Thanksgiving in Vegas

Hey all --

I'm going to Vegas for the first time this Thanksgiving, and would love some suggestions from locals or anyone who's spent some time in the area. I'll be taking one of my regular climbing partners and we'll be hooking up with my buddy who doesn't climb, but is in otherwise good physical shape, so I'd like to introduce him to climbing while we're there. I'm looking for:

-Decent easy trad routes (especially multi-pitch) 5.0-5.6
-Canyoneering (nothing requiring wetsuits or more than two ropes)
-Scrambles (I've heard Bridge Mountain is cool?)

Additionally, my buddy is in politics, so our vehicle for the weekend will be a Buick LeSabre, not known for its off-road capabilities.

I am aware of other tourist attractions in the area such as exotic dancers, casinos, prostitutes and buffets, so beta on those things is appreciated, but not as useful. Thanks in advance for your help.

We were there last Thanksgiving, so based on that I would suggest you bring cold weather climbing clothing if you are in the shade at all. Try to climb in the Sun, definitely, and get a very early start as it gets dark earlier of course.

As for the prostitutes, thank them politely and keep moving man. They can be persistent. You must be strong. Act gay, perhaps.

I've been out there a few times and, off the top of my head, can suggest Solar Slab, 5.5, and Cat in the Hat, 5.6+. Solar Slab faces south and gets very warm so if it's a cold Thanksgiving, it's a good one. Cat in the Hat also faces somewhat south and east if memory serves and is a really enjoyable route.
My girlfriend has an account on this site so I can't recommend any exotic dancers or prostitutes. :-)

Becareful of the locals, one missplaced step and you could be late for an early start to Solar Slab or the Cat.

If you see this guy - please tell him I need my rope back... thx

This link covers canyoneering in Red Rocks. dankat.com/swhikes/content.htm

I did Hidden Falls in spring 2006 and highly recommend it. I can try to answer any questions about it if you are interested. We hiked from Willow Springs parking lot because we didn't have four wheel drive either. Ice Box is advanced and contains keeper potholes and lots of swimming.

If you are fast, got an early start, and wanted a long day out you could possibly do Bridge Mountain before descending into Hidden Falls canyon. With the shorter days it is likely you would end up rapping the last falls in the dark though which wouldn't be cool, so maybe thats a bad idea.

Hey Matt --

Thanks, I checked out the site. If you've got any additional info on Hidden Falls, please feel free to share. Sounds like the anchors are pretty straightforward?

I visited red rocks once during thanksgiving. The climbing in the sun was great but the camping sucked. It was cold, dark and windy.

I personally wouldn't do it again and instead would stay at a motel, hotel...

Right on about the camping. Dressing for Mt. McKinley would be about right. Some years ago I did Cat In The Hat two days before T-day, don't be fooled into thinking it's sunny. The first pitches are on the shady side of the buttress, and then the sun was so low to the south that it barely got above the canyon rim to the south for the upper climb. In fact, the sun stayed just above the belays almost to the top. The last two pitches got lots of sun, but it was a cold, shadowed day. Pick an open canyon or try the rocks down south, Chocolate Rocks, Illusion Crags, east facing stuff on Windy Peak, etc. Solar Slab can't be beat for a longer route. There will be little competition for a campsite, that's for sure.
One I'd recommend for good sun would be Birdland. Sorry, I've never run into a prostitute on that climb. Could happen one day, though. Have a good visit!

A couple of thoughts on Thanksgiving conditions

1 -Remember that even a the red rock visitor center it is 3-5 degrees cooler than the temps in vegas and up on the rock it can even be a few degrees cooler than that

2 -Winter in vegas is unpredictable and can range from bitter cold to t-shirt weather so come prepared.

3 -Remember that the temps in the shade can feel cooler than those in the sun so if its chilly or even ok in the sun it can be a freezer on the shady side.

4 -I agree about the camping thing. Fortunately there are fairly cheap accomadations if you look for them.

Thanks, guys. Since my buddy lives in Vegas, I think we're going to crash at his place rather than camp, especially since the days are so short and the sun goes down around 4:30. I'm definitely taking your suggestions on the routes.

You should also look at Geronimo and Mister Z, in Juniper Canyon.