Saint George 

It is pretty lame nobody has entered any of the hundreds of hards routes that are in the saint george area!! Do you all really travel to send, or just to putz around??? Out of all the stellar routes in the area these are all that have been entered!! Whats up????? For instance the VRG is considered a saint george crag and has some of the best routes and rock in the u.s.. Why point people in the direction of black rocks or chuckawalla!! These are good cliffs but no where near the caliber as the gorge... Check it out sometime you might really find a differance!!!

You don't hurt my feelings.. As a matter of fact I just speak the truth!!! The rock in the gorge is bullet and as good as anything in the u.s... Open your eyes!!! Climbing in the gorge is know differant than climbing in crowded yosemite or zion.. As a matter of fact it is not crowded it is just noisy and if you can overcome that, you will end up stronger all around.. It is a beautiful place.. It is not my fault some congressman decided to put a freeway there!!! Another thing is I love all climbing has to offer! I have climbed routes all over from remote alpine bigwalls to side of the road sport crags. Don't start calling me an A@@hole until you know me... Or at least have gotten your facts straight!!!!! Thanks

Just a quick comeback on Clays spray.I fully agree on the quality of stone and routes at the VRG.It must be noted though,if you do not climb 5.12 and your into the whole wilderness experience don't waste your time.

There are some crags within an hour of the VRG that have nice stone/routes/views but in the end its still just sport climbing. (not that there is anything wrong with that)

The VRG's cool and all...but come on...there are far more beautiful and quiet zones in the Utah hills with HARD routes to boot.

With that being said...everyone should visit:

El Amate in St George. Family owned/operated authentic mexican food. Gorgeous presentation of the food, cheaply priced and they give you free desert at the end of the meal. Located on Sunset near the Albertsons. Go support these guys!

Seconding the El Amate comment. I eat pretty much every meal here when I'm in St George. It's just plain ridiculous that this place hasn't caught on with climbers because it's cheap and outstanding in an area with a serious dearth of Mexican food that isn't just cheap beans and rice drapped in cheese. My friend who runs a taqueria blog in California claims it's as good as almost anywhere he's been. I've pimped this to a lot of locals and have gotten comments back like "when we're on that side of town we like to eat at Bajios". WTF?!!!!

Admittedly, their lack of beer is a problem (they claim to be trying to rectify this).

Ernestos, right across the street from El Amate, has beer and killer food! Don't let the strip mall appearances fool you.

This introduction and description of the St. George area crags is in need of an update. The comments about the area lacking in true classics or not being a climbing destination is at best a minority opinion or at worst a complete misrepresentation. In fact, very few areas in the world can compete with the variety (limestone, sandstone, basalt, tufa and conglomerate) and quality (especially the limestone) of rock and climbs available in the St. George area. Add the proximity of Zion's big walls and SW Utah becomes a climber's paradise.

I agree that the description should be rewritten. The area is/has become a destination climbing area with more than a few classic routes.

Heads up.

I had my car broken into at Chuckawalla Wall in St. George Yesterday 20/28/11. My trad rack was stolen as well as a red Rab shell, and a brown OR puffy with Zion Adventure Company Embroidered on it. My girlfriend had her luggage stolen with her purse, all her clothing, jewelry, bike gear, sleeping bag, etc.

It never feels good to be violated in this way, and I want to offer a warning to be careful at some of these trailheads.

I am posting a list of what was stolen separately, but if anyone sees this equipment turn up please contact me. All my gear has purple duct tape, or purple paint on it.

Sad news: Looks like El Amate is now closed. Went there on 2011-12-10 and looked like it was being renovated for a new business.

El Amate is, indeed, closed. As is Scaldoni's and the weird coffe/music house back off Dixie Dr and the cool upscale coffee house in Santa Clara that were all outstanding. As thus, this trip to St. George has been a eating nightmare. "Like food you'd get in prison" is how one restauranteer put it about the kind of crap that gets served in most American small towns. St. George is one of the worst offenders and, I suppose, they deserve it since every time something decent opens up it goes under in a few years, no matter how stellar reviews on it are. Every restaurant I've been in this week has been packed and 100% God-"we can't even give this to the dogs"--awful. Exception is Xatava in the Kayenta housing development, which was very good and not crowded at all, meaning it's probably going to bite the dust soon as well. What the hell is wrong with these people? I guess this is why every time I ask a local climber for a recommendation the answer is the same "I stopped eating in restaurants when I moved here."

Found a GRI GRI week of March 11th at Soul Asylum. email me at doublelung@excite.com

There's no mention of seasons... What time of year does it typically get warm enough to enjoy climbing?

It is generally warm enough all winter at the sunny crags.

Dose anyone have directions to get to the BLM land it mentions in the description?

The BLM land suggested is the Curly Hollow Road area in Bloomington. This is about 6 miles away from Moes, closer than Prophesy, and just west of town. If you are familiar with the Bearclaw Poppy mnt. bike trail, it ends at Navaho Drive in Bloomington. If you were to continue on that gravel road, northwest, you come to wide open desert that is appropriate for dispersed camping for up to 14 days.

I have a question for a local folk with good area understanding.

I am an AMGA SPI guide and I will be spending a day or two in St. George, I have an interview. I have a friend coming with me who is fairly inexperienced but athletic. I would like to get him on a 5.6-5.7 route around 3 or more pitches, any suggestions?

Thank you,
Branden Michelkamp