NRG or RRG

Maybe this is a dumb question but I have a week at the beginning of summer and was wondering whether it would be better spent at the New River Gorge or the Red River Gorge. My friends and I lead 11c/d sport and 10s in trad. Thanks for any input!

Ive been to both, the new for sure

New if you like engaging climbing. Red if you like mindless climbing :p

They are both awesome. Both will be hot,and both will be packed. I climb at both during the summer and have a great time. The New has Summerville Lake which you can dip in after climbing which is an added bonus. As others have mentioned, the New tends to be more techy, with intricate cruxes. The red tends to be power endurance jug hauls where you are fighting the pump. You really can't go wrong either way.
-Joe

Awesome. I appreciate the input. A friend of mine told me that the Red basically rated a lot of their climbs based on how long/pumpy they are. I just wanted to make sure this was the consensus.

FWIW I would argue that the RRG has grades that are fairly consistent with most other destinations upon arrival and departure while the NRG has grades that seem sandbagged upon arrival and pretty standard upon departure....just my 2 cents...this will probably start a argument so I apologize in advance

Try both - the drive from NRG to RRG is ~4 hours.

RRG will definitely be more crowded than the NRG, but if you want quickly accessible, fun climbing (which is mostly endurance, as everyone's said), it's the place to be. It will also have more climbers to meet up with, and better/easier climbers' campgrounds like Miguels, Linda's, and LOTA.

If its really hot, go to the NRG. Whereas most crags at the RRG tend to be down in hollows that retain humidity and don't get a lot of air circulation, the NRG has a lot of crags at the top of gorges that get blasted with wind, and are more pleasant in the summer (though it's still obviously not like Maple or Ten Sleep or anything like that).

The NRG is also a bit more interesting place if you're wanting more diverse after-climbing activities– great mountain biking, river and lake activities, and better restaurants, bars, and even music scene.

(full disclosure- I live at the NRG and think it's pretty awesome.)

Pnelson wrote:RRG will definitely be more crowded than the NRG, but if you want quickly accessible, fun climbing (which is mostly endurance, as everyone's said), it's the place to be. It will also have more climbers to meet up with, and better/easier climbers' campgrounds like Miguels, Linda's, and LOTA. If its really hot, go to the NRG. Whereas most crags at the RRG tend to be down in hollows that retain humidity and don't get a lot of air circulation, the NRG has a lot of crags at the top of gorges that get blasted with wind, and are more pleasant in the summer (though it's still obviously not like Maple or Ten Sleep or anything like that). The NRG is also a bit more interesting place if you're wanting more diverse after-climbing activities– great mountain biking, river and lake activities, and better restaurants, bars, and even music scene. (full disclosure- I live at the NRG and think it's pretty awesome.)

Now I may be wrong about this, but I believe Paul is the AAC campground host that is mentioned in this post. If this is the case, I wouldn't listen to anything he has to say about the new since he is probably just trying to lure you in so that he can take advantage of you too.

kennoyce wrote: Now I may be wrong about this, but I believe Paul is the ACC campground host that is mentioned in this post. If this is the case, I wouldn't listen to anything he has to say about the new since he is probably just trying to lure you in so that he can take advantage of you too.

Ha! Actually I'm about to turn in my badge and my gun and retire from the campground gig. One more week!

Paul did you all get a replacement yet? Also, I'm coming down next month and wondering whether member rates apply of I am an AAC member but my parents (who I am camping with) are not members

ETA: My vote is for the New. You can climb humid crimps but not humid slopey jugs

I like the red better, the area, the food, etc is better. Climbing in the new is probably better when it is hot though based on the type of rock.

Jon Frisby wrote:Paul did you all get a replacement yet? Also, I'm coming down next month and wondering whether member rates apply of I am an AAC member but my parents (who I am camping with) are not members ETA: My vote is for the New. You can climb humid crimps but not humid slopey jugs

Jon, the application is still open for another couple weeks!

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Your member rate will apply for you $8/night, but your parents will have to pay the full price $12/night.

At the Red:
I just want to point out that if you are climbing ~5.10 trad routes, you should be able to easily avoid crowds. The 5.10-.12 sport crags get mobbed. A couple classic 5.10 gear routes get mobbed. Avoid those areas, and you will be fine.

I've never been to the New, but I've heard there are some killer gear lines there.

Not looking for a job - headed west for the summer. Thanks anyway. Just curious how things are going

Both are amazing destinations for both sport and trad. Sport tends to feel easier at the red, but the gear feels more difficult than the new at any given grade.

Save your decision til the last minute and make it based on the weather forecast. Rain pretty much shuts you down at the new unless you're climbing at least 12+. The red has many more routes in the 10 to low 12 range that stay dry.

Also keep in mind that the new and red are only about 3 hours apart. You can always check out both in a week.

BrianWS wrote: Save your decision til the last minute and make it based on the weather forecast. Rain pretty much shuts you down at the new unless you're climbing at least 12+. The red has many more routes in the 10 to low 12 range that stay dry. Also keep in mind that the new and red are only about 3 hours apart. You can always check out both in a week.

You can definitely climb in the rain at the Red.

BrianWS wrote: Save your decision til the last minute and make it based on the weather forecast. Rain pretty much shuts you down at the new unless you're climbing at least 12+.

This advice suggests that a weather forecast is a useful indication of what will actually happen at the New, which I can assure you, after spending the last couple weeks there, is not the case.

So true Jeff. We had a bad forecast a couple weeks back and got sun basically all week. In fact, almost too warm!

ViperScale wrote:I like the red better, the area, the food, etc is better. Climbing in the new is probably better when it is hot though based on the type of rock.

Bless your heart...