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Looking to take a long road trip in 2016

Original Post
Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

Hey all, I will be graduating law and business school in May of 2016 and while studying for the bar exam, I was planning on building out a rig to live in from May through August/September. I was hoping to get some preliminary advice before I get too into making my plans...

My itinerary as of now looks vaguely like this:
May 20-27 - Rumney
May 29-June 14 - Sinks Canyon, Wild Iris etc.
June 14-21 - City of Rocks/Castle Rock
June 22-July 2 - Smith Rocks
July 3-24 - Yosemite Valley
July 24-Aug 1 (bar exam)
Aug 1-14 - Wasatch Range (American Fork, particularly)
Aug 14-28 - Rifle
depending on start dates, the Red, the New, Obed for part of September

I'm looking for advice on anything from how to build out a truck (I'm thinking a Tacoma or a Nissan Frontier) to whether these places will be good in these date ranges (I know Smith won't be perfect, so I may stay longer in Yosemite or Lander) to whether things are feasible (like I've heard that staying in the Valley can be a problem after a while) to any other tips and tricks you may have

I plan on climbing a ton of sport, and hopefully doing some easier classic trad climbs as well as maybe the Regular NW Face of Half Dome. I haven't really trad climbed yet but I'm taking the next year and a half to learn and will hopefully be climbing upper 12s/lower 13s sport by that point.

Thanks so much in advance!!

LLubchenco · · Carbondale, CO · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 25

Your list looks amazing Jon! Building out the bed of a pickup is pretty easy and my main recommendation is going for simplicity and comfort (when it rains, you want something to chill in). Sitting upright is a big deal, while still maintaining storage. If you can, find a 4cyl Tacoma or Frontier and you'll make your gas bill feel nicer on the wallet! (1996-newer)
Also, I would highly recommend Ten Sleep, WY as a worthy stop for you as it's three hours from lander. Summer time there is amazing, with free camping, easy living and gorgeous limestone. Have a great time on the road!

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115

It sounds like you want some advice/critique of your itinerary, so here goes:

-You have some superb destinations on that list, but also some even-better ones that you are missing. You are also blowing the timing with several places. Smith and Yosemite are goddawful hot in mid summer; I would avoid them both entirely in July/August, unless you are part reptile. Lander, while high elevation, has the unfortunate aspect that much of the primo climbing faces due-fricken-south, which even at 8,000 feet can lead to uncomfortable heat. American Fork and the City of Rocks are both manageable in mid-summer, but a tad warm. Obed in September would still be a hot, humid, mosquito ridden malarial jungle.

-Better options for high summer sport climbing include Tensleep, Maple, and Rifle. All have high elevation and a good shade situation. For Rifle, June is vastly superior to July/August due to summer monsoon. For trad climbing in summer, Squamish is king, especially in July/August. Tuolumne Meadows is another top choice.

- Climbing partners are super easy to find in the summer in Squamish, Rifle, Maple, and Tensleep. All with have a major dirtbag scene, with tons of people to climb with. Also, all have a good campground scene in which to meet people. In place like AF, Lander, etc., there is less of a camping scene, so partners aren't quite so stupidly easy to find. Yosemite is easier to find good partners in the prime season (i.e. fall); anyone there in mid-summer will have seriously questionable judgement (or may be actually a reptile).

-If you are new to trad climbing, going straight to Yosemite is a rough intro. Squamish would be a much better place to get some trad/multi experience under your belt, plus the camping and scene is mellower. Squamish is like a smaller, friendlier training ground for Yosemite--and the climbing is just as good. After a month in Squamish, you'll be ready for Yosemite.

-Here would be my ideal itinerary. It takes into accound driving distance, and ideal weather. It front loads the sport climbing (get strong first!), then finishes with more trad climbing. I've done bits and peices of this itinerary over the last few years; this is how I would combine the highlights for an optimized summer:

End of May in Rumney (or skip it and head directly west, whatever)
First two weeks of June in Rifle
Second two weeks of June in Maple (plus maybe an AF or Uinta visit)
First two weeks of July in Tensleep (plus maybe Lander)
Second two weeks of July and First two weeks of August in Squamish (totally, 100% worth it to spend at least a month there).
Second two weeks of August, perhaps into early September, in Tuolomne and/or the High Sierra. Lovers Leap (Tahoe) also worth a few days.
Yosemite in September for the better weather; stay as late as you can.
If you are still on the road come October, go to the Creek or the Red

-And yes, a Tacoma with a shell and sleeping platform is a damn good road-trip vehicle.

Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

Thanks JCM! Your itinerary is also great as it puts me near Vancouver at the time of the exam to make flying back to NY easy.
Ten sleep was on the original list but my knowledge of Wyoming weather is pretty rough and I had no idea the scene was so stellar!

I've never taken such a big trip so Rumney is kind of my dry run to work out kinks in a place I know well with people I know. I have climbed in the red in August so yeah I guess I'm a bit of a reptile but I'd much prefer good conditions. My timeline was based on the peak seasons on mountain project but those aren't always perfect guidelines

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115

Yeah, you really can't trust the MP season graphs. People who log ascents on MP are a pretty small microcosm of the climbing community, so that dataset may not be representative. Also, there is often a difference between when an area is most heavily visited, and when it is optimum. Rifle is a good example of this-- it is full of people in July and August (when it is hot and stormy), and then in September when the conditions are perfect, the summer crowds start to dwindle. It makes no sense.

Tensleep has had a hoppin' scene the last few summers, but that is a fairly new thing (since ~2010 and after). Prior to 2010 is was super quiet, but it has really blown up as of late and has significantly surpassed Lander as the major sport destination in Wyoming. This is a good thing, if you are travelling solo and looking for partners.

"Warming up" to road trip logistics seems pretty sensible. Just like anything, you need to get your systems dialed. One of the biggest factors, for me, is using willpower to not bring extra junk you don't need (but that takes up too much space in the vehicle). If you don't use it during that first week in Rumney, just drop it off and leave it at home...

If you have more questions, as you plan your trip, feel free to PM me. I've spent a lot of time on the summer road trip circuit over the last few years (grad student lifestyle), and I love to spray travel beta. Let me know if you want any further input on destinations, planning, logistics, etc.

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

i gotta agree with JCM about the heat.....ouch.

There is quite a bit of sport climbing around Canmore , Alberta and the weather will be much nicer.
There is some nice ,high altitude stuff in the Rockies and you might be at the end of monsoon...Independence Pass, 10 Mile,,etc

Rumney at the end of may might be perfect or suck..depends on the rain/bugs

Eric Engberg · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 0

Since you asked for advice on anything I'll give you some in the form of a question - how serious are you about passing the bar?

sean o · · Northern, NM · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 48

Yosemite Valley in mid-summer would sort of suck, being hot and mobbed with tourists. Plus camping there is a pain, even if you're willing to pay for a spot (think rangers driving around with spotlights at all hours to see if people are leaving food out for the bears).

However, late July and early August are awesome in the high Sierra. Are you just interested in cragging, or also in more backcountry/alpine climbs?

Tuolomne will be nice (though, again, crowded), there's some free stealth camping nearby just outside the park, and the approaches are all pretty short. If you don't mind some hiking, the Incredible Hulk near Bridgeport supposedly has some good climbing. The Owens Valley (Bishop to Lone Pine) has plenty of free camping and uncrowded backcountry climbing; you wouldn't run out of entertainment in the Palisades or on Mount Russell.

As for your rig, I second what someone else said about being able to sit up inside. I can't in mine (an old 4Runner), and it's annoying. If you go with a pickup+shell, I would try to have a full-height space on one side to sit/sleep, and gear storage on the other, preferably secured so things stay put on rough roads. If you don't need high clearance or 4WD, an old minivan with removable rear seats has way more headroom and overall volume, making this a non-issue.

Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

What about a minivan as opposed to a light truck - you know, keeping everything in one unit and feeling like you're full in-doors, not to mention the superior gas mileage?

Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270
Jon Frisby wrote:What about a minivan as opposed to a light truck - you know, keeping everything in one unit and feeling like you're full in-doors, not to mention the superior gas mileage?
Or like a chevy suburban
Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

Anyone know what the New would be like weather-wise in late May? I get to Rumney enough that it would be better to get to a new place if possible

sherb · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 60
Eric Engberg wrote:Since you asked for advice on anything I'll give you some in the form of a question - how serious are you about passing the bar?
I like how the OP ignored this question. When I took the bar exam I had bar classes every day from the end of May to mid-July that prevented any traveling. I think they have video classes but it's nice to study with others who are also taking the bar. Of course, I hadn't "discovered" climbing yet at that time.
Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270
Ana Tine wrote: I like how the OP ignored this question. When I took the bar exam I had bar classes every day from the end of May to mid-July that prevented any traveling. I think they have video classes but it's nice to study with others who are also taking the bar. Of course, I hadn't "discovered" climbing yet at that time.
I don't feel comfortable talking about it on here, but I have it under control.
Dance Party · · Seattle, Wa · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 105
JCM wrote:It sounds like you want some advice/critique of your itinerary, so here goes: -You have some superb destinations on that list, but also some even-better ones that you are missing. You are also blowing the timing with several places. Smith and Yosemite are goddawful hot in mid summer; I would avoid them both entirely in July/August, unless you are part reptile. Lander, while high elevation, has the unfortunate aspect that much of the primo climbing faces due-fricken-south, which even at 8,000 feet can lead to uncomfortable heat. American Fork and the City of Rocks are both manageable in mid-summer, but a tad warm. Obed in September would still be a hot, humid, mosquito ridden malarial jungle. -Better options for high summer sport climbing include Tensleep, Maple, and Rifle. All have high elevation and a good shade situation. For Rifle, June is vastly superior to July/August due to summer monsoon. For trad climbing in summer, Squamish is king, especially in July/August. Tuolumne Meadows is another top choice. - Climbing partners are super easy to find in the summer in Squamish, Rifle, Maple, and Tensleep. All with have a major dirtbag scene, with tons of people to climb with. Also, all have a good campground scene in which to meet people. In place like AF, Lander, etc., there is less of a camping scene, so partners aren't quite so stupidly easy to find. Yosemite is easier to find good partners in the prime season (i.e. fall); anyone there in mid-summer will have seriously questionable judgement (or may be actually a reptile). -If you are new to trad climbing, going straight to Yosemite is a rough intro. Squamish would be a much better place to get some trad/multi experience under your belt, plus the camping and scene is mellower. Squamish is like a smaller, friendlier training ground for Yosemite--and the climbing is just as good. After a month in Squamish, you'll be ready for Yosemite. -Here would be my ideal itinerary. It takes into accound driving distance, and ideal weather. It front loads the sport climbing (get strong first!), then finishes with more trad climbing. I've done bits and peices of this itinerary over the last few years; this is how I would combine the highlights for an optimized summer: End of May in Rumney (or skip it and head directly west, whatever) First two weeks of June in Rifle Second two weeks of June in Maple (plus maybe an AF or Uinta visit) First two weeks of July in Tensleep (plus maybe Lander) Second two weeks of July and First two weeks of August in Squamish (totally, 100% worth it to spend at least a month there). Second two weeks of August, perhaps into early September, in Tuolomne and/or the High Sierra. Lovers Leap (Tahoe) also worth a few days. Yosemite in September for the better weather; stay as late as you can. If you are still on the road come October, go to the Creek or the Red -And yes, a Tacoma with a shell and sleeping platform is a damn good road-trip vehicle.
If you're driving south from Squamish to the Valley, it'd be a crime to not stop at Index for a few days on your way south.
Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

Hey folks
Situation is looking fairly clear, just looking for some final tweaks (and partners!!!)
NRG May 20-30
Rifle June
Lander area July
Squamish August
Rumney September (unless the red magically gets cold early)

I found an 04 AWD Honda Element and am going to do a platform, and maybe a gate hitch. Please feel free to spray beta on secondary batteries, where to shower, car living generally, etc.

Dale Storti · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2012 · Points: 100

Hey Jon,
I was planning on heading to squamish for basically the month of august, and my partner just bailed on me. I'm mainly a trad climber, and would like try some of the harder/longer routes there, but im super laid back and would be down to boulder or sport too. I'd be flying into van like the last week of july and would stay through august i believe. It'll be my 2nd time there, let me know if you'd wanna link up? emails dalestorti@gmail.com

dawson80 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2016 · Points: 0

wonderful program I few years ago I did something very similar

Jon Frisby · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 270

Hey folks - just wanted to give a big thanks to anyone who posted advice here. I never made it to Squamish, but had the best 4 months of my life in Rifle, Wild Iris, and Ten Sleep. Oh, and I passed the bar!

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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