Best 5.5 in the Country?

I'm posting this topic to collect the best 5.5 climbs in the United States. I've only climbed this grade in the east so I'm counting on you west side folks to chime in! The date grade revisited.

In my own personal expeiences:
The Mummy, Linville Gorge, North Carolina
Great Arch, Stone Mountain, North Carolina
Big Country, Red River Gorge, Kentucky

The Staircase in Elevenmile Canyon is often referred to as one of the best 5.5's around. Good climb.

Third Flatiron Regular Route, Boulder Colorado. 5.4. Screw your arbitrary rules and restrictions!

Edit: Swanson's Arete, Eldorado Canyon. But it's best approached by a pitch of 5.8+.

the upper exum, or cmc route on moran.
swanson's is a stellar one, also.

Right Parallel Space. Vedauwoo, Wyoming. Wear pants!

The best 5.5 that I have done is called "Right On"
in Joshua Tree California. First pitch is face with a spicy move to
a bolted anchor in a cave. second pitch comes out of the cave with a
roof move into a vertical hand foot jam crack to another belay cave.
Third pitch is a sideways angling chimney. Last pitch is vertical jugs. Descent is off the back via a bolted rappel station. You need
to be a solid 5.8 climber in my opinion.

The popular route, don't remember the name, on Cathedral Peak, Tuolumne Meadows.

A tad bit harder

Wolf's Head

Horseman at the Gunks is pretty cool for a short route. The Standard Route at Whitehorse is excellent.

I don't think the best 5.5 climb should be one for solid 5.8 climbers, but maybe I'm missing the point of the question. For true 5.5, I think Horseman at the Gunks can't be beat. If we're keeping to the date climb context, RMC would be an even better choice. That first belay is quite crowded and you two will be in forced close proximity. The climbing isn't bad either ;)

We all know that real climbing does not start until 5.10. By definition, all 5.5s are just gullies of choss that form weaknesses up crags, so they're all just terrible.

So, I would say that the best 5.5 in the country is the one that leads up to an overhanging splitter on pitch 2. Otherwise, you're just going for a nature walk.

This post, like climbing, is all just for fun. The routes that are coming are great. I know for a fact that there are classic climbs in the lower grades. Lets also not forget our roots! Climbing started with these lower grades, so technical climbing starts at 5.0.
How bout Kain Route, Bugaboo Spire, B.C.

technical climbing starts at 5.0 like astrophysics started with geocentrism.

Alicia Sokolowski wrote:I don't think the best 5.5 climb should be one for solid 5.8 climbers, but maybe I'm missing the point of the question. For true 5.5, I think Horseman at the Gunks can't be beat. If we're keeping to the date climb context, RMC would be an even better choice. That first belay is quite crowded and you two will be in forced close proximity. The climbing isn't bad either ;)

White maiden's walkway at Tahquitz. It's 5.4, but it is also 5 classic rope-stretcher pitches of great climbing. Probably should be able to lead 5.7 trad to give it a run.

Jake D. wrote: Horseman is cool but P1 of Bloody Bush is one of my favorite pitches. overhanging jug haul on 5.5 with tons of gear.

Upper Exum

Guy H. wrote:Horseman at the Gunks is pretty cool for a short route. The Standard Route at Whitehorse is excellent.

JohnWesely wrote: Horseman is an awkward pile.

Knapsack Crack on Hogsback at Lovers Leap CA.
Super mellow climb (my first trad lead and multipitch in one go), nice views, and the first ledge is a great place to eat lunch in the shade.

Tenaya Peak in Tuolumne Meadows CA
1,500 feet of barely 5th and 4th class (a bit more sustained towards the top), a serene location, and a great profile view of Half Dome at the top.

For something classic, though ~5.6 in rating, Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne. Way more sustained with straightforward route finding; the whole face is climbable if you don't mind something harder than a 5.6 once in a while. The topo even reads like a choose your own adventure book, but instead of trolls eating people there are marmots eating your Patagucchi sweater.