iowa climbing?

anyone here ever climb in iowa? i'll be there for a few days over thanksgiving with all my gear and have been looking for ANYTHING to climb. there's a few websites around that have info on pictured rocks near monticello and some other places. any info mp users?

Ryami,

You may be able to climb there at Pictured Rocks. Hoot bluff may be a better chance for solar oven effect. Both areas are short steep dolomite. Bolted boulder problems in some cases. Hoot bluff can be entertaining for a day. Otherwise, Blue Mounds in MN is fun, short quarztite. Some bolted sandstone in south west Wisconsin past Dubuque. Good luck.

Ryami-

Went to school around there...None of it is great, but there's Backbone SP NE of Waterloo (some trad, some sport), Palisades Kepler SP N of Iowa City (AKA Pictured Rocks... there used to be a few-page guide book; primarily sport, some hard), and on the Illinois side of the Mississippi (literally ON the mighty) there is Mississippi Palisades SP (think both sport and trad). Most of this is slimy limestone. Beyond that, only Blue Mounds (my favorite of the the bunch, Slippery/Hard Sioux Quartzite), Red Wing, and Taylor's Falls -- all in MN.

Good luck and have fun gettin' dirty!

Jeremy- SW Wisconsin? My family lives in Dubuque (where we drink until she's cute...) but when I've looked around the area, everything is super loose limestone, I'd never trust a hold on the bluffs. Where is this bolted sandstone?
Do you guys know anywhere to rent a harness/ shoes in the MW (pref within a short drive of DBQ) for a potential partner?

Ryami,

There are a couple crags. The closer to Dubuque would be Castle Rock. I posted this spot not too liong ago under Wisconsin. Bolted lines, some very good. The second spot would be about an hour or a little more near Dodgville WI. Governor Dodge state park has one bolted crag (13 lines or so steadily from 5.9-5.13) and some decent bouldering as well. You can email me from this site if you need better beta. Both places are quiet, though may be cold.

if its ice anyone in iowa is lookin for in the future, check out this website, geocities.com/midwestclimber/

pictured rocks and indian bluffs near monticello.
hoot bluff by canton.
backbone state park near strawberry point.
castle rock by boscobel, wi.

Anybody been to any of these? Any of these places have a days worth of 5.10 sport climbs?

Hey Ryan!
Yeah I am very familiar with the P-Rocks area. Pretty much all the 5.10's you want in a day. Flash is a 5.11 jug fest that is always worth a try. I actually have the out of print guidebook. When are you gonna be down there? I come home frequently from Twin Cities area. Check thecrag.com Good info there. Also some nice top roping at palisades kepler near Cedar Rapids. Again I have the out of print guide to PK. Let me know how I can help.

Days worth of 5.10? Remember where you are visiting. There ARE enough quality .10's to keep one busy for 1 day. While there is not the quantity you may find elsewhere, there is quality. The .10's and .11's are typically short, steep and super fun. You can have a stellar day of cragging here. Most definitely worth a stop in you are within range. Recommended: Three Balls no Strikes, Bird in Hand, Flash, Julia's Kiss, Hope for a Boner, etc. Midwesterners there are friendly to point out any route or beta if needed. Have a blast!

I'll be there this Saturday. If you're in the area Dan, I'd love to get some guidebook beta but besides that it will probably just be onsights. Thanks fellas and remember: If you build it, they will come. Even to Iowa to climb:)

Don't forget Devil's Lake is under 2 hrs. from Dubuque.

Well, I was cleaning out a file and ran across a photocopy of a hand-drawn guide to Wild Iowa, by Chris Schmick. If you want a copy, let me know and I can e-mail you one.