Hi Everyone,

I am doing a cross country trip this summer, starting in early August from NY State. I am a new climbed (leading since June 2011) and have never done a destination climb before. We will be passing through the Rocky Mountain States in mid-August and I was originally thinking of Vedauwoo for four days. But then I started looking at Montana's Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore as other places. Ideally I would like to get all three of them, but there is just not enough time. My wife does not do multi-pitch, and I am very solid at 5.8 onsights in NY and NC. We will also have a 1 year old dalmatian with us. While I am looking to climb from sunup til sundown, she is looking for more of a casual pace, so an area with the best scenery, camping, and dog-friendly facilities are the goal. We will be camping.

Any insight, thoughts, and suggestions are more than appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

Vedauwoo has great 'hang out' opportunities such as hiking, exploring, mtn biking, etc. Camping is plentiful and the weather is not brutally hot in August. However, the mosquitoes can be really bad.

Dave
First thing is Custer state park is in south Dakota. Custer national forest is in Montana. You want the south Dakota one. I would say Rushmore and csp is your best option. Close routes, dog friendly and great camping. Lots of moderates.

Check out Sylvan Lake Campground in CSP. Very convenient to climbing at CSP, reasonable drive to Rushmore. Not sure if they allow dogs though. Need to reserve way in advance. Lots of other stuff to do in the area, summer theater, restaurants in Rapid City, mountain biking, Wind/Jewell caves. If you are near the Evans Plunge swimming pool it's worth a visit, has a series of 'tarzan ropes' across one end of the pool, fun to swing across.
Mark

The three places are completely different in terms of the climbing that they offer.

I used to live in the hills and mostly climbed at the Needles in CSP. Lots of moderates but definitely trad you'll need to be solid at the grades you want to climb.

Rushmore is more of a sport area way more bolts per climb.

Vedauwoo only went there once found the 5.6 flaring offwidth to be a real grunt. Mostly crack climbing from what I remember good gear but stout.

Have a good trip.

Rushmore does not allow dogs. CSP does. I don't know about Vedauwoo allowing dogs or not.

Some of the best moderate climbs in CSP are in the Outlets area around Sylvan Lake. Like the previous poster said, be solid at your grades, there are no bolt ladders to be found in CSP. But stellar climbing!

For great camping near CSP that allow (well behaved) dogs, check out the Horse Thief Campgrounds right along the Needles Highway near Hill City.

Have fun, let us know how the trip went!

Oh, and check out the latest issue of "Climbing." A nice feature on SD in there!

i'd say come to the hills. the climbing and the views are great. lots of stuff to explore near some of the camp spots. wrinkled rock by rushmore is free and has more than enough routes within walking distance to keep you occupied for days. i'm always down to climb and show people around as well, i've got the guide book for rushmore and know most of the areas there pretty well. can't say the same about csp though...

Vedauwoo is all national forest land, and the grazing rights are leased to ranchers. If your dog harasses cattle, the response may range from dirty looks, through legal issues for harassing the animal, to a ranch hand shooting your dog. I've never heard of the last one actually occurring.

Custer state park, and the black hills in general, feature truly massive crystals which make the face climbing quite good, but crack climbing especially painful. Certain crags are off-hours only destinations to minimize traffic interference caused by climbers. Plan accordingly.

Custer state park is approximately 2 thousand feet lower than vedauwoo, so it will be quite a bit hotter. On the other hand, vedawoo will have mosquitos, and it sits right next to the interstate, so road noise can be quite loud. Neither Laramie nor Cheyenne is a large city in any objective sense.

Vedauwoo also has a reputation for stiff grades, in part because the cracks don't have many features for you to cheat with, and in part because climbs are flared, wide, steep, or some combination of the three.

Rushmore! free camping for climbers 3 min. from grate, well protected sport and trad climbing on some of the best granite to be found(better then J-tree and Towalame if you ask me) . There are a few cool 2 pitch spot climbs in the 5.6-5.9 range within a 5 min walk from camp, if you can convince you wife! I'v seen doges in the camp ground and climbing area every time I have been there, so I think it's ok. And if you get sick of amazing climbing in Rush, spearfish canyon(high quality limestone sport)is about an hour away, devils tower(world class basalt) is 1.5 hours away And if your sick well-protected climbing the CSP needles is about 30 min away.

I live in Az which has some of the best climbing in the country and I still head to Rushmore every Aug. to climb with friends from the mid west.

After reading your post and considering you and your wife's experience level and areas that you currently climb in I would say head out to Rushmore without a doubt. Ive climbed both areas and I enjoyed Rushmore and surrounding areas much more for the same reasons that many have already mentioned. (Good sport, bouldering, trad, scenery, and camping) There is also a lot of other things to do around the area as far as sight seeing. Vedauwoo was pretty great but you better be one tough hombre to climb "sunup to sundown" especially for multiple days. My North Carolina skin fell apart after an hour or so and that was with tape gloves....
Honestly, if I were able to pick up and move west I would probably head straight for the Black Hills. Its a great area in many ways. Have fun on your trip.

Wow - what a great flood of help - THANKS. First, yes, I did mean Custer in South Dakota, not Montana. I am very solid placing trad gear and solid at my 5.8 grade. My wife does not climb hard so the more 5.6 moderates the better. It seems that SD will be more variety than Vedauwoo and not so painful (off-widths). I think I will end of doing the days in SD and maybe a day and overnight in Vedauwoo to see it and give it a try. Keep the advice coming though, the more information the better.

Best camping, best single pitch (or linkable first two pitch) routes, best non-climbing activities. We will definitely be going to the Mt Rushmore Memorial (to climb as close to the faces as we can), but other than that we are totally open to suggestions.

We will be in the area starting August 8th.

Thanks,

Dave

Dave

This didn't register until I saw your 8/8 arrival date.

Just so you know this is going on that week www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/

Nothing against the rally it's a huge money maker for the whole area. But I always felt a little sorry for the folks who I could tell I had no idea what they were in for. Think the roar of Harely's 20 hours a day.

Is this going to effect the Mt Rushmore or Custer State Park area? Strugis is about an hour away from both places ... ?

Yes.

Every room, every pay campground, from Hot Springs in the South to Gillette, WY west of Devils Tower will likely be full up.

The thing is so huge it spills over and way beyond Sturgis.

Obviously they won't be on the rocks so it won't effect the climbing other then the sound coming from the highway.

Not to rain on your parade just thought you should know what your in for. Like I said I always felt bad for the folks who I could tell had no idea what they were in for. You could always tell the family's who had come for a peaceful vacation, by the scowl on dad's face, only to find themselves in the midst of a huge biker rally.

Not that there aren't family's who come out for the rally as well. And some of them intentionally stay outside of the main Sturgis area. Sturgis is of course the hub but they all do day trips around the area. CSP is one of the main runs as well as out to the Tower. And then those who can't get a place in Sturgis make runs up there.

It really is a boon for the whole area. Tourism is of course the backbone of the local economy and then to have tens of thousands of people come to spend money is a big bonus.

I had heard that every year after the rally some local Sturgis folks try to get the city council to cancel it for the next year. And all of the business owners show up and say they'll close the next day and leave if they do.

One painful bloody day in Voo', then spend the rest in CSP-Sylvan lake boulders area where you can easily branch out to Rushmore are if needed.

Don't worry, you don't have to be good at placing gear in the Needles (CSP) because there isn't any!

For your first trip or at least day, I'd suggest you climb at Rushmore to get a feel for the rock. Imagine those climbs with one bolt. If that seems fine, then head to the Needles/CSP. There are some AWESOME climbs at Rushmore. I think dogs are allowed - You're not actually climbing in the national memorial.

Rally is not the best time to visit, unless you're going for that event. If you do, be sure to have set plans for where you'll stay, because everything will be full.

The Hills are pretty awesome in the summer in general. If you hike a little, all the crowds will disappear...

edit to add: HAVE FUN!

Go to Voo. I can echo the statements about the Sturgis Rally - many locals here will leave that week in favor of quieter realms. Also, not only does it spill out spatially, it spills out temporally extending from late July to late August, with the second week in Aug being the peak. You won't get a hotel nor will you get a campsite with firepit. But there are many places to camp if you don't need a fire. Also there's this:

www.couchsurfing.org

The rally will not be an issue. The number of bikers is down and the amount of empty hotel rooms, campsites etc is up. You will hear the bikers and possibly get a free peek at some nude men and women. Have fun.

Booked Sylvan Lake Campground for four days - I think I got the second to last spot available. What is the best guidebook for CSP and Mt Ruchmore? Initial amazon.com search yielded no good results...

vedauwoo is a unique, western climbing experience. you don't want to miss it.

sylvan lake is beautiful! have fun, make the hike out to Harney Peak for some amazing views of the needles if you get the chance. Its the highest point in SD and has an awesome castle style fire tower at the peak, worth experiencing for sure!

Just correcting my statement about dogs at Rushmore. You can your dog in the climbing area if they are leashed:
www.nps.gov/moru/parkmgmt/upload/Climbing-Regs46-moru.pdf

The Needles have quite a few bolted sport routes and accessible gear routes despite its reputation. Absolutely do Tricouni Nail and Tent Peg for classic but non-scary Needles experiences. The sport routes up at Moonlight Ridge are fun and far enough from the highway so noise shouldn't be an issue. The Needles are higher than Rushmore and cooler on a hot day. Heat is never an issue though - you can chase the shade there very easily.

Recommended Climbing Routes in Custer State Park by John Page would be perfect for your trip. Routes at a good grade for you, selected to be reasonably protected and worth climbing. It looks like it's too thin to be useful, but don't be fooled. I don't know what's the best for Rushmore these day.
Mark

Andrew is right; there are great climbs all over the hills! You can usually get the guides/info/gear at Granite Sports in Hill City. Also, do not miss the Alpine Inn across the street for the best Napoleon - but bring cash. Lunch there is great, too.

That the rally numbers are down is good news for Dave and his trip to the hills. Not really great for the economy of the area tho.

Mark is spot on with the Page guide book. I remember seeing people with other guides always lost never where they thought they were. And people with the Page book standing under the route they wanted. There aren't that many climbs listed but enough to help you learn your way around the area.

IMO the Needles area only half deserves it's rep for scary run out climbing. While there are quite a few routes that qualify for an R/X there are also many safe fun routes. I always figured that after someone had climbed in the area for a while and got used to the rock they started getting on the scarier routes. When they got home they never told their climbing buddies about all of the safe fun climbing they did. Instead they would have sprayed on about the last couple of routes they got on.

I would add Classic Crack aka Kamp's Crack www.mountainproject.com/v/classic-crack/105714842 to the must do list. One sweet pitch of gear eating crack. Just don't try to jam the whole thing. There's plenty of face holds and no good reason not to use them.