Joshua Tree Any info on first time camping and top rope, with a wife and baby.

I am passing through with wife and baby on way to SF, from colorado, and would love to do a quick climb. I have no real partner, besides a wife who can offer me a spotty belay. Any advice on a good campsite close to some easy set up top rope with a safe place for my wife and baby to chill while they belay.
Sorry to be a high maintenance pain in the butt, but this is my situation.
thanks for help.

Check out the Hall of Horrors and the Oyster Bar in the Sheep Pass Area. H of H is flat ground, not too much cholla and short approach. You can solo up on top and get some top ropes going on easy stuff.

Oyster Bar is a bit more of a hike through cactus gardens but flat terrain. Same deal: with a bit of soloing you can rig some top ropes. Bring 40 ft static cord for an extender. Both areas share parking.

Your baby may enjoy the west face of the Blob depending on if the baby can walk. There are couple short chute slides there.

Thin Wall in Real Hidden Valley is a great top rope area for beginners with a lot of variety. It's a fairly easy scramble to the top up the side to the climber's right. Most of the moderate routes on the right side require gear/cordelettes for anchors however the harder routes to the left of the right facing corner that splits the middle has a bolted anchors. This place is extremely popular and is very crowded on weekends. Good alternatives would be Indian Cove Campground (look at MP for easy routes, most are bolted sport routes) or Trash Can Rock (all easy slab sport climbs with bolted anchors).

Never camped in Joshua Tree so can't be much help in that aspect.

EDIT: Approach time for Thin Wall from the parking lot is about 5-10 min on a well maintained trail. Trash Can Rock is right next to the road with no approach. Climbs in Indian Cove Campground have no approach either.

Hidden Valley Campground

indian cove. climbs in the campground.

I recommend either Left Ski Track or Monkey on my Back. Both routes really represent Joshua tree and will give your family a good experience.

Thanks everyone, feeling the love. =)

I don't think I've seen as many rattlesnakes as I've seen at the Oyster Bar.

True story--I once saw a portapen, topped with another portapen, tied together with slings and baby sleeping away, all plunked down in the middle of Hidden Valley without an adult in sight. So there is that option.

You didn't say how hard or what kind of climbing you want to do, but there is a variety of climbing and camping available at Indian Cove, Hidden Valley, and Belle Campgrounds.

Craig,
I just sent you a pm. If it works out, would like to meet up with you to exchange belays for baby watching. We just moved from Colorado to the San Diego area.

Comanche wrote:I recommend either Left Ski Track or Monkey on my Back. Both routes really represent Joshua tree and will give your family a good experience.

OK, Comanche is kind of an a-hole, and probably feels his post was very clever. Both are excellent routes (and I'm assuming by Monkey...he means Figures on a Landscape), but not even remotely what you were looking for (though L. Ski Track is right there in Hidden Valley CG, though it's .11a and hard to protect at the start, which is the crux). I'd chime in with what others have said and stick with Indian Cove or HVCG.

semicolin1 wrote:Craig, I just sent you a pm. If it works out, would like to meet up with you to exchange belays for baby watching. We just moved from Colorado to the San Diego area.

Yes would love to meet up some time, then I wouldn't have to be so nervous about my wife's belay!

I heading out this saturday, but may not arrive til sunday. I'm staying through tuesday, I hear there might be some weather this weekend, 10/18 so maybe we can try and make something happen in the future maybe Feb or march...

I'll be out for the first time with toddlers in a couple of weeks too. What's the shade situation in the hall of horrors area? Is the area conducive for toddlers toddling around at the base (away from where gear would he dropped) or is the ground uneven?

Other good areas for kids with a wide variety of routes that are all top rope-able. All these areas are relatively or totally flat with "toddlin'" area.

Cap Rock (north side)

Castle Rock (north side)

Echo Corridor (usually gang banged though) - Can get on top of R.M.L on the road side I would think by rapping down on top of it. There is a 5.9 and awesome 10c on that block.

Peyote Cracks

Nuclear Reactor Rock

Stirrup Tank - Particularly Zippy Rocks Gargoyle and the 10c Canalizo on the left)

joshuatreeclimb.com/members…

toddgordon wrote:http://joshuatreeclimb.com/members/Climbs/children.htm

^^^ Quite possibly the finest example of "the good ole days" in the entire world...

Leaning towards Hall of Horrors, specifically South Horror Rock (where Lazy Day is). Is this a busy area? I know Lazy Day is popular, but not sure whether the other nearby routes get a lot of traffic.

agd: Hall of horrors is nice and flat and a good choice for climbing with kids. While Lazy Day is south facing and in the sun, much of HoH is north facing and in the shade, particularly the Nurn's Romp/Exorcist wall.

HoH can be busy on weekends but is generally less crowded than the Hidden Valley area because it is farther from the campgrounds. If you go during the week, it will likely be uncrowded. On weekends, it's more hit or miss, but you will still likely find some good unoccupied routes. Most climbers go there to get on The Exorcist, Nurn's Romp, or Lazy Day. Other routes are not so popular. In addition to the roped routes, there is also some bouldering to be found there.