climbed a couple sport 5.11s but those two seem pretty neat

I think Positive Vibes is definitely in the running. I would also throw North Face of Castleton and Fine Jade in the mix. 

Creed Archibald wrote:

I think Positive Vibes is definitely in the running. 

I wanted to say this too but it's such low hanging fruit lol

Adam Mac wrote:

I wanted to say this too but it's such low hanging fruit lol

It is. Smashmouth in Zion is another of my favorite 11s. Hero fingers! 

Really need separate categories for long routes vs short routes (single pitch and short cragging multipitch). There's some amazing single pitches out there that deserve recognition, but no one pitch can measure up to to combined quality of something like Positive Vibrations.

In the single pitch category, here are a few that get my vote:

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106306126/its-only-entertainment

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106950680/dame-el-oro

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105718642/way-rambo (calling this 11+)

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105791008/japanese-gardens (full first pitch)

(Edited to add a few more. Agree with Fritz (post below) on Way Rambo).

The pink one in the corner is pretty nice right now

Either Way Rambo or Annunaki.

Here's the top 50 ranked by lower wilson bound over the average star rating:

Rating | Grade | Type | Area > Route

3.975 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 700 ft, 8 pitches | Yosemite Valley>Valley South Si>The Rostrum Roc > The North Face

3.974 |  5.11a YDS | Trad, Alpine, 1200 ft, 12 pitches, Grade IV | 02 - The Sawtoo>Incredible Hulk > Positive Vibrations

3.965 |   5.11 YDS | Trad, 170 ft    | Indian Creek Ro>Original Meat W > Sinestra

3.965 |  5.11c YDS | Sport, 95 ft    | Miller Fork Rec>Fruit Wall Rock > Witness the Citrus

3.964 |  5.11a YDS | Trad, 400 ft, 4 pitches | Tahquitz Rock R>West Face Bulge>Upper Bulge Rou > The Vampire

3.961 | 5.11b/c YDS | Trad, 4 pitches, Grade III | Cathedral Spire>Cynical Pinnacl > Wunsch's Dihedral

3.959 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 1000 ft, 10 pitches, Grade IV | Yosemite Valley>Valley North Si>Royal Arches Ar>Washington Colu > Astroman

3.945 |  5.11 YDS | Trad, 70 ft     | Blair (overview>Upper Blair Cli>The Heap Climbi > Spectreman

3.928 |  5.11b YDS | Trad, 75 ft     | Flatirons Climb>North Climbing>Green Mountain  > Death and Transfiguration

3.918 |  5.11- YDS | Trad, Alpine, 900 ft, 11 pitches, Grade IV | Canada Climbing>British Columbi>Columbia Mounta>Purcell Mountai>The Bugaboos Ro>Snowpatch Spire > Sunshine Crack

3.898 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 250 ft, 3 pitches, Grade IV | Canada Climbing>British Columbi>Squamish Climbi>The Chief Climb>The Sheriff's B > High Plains Drifter

3.895 |  5.11a YDS | Trad, 90 ft     | Wine and Roses  > Wine and Roses

3.882 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 80 ft     | New River Gorge>Endless Wall Ro>G) Diamond Poin > Leave it to Jesus

3.862 |  5.11- YDS | Trad, 250 ft, 3 pitches, Grade II | Looking Glass R>North Side Rock > Cornflake Crack

3.857 |  5.11a YDS | Trad, 5 pitches, Grade III | Castle Valley R>The Rectory Roc > Fine Jade

3.856 |  5.11d YDS | Trad            | West Shore Clim>Eagle Creek Can>Eagle Lake Clif > Space Walk

3.851 |  5.11b YDS | Sport, 50 ft    | Pendergrass-Mur>North 40 Rock C > Amarillo Sunset

3.850 |  5.11c YDS | Sport, 100 ft   | Muir Valley Roc>The Solarium Ro > Banshee

3.846 |  5.11- YDS | Trad, 140 ft    | Indian Creek Ro>Reservoir Wall  > Pente

3.845 |  5.11b YDS | Trad, 460 ft, 6 pitches | Eldorado Canyon>Redgarden Wall >Redgarden - Tow > The Naked Edge

3.845 |  5.11a YDS | Trad, Aid, 1000 ft, 9 pitches, Grade III | Canada Climbing>British Columbi>Squamish Climbi>The Chief Climb>Grand Wall Area > The Grand Wall

3.844 |  5.11- YDS | Trad, Grade III | Indian Creek Ro>North Six Shoot > Lightning Bolt Cracks

3.844 |  5.11a/b YDS | Trad, 80 ft     | Roadside Rocks >Dihedral Rock R > Coarse and Buggy

3.839 |   5.11a YDS | Sport, 90 ft    | New River Gorge>Endless Wall Ro>J) Snake Buttre > Legacy

3.838 |  5.11d YDS | Sport, 140 ft   | Kolob Canyon Ro>South Fork of T>Namaste Wall Ro > Namaste

3.835 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 2 pitches | Boulder Canyon >Castle Rock Cli > Country Club Crack

3.834 |  5.11a YDS | Trad, Alpine, 6 pitches, Grade IV | RMNP - Rock Cli>Long's Peak Roc>The Diamond Roc > Pervertical Sanctuary

3.834 |  5.11 YDS | Trad            | Indian Creek Ro>Pistol Whipped  > Spaghetti Western

3.830 |  5.11 YDS | Trad            | Indian Creek Ro>Reservoir Wall  > Excuse Station

3.828 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 80 ft     | City of Rocks R>Morning Glory S > Crack of Doom

3.823 |  5.11d YDS | Sport, 70 ft    | Summersville Ar>Summersville La>The Long Wall R > Under the Milky Way

3.819 |  5.11c YDS | Sport, 80 ft    | New River Gorge>Endless Wall Ro>M) Fantasy Area > Aesthetica

3.818 |  5.11+ YDS | Trad            | Indian Creek Ro>Cat Wall Rock C > King Cat

3.816 |  5.11a YDS | Trad, 100 ft    | Northern Gorge >Eastern Sky Bri > Inhibitor

3.816 |  5.11- YDS | Trad, 600 ft, 5 pitches, Grade III | Questa Dome Roc>Questa Dome Roc > Question of Balance

3.814 |  5.11- YDS | Trad, 120 ft    | Indian Creek Ro>Scarface Rock C > Big Guy

3.809 |  5.11c YDS | Sport, 120 ft   | Red Rock Climbi>05-Sandstone Qu>Running Man Wal > Running Man

3.808 |  5.11b YDS | Trad, 90 ft     | City of Rocks R>Elephant Rock R>Elephant Rock - > Beware of Nesting Egos

3.807 |  5.11+ YDS | Trad, 800 ft, 8 pitches, Grade IV | Red Arch Mounta > Shune's Buttress

3.807 |  5.11b YDS | Sport, 100 ft   | Bishop Area Cli>Owens River Gor>Upper Gorge Roc>Gotham City Roc > Grindrite

3.806 |  5.11+ YDS | Trad, 600 ft, 7 pitches, Grade IV | Island In The S>Moses Rock Clim > Primrose Dihedrals

3.805 |  5.11c YDS | Sport           | Penitente Canyo>Penitente - Inn > Los Hermanos de la Weenie Way

3.804 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 120 ft    | Indian Creek Ro>Cat Wall Rock C > 9 Lives

3.802 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 80 ft     | Yosemite Valley>Lower Merced Ri>Cookie Area Roc>The Cookie Clif > Butterballs

3.801 |  5.11b YDS | Trad            | Turkey Rocks Ro>Turkey Tail Roc > Whimsical Dreams

3.801 |  5.11 YDS | Trad, 130 ft    | Indian Creek Ro>Sparks Wall Roc > Jupiter Crack

3.799 |  5.11a YDS | Trad, Alpine, 450 ft, 5 pitches | Stuart-Enchantm>Prusik Peak Roc > Solid Gold

3.798 |  5.11 YDS | Trad, 400 ft, 4 pitches, Grade II | The Confluence  > Smashmouth

3.797 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 105 ft    | Yosemite Valley>Lower Merced Ri>Cookie Area Roc>The Cookie Clif > Crack-a-Go-Go

3.797 |  5.11c YDS | Sport, 85 ft    | Hound Dog Crag  > Munsterlander

All you out west, have fun climbing those. All us in NJ will sit back crunching the numbers wondering why none of the rocks landed in the mid-atlantic.

Grand wall is high, but i would have guessed it was top 5. I would have guessed rostrum is #1, which it is.

Is Rostrum more classic than astroman? I can't do either, but curious of peoples' opinions. Also, I have heard that the vampire at tahquitz is pretty excellent. Anyone who climbs at the grade confirm this?

Tristan P wrote:

Is Rostrum more classic than astroman? I can't do either, but curious of peoples' opinions. Also, I have heard that the vampire at tahquitz is pretty excellent. Anyone who climbs at the grade confirm this?

People's votes are going to be fairly relative to their home area, thus I vote Vampire but it's barely 11a and therefore making it the best 11 in the US!

slim wrote:

Grand wall is high, but i would have guessed it was top 5. I would have guessed rostrum is #1, which it is.

As amazing as Grand Wall and Freeway are, OP said "United States" and they are north of that pesky international border. I agree though that they are up there with the absolute best. For Grand Wall, maybe some are a bit put off by the bolt ladders?  They never bothered me and didn't take away from the experience, but I could understand someone else knocking off a star for that.

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Possibly controversial opinion: The Naked Edge does not deserve a place on a top-5 or top-10 list of multipitch 5.11s.  Sure, it is the best multipitch 5.11 within 30 minutes of Boulder, but that's the best I'd give it. It pales in comparison to its competitors.

Dan G wrote:

Here's the top 50 ranked by lower wilson bound over the average star rating:

Rating | Grade | Type | Area > Route

3.828 |  5.11c YDS | Trad, 80 ft     | City of Rocks R>Morning Glory S > Crack of Doom

3.808 |  5.11b YDS | Trad, 90 ft     | City of Rocks R>Elephant Rock R>Elephant Rock - > Beware of Nesting Egos

Was going to mention these. Beware of nesting egos is one of my favorite routes just due to how much variety it packs into 90 feet of climbing. Crack of Doom gets street cred for its iconic history. 

1. Astroman 2. Rostrum 3. Positive Vibes 4. D7 5. Shunes Buttress

1. Astroman

large gap

2. Rostrum

Just look how so many routes play homage to the original: Astroboy, Astrocrab, Astrodog, Astrogoat... 

I've not done Positive Vibrations and clearly need to get a wiggle on before I'm too old. 

Glad to see these three on the list:

The Rostrum, The Vampire, and Coarse and Buggy