Best beginner climbing areas in the Western US?

[funkendrenchman]

5.8-5.9s

Where do you suggest? Cool scenery and sweet places to camp are a plus. Looking to go the first week of June. Colorado is fine, but definitely open to travelling.

[Tippster]

Wolcott boulder.

[userA]

smith rock in central oregon would be a good choice that time of year.
nice area with a big rock and lots of little ones, fun town in bend and weather is great for this activity.
done it
bobby

[zion zig zag]

Trad or sport?

[funkendrenchman]

Trad or sport?

Sorry, sport. I like the Bend area suggestion.. lots of good biking too.

[sfotex]

The Uintas are a fun option. With the low snow I imagine the road will be open Labor Day or sooner. Shelf Road is fun and in your neck of the woods. http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/N...Medicine_Wall/
City of Rocks is a blast...

[bfree]

I haven't been climbing out of the northwest, but around here I like Vantage (Frenchman Coulee). Nice and warm, a short 2 mile ride/drive to the Columbia river, and perfect secluded basins for camping and general debauchery. It gets too hot in the summer, but should be perfect in June. Big range of climbing from 5.5 to crazy, with the heart being in the 9-10 range.

[concretejungle]

Shelf Road if you want to stay in CO. Wild Iris or Tensleep in WY. Smith Rocks.

[climberevan]

I'd head to Smith via City of Rocks & Castle Rock SP (next door). Castle Rock offers more easy bolted routes than you'd expect. Camping at either is good and cheap/free.

Depending on the weather at that exact time, you may be able to get away with Red Rock, which offers loads of easy stuff, but much of it requires some gear. Camping there is shit-tay.

[Conundrum]

City of Rocks will be pretty then. Sticky rock too.

[hutash]

A tad warm in June, but J tree is one of the best places to climb, at least trad. I don't know if there is much sport their, that was before my time.

[rainier]

A tad warm in June, but J tree is one of the best places to climb, at least trad. I don't know if there is much sport their, that was before my time.

The sport at Jtree is spotty and sandbagged... the way it should be.

City of Rocks is a good choice, Good camping and not too crowded with a bunch of fuckers from LA. Smith is cool too, but blows up on weekends. Cool spot though if you've never been

[shroom]

vantage and leavenworth could make a good combo if you make your way up that far.

[jm2e]

Maple Canyon, UT. For sport at the 5.8-5.10 range in June this would be hands down one of your best options west of the great plains. Perfect distance for a short road trip from AssPan.

Might also consider Enchanted Tower (Datil), NM. On your way from AssPan to Datil, you'd pass through El Rito outside of SantaFe which is like a mini Maple with cobble climbing.

[sfotex]

Maple Canyon, UT. For sport at the 5.8-5.10 range in June this would be hands down one of your best options west of the great plains. Perfect distance for a short road trip from AssPan.
.

Maple is marginal for lower grades and there's not a lot of variety at lower grades compared to other places.

Ten sleep is pretty awesome too, most of the good stuff starts 5.10 though.

[brice618]

New mexico has a lot of smaller crags with good camping that makes good 2 day stops at a few different campsites, all free and usually not crowded. Staying north near tres piedras, el rito, diablo canyon, white rock would be a fun tour of new Mexico on limestone, conglomerate, granite, and basalt. All quality with a combination of trad an sport in all grades.

But maple is good too maybe a bit better at harder grades, and city of rocks. I'd stay away from shelf road unless you want to climb with the rest of the boulder spray club.

[brice618]

I think datil sucks for moderates, it'll be hot then as well, though it is pretty shady and the camping is great. It's just that the climbing doesn't get good till upper 10's.

[Alaskan Rover]

My sister used to live in Littleton, Co and whenever I'd go visit, I used to head to this place:

Red Rocks Park.

It's way more than one of the best outdoor music venues in the U.S.....it also has some fantabulistic bouldering.

Because it is actually a Denver city-owned "mountain park"...no rock climbing is allowed...and they do strictly enforce that rule. But I believe talking more about protection. I've asked about bouldering/scrambling and get different answers there...it all depends upon how strictly they think they can define "climbing and traversing". If you're an ass about it though, they WILL kick you out for violating their "stay on the trails" guidelines. Just be nice and use common-sense. I've never been approached there...and the staff has always been amenable.

The formations are all sandstone.

A very small park at 640 acres, but lots of possibilties.

Worth a day trip even though you can't use rope. Also some great biking.

The place just has a really cool feel to it....as if all those great concerts are still 'blowing in the wind.'

http://www.redrocksonline.com/PARKAM...ingBiking.aspx

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[concretejungle]

WTF are you rambling about?

[geomorph]

The camping isn't as nice as City of Rocks, but Massacre Rocks in SE Idaho also has some good stuff in that range.

[brice618]

God Almighty, AKRover a shithead.

[Alaskan Rover]

God Almighty, AKRover a shithead.

Upon coming back to that post, I HAD noticed that the edit was indeed resplendant with a level of douchebaggery even eclipsing my own high standards of proper douchebaggery....and so I deleted the edit.

Please note, though, that your OWN douchery, as exemplified above, had little impact upon my decision.

Red Rocks remains a damn fine park, though...even if you do have to boulder/scramble in a semi-lawless manner...thanks to the City of Denver.

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[userA]

i dont consider the rockies to be western

[backcountry1pr]

Hartmans CO has a TON of sport climbing in that range. Plus good Biking.

[berko]

Another vote for city of rocks. Tons of routes in that range, and as a plus, the ratings are pretty soft; if you can climb 5.8-9 in eldo, you'll be pulling 10c at the City.