Pine Valley Rock Climbing

There are little plaques or small rocks with route names/grades written at the base of each route for easy navigation of routes. You can download this viewable Google Sheet with the updated route list and with those two things you can easily navigate the wall. A visual topo is hard to use since you tend to be right next to the cliff and cannot see a route very easy from the base. This list can be updated by the developers as things change. Some of the harder routes has only seen a couple ascents, so grades are subjective. 

Route Google Sheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheet…

Season:

In general if the highs in Pine Valley are above 50, you’ll want to climb in the shade. Below 50 and I’ve never been too cold as long as it is sunny.

Summer: Routes start going in the shade around 3pm and the shade starts on the Unemployment Wall and then moves along the wall as the day goes. Can be climbed for about 6hrs in later part of the day in the summer. Can cool off in the river down below. You can follow a trail to the river at the base of the Red Queen. 

Winter: Dead of winter is the ideal season, though it feels counter-intuitive. The wall goes into the sun at 9:30am and starts going into the shade around 3pm. The further right down the wall the longer you stay in the sun. You can climb here all winter as the wall becomes a solar oven. High's in Pine Valley even at or below freezing can be t-shirt weather at the wall as long as it is sunny. If it has snowed, give the wall one day of sun to melt snow off any ledges before going. You often wear the most layers walking from the car to the wall due to not having the wall to warm you up. Don't bail when you get out of the car, you'll be warm at the wall. 

History:

Pine Valley has seen little attention in the past. Several climbers have rapped in, climbed a few routes, and determined that it's not worth it. Many years ago, some local climbers got exited about it and put in a handful of sport, trad, and mixed gear routes. As the the vegetation below is thick, requiring lots of bushwacking, their approach to route development was to spot a line from the river, rap in and stomp down the area, set the route and then climb out. In the spring of 2011, armed with clippers, a hand saw, and a lot of time, a trail was built which follows the cliff line. A walk down descent was found and a rope assist put in. After that route development began and there are close to 100 routes established. 

About:

Pine Valley is basalt climbing near a river with ponderosa pine. Mostly sport climbing with a decent amount of trad lines. A double rack to 3-4" should be fine for most trad lines. This area has a lot more friction than the basalt at Black Rocks and is mostly technical face climbing with routes up to 100 ft long. Cliff starts going into the shade around 2 pm and is fully shaded by around 4 pm. Temperatures are typically 15 degrees cooler than St George. There is also a good amount of potential for bouldering if one were to do some exploring. 

Warning:

There is a hand line system to get down to the crag. With some spotting/guiding, people have been able to get some dogs in and out with a bit of effort in a few spots, though I would not consider the approach dog friendly. As with all basalt cliffs, please watch out for rattlesnakes getting a tan in the sun. Great Basin rattlesnakes tend to be non-aggressive. We try to keep the trail cut in to help you watch your step. Basalt climbing can have ledges at times, so a helmet can be a good idea. All established routes have chain anchors for threading and lowering the last person. Basalt can be hard to read when a route doesn't have chalk on it. Give yourself grace, it is a hard style to onsight!