Hey! I will be in San Diego July 11th till July 15th. Wondering if anyone in the area could give me some beta??

I live here and it's a tad hot for climbing. 80's at Santee, Mt. Woodson, Culp Valley. I will be out of town while your here, but Santee(4 min approach) is nice because people go here after work to climb. Mt. Woodson has a comparatevely long approach(30, steep and paved). It is also very complex and hard to find problems unless you know. Culp Valley is kinda out of the way, but has some solid climbing.

Alright! Thanks for the beta.

San Diego proper should be pleasant but the further inland you get (where most of the climbing is) the hotter it will be. Try and make it to The Tramway or Black Mountain if interested in bouldering - you won't be disappointed and temps should be at least 10-15 degrees cooler than the places previously mentioned.

Nice, how far from San Diego is it?

Depending where in San Diego County you'll be...

-2ish hours to Tramway etc.
-30minish to Woodson
-15minish to Santee

I know that's sort of vague, but it should give you and idea...ish.

Come on guys, San Diego's summertime gem is Mission Gorge. Shade in the morning and then go surf in the afternoon.

15 minutes from anywhere in the city. Short approach. Shade. Almost 200 independent lines. Trad. Sport. Solid rock and a few slick spots so you've gotta pay attention to foot placement.

Mission Gorge is great especially for a visiting climber. I would hate to try and discover Woodson in one day, besides you'd die of heat stroke in the summer.

Mt Woodson is a very nice hike and great for bouldering! The view at the very top at 2588 ft is breathtaking as well. The climb to the right of the lake starts out paved with some portal-potties and then the climb turns into a good workout going steep and high quickly. Bring a camera, you can see the ocean and Mexico from the top.

Is there a guide book?

It looks like you climb pretty hard from looking at your profile. I personally think you'll be underwhelmed by Mission Gorge. There are a few good lines there but they are rarely great. The rock can be slick. It's difficult to get a good pump there.

I'd suggest heading up to the Riverside Quarry if you will have a car. It's about a 90 minute drive. The routes are steep, long and awesome. The scenery sucks, but it is easily redeemed by the quality of the climbing. There's a good guidebook which is comprehensive and pretty cheap. Get an early start and you'll catch it in the shade.

There's a guidebook called San Diego County Climbing, or something to that effect, by Scott Kennedy and Chris Hubbard.

There are also pretty good online topos:
http://climbingsandiego.com/forum/index.php?topic=267.msg336>>>>>
http://www.climbingtoposofsandiego.com
http://members.cox.net/sandiegorock/

IMO, the online guides are great for what I've used them for in SD including Mission Gorge, Santee, Mt. Woodson, and Descanso. The book provides a good overall picture of the different locations, but misses some routes.

It is currently very hot in SD, especially inland where most of the climbing is. Mornings are great, but the sun comes fast. But that's what the beach is for, right? :)

Is Redd Dogg coming down with you?

I completely forgot Red Dogg! He's stuck at Rifle for the next week.

Thank you all for the beta. I really appreciate it!

Seeing how you've been climbing at Rifle, I would recommend _against_ going to Riverside Quarry unless you want to add trash, smog and sad scenery on top of the rednecks. There's good trad climbing up at Tahquitz and Suicide. Mission Gorge is not worth going unless you're really itching to climb. Woodson would be the place to go if you want some challenges, but the routes are short. You will soon realize how spoiled you're, living at Carbondale!

Tobin,

If you want to do sport routes then the quarry is great, albeit 1.23 hours from San Diego. If you want to toprope OTD boulder problems, then Woodson will take care of you for a week. If you want pure bouldering, Santee will suffice for a full day. As Chris mentioned, more distant locations like Black Mtn and San Jacinto are stellar, just much more travel time. For the latter, staying one night would really be beneficial.

-ATS

Santee it is then! :)