Timing and Beta for Redwood Coast Trip? - Promontory, Trinity Aretes, Land of the Lost - Early vs Late September?

I'm doing some initial scheming for a sport climbing trip up to the Redwood Coast area.  Interested in visiting Promontory, Trinity Aretes, Land of the Lost. Plus some rest days on the coast and being tourists in the redwoods.  9 day trip (two weekends and the week in the middle).  We'd probably drive up from Sacramento, spend the first few days around Trinity Aretes or Land of the Lost, go to the coast/redwoods/Promontory for the middle of the week, then finish with a few more days at Trinity Aretes or Land of the Lost on the way home. Wide ability range for group - I'd be seeking 5.11-5.12 and my girlfriend would be more 5.7-5.9, hence visiting a few different areas. 

Anyway, what's the best timing for the trip? Our schedule is open at this point and we can schedule the trip for whenever is expected to be "best".  How is the first week of September typically? Still hot at the inland areas (Trinity Aretes, etc), or perfect?  Would later in September be better? Etc. What's the conditions game look like for Promontory? I've never climbed on the coast so don't really know how all that works.

Open to any/all other suggestions for this sort of trip. Other good spots to visit in the region for late summer / early fall? In particular, anywhere else that is good for 5.7-5.9 climbs?

* Also, for planning sake, lets assume no major USFS closures due to fires. If that does happen, we can pivot and go elsewhere as needed. This can be the "optimistic scenario" planning.

Reach out to Evanwisheropp on IG

Danny Herrera wrote:

Reach out to Evanwisheropp on IG

Good call. Evan says early September is a good time to visit. (Thanks Evan!)

Glad you got in touch with Evan - he IS the governor of Redwood Coast climbing. Such an awesome dude.

From my experience, I've climbed at Prom several times in Sept; you can get some foggy days which could slick up the rock a little bit, but heat is almost never a problem at that crag. I can't speak to the inland crags you mention, though you certainly risk smoke season in September. (The Aretes might be high enough to be above the smoke.) 

Also recommend a bouldering day at Lost Rocks and enjoying the exposure/environment at High Bluffs (fairly low grade, just more intense surroundings), both are nearby Promontory. 

FYI camping in that general area is kind of a pain in the ass. A lot of folks sleep in their cars in the Prom parking lot, or (illegally) in the parking lot for Flint Ridge campsite; there are some hike-in campsites nearby but they require you to get a permit in person during business hours. You may start looking for campsites to book now, and just cancel them if need be sooner to the trip dates.

Moonstone beach has a lot of accessible TR. 

It's a 2hr drive inland from Eureka, but Evan's also put a ton of work into Marble Caves: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106042239/marble-caves - never had a chance to go but it looks amazing.

Thanks J P.  I'll need to look into the Moonstone Beach TR options. That sounds like it could be good for my partner, if there are moderates there.

Marble Caves looks sweet, but it sounds a bit too sunny/warm for our timing?

Good heads up on limited camping. Plan is a mix of dispersed camping at LOTL or Trinity Aretes (camping sounds plentiful there), and a few nights at a reserved campsite in the state park while at the coast. Booking that now to get it locked in...

We're now aiming for second week of September. Hope we don't get smoked out.  Our backup plan is to go south to Mt. Charleston that week if all of CA is a smoky nightmare.

Your itinerary sounds great. If I were to recommend three areas to go to in the Humboldt region, during that time of year, it would be the Aretes, LOTL, and Promontory. Especially if you're looking for a mix of grades including moderates, which each of those has.

Early vs. late September probably doesn't matter too much, aside from potential smoke concerns (which is basically all of California these days). The Aretes faces north and will be good to go. LOTL can get warm mid-summer but should be cooling down that time of year and you can chase shade. Promontory never gets hot because it is literally on the ocean. 

Camping at the Aretes and LOTL is super easy, both are Forest Service property and you can basically camp anywhere you can find a spot. Promontory has Mill Creek campground up the road towards Crescent City, never stayed there but it's in the redwoods and I bet it's nice.

The Caves is the best crag up there IMO but will be far too hot, it's a late fall to spring area. Don't bother with Moonstone, it's really only of interest to Arcata/Eureka locals. Lost Rocks is fantastic if bouldering is your thing but is also a special beast, I'd suggest checking it out on a rest day. It can be hard to navigate/find things (watch the tides) and/or make sure you're not trespassing.

Promontory and other coastal areas (Footsteps, High Bluffs, Lost Rocks, tons of other scattered bouldering) are largely unaffected by smoke, especially relative to inland regions. 

Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

^^^ Thanks for all the awesome beta!

For the coastal portion of the trip I reserved a spot at Elk Prairie Campground. It's a bit further from Promontory, but closer to some of the touristy Redwoods and coast rest day stuff.

Smoke/fire is the big wild card. Setting up the trip based on hopes of a no smoke/fire scenario. But totally prepared to scrap this plan, cancel campsite reservations, and go elsewhere if it comes to that. That's the nice thing about doing trips within a 1 day drive - lots of flexibility.

JCM wrote:

Smoke/fire is the big wild card. Setting up the trip based on hopes of a no smoke/fire scenario. But totally prepared to scrap this plan, cancel campsite reservations, and go elsewhere if it comes to that. That's the nice thing about doing trips within a 1 day drive - lots of flexibility.

Well this foreshadowed the current situation.

Anyone been up to Trinity Aretes recently - able to comment on the smoke/fire situation? Is is still open here with the Six Rivers fire nearby?  Looks like "yellow" air on fire.airnow.gov/

We're headed up that way next week. It looks like the stuff right on the ocean should be mostly smoke free. Wondering if stopping at Trinity Aretes is possible still, or best avoided.