Devil's Lake Must Dos

So, I am going to be climbing in Devil's Lake. Well, kind of. Me and four buddies are going to Devil's Lake, and only two of us are climbers. I can't seem to convince the rest that climbing is God's true gift to the world. Here's the kicker, I've never been there. If I am lucky, I will have about day that climbing is an option, but they have to be on a hike. I need the must-do 5.7 and 5.8 climbs. Any help?

Hey Josh, there is so many great climbs at the Lake for you to do! The list just goes on.
One thing that I find cool about this web site is the "Best routes for you in this area". Click on that and enter the area, grades and star quality and MP spits back routes that fit the description. See if that helps.
Cheers,
Remo

Thanks for the advice Remo. However, I was hoping for a personal touch. I like hearing stories of the perfect line that is such a hike, helps me get all psyched. Was kind of hoping for more than a computer spitting stuff at me...you know?

I'm looking for climbs that are out of the way and in the 5.7 to 5.8 range. Being that I only will get on two or at most three climbs, I was wondering if there were any routes that deserve six stars. Top rope would be better, but leading doesn't ruin my day. Sorry for the confusion.

Hi Josh, (This is Mike that climbed with you in LaC.)

All of these are close to each other on the East Rampart-- accessed by the CCC trail. Your hiking buddies will like that trail.

These are all Classics and harder than their rating implies (IMO)

Brinton's Crack 5.6
Berkeley 5.6
Chicago 5.8
The Rack 5.7
Peter's Project 5.7 (and 5.9 Rightside)

Let me know when you're going, I might be there, too. Otherwise just pick a weekend day and I can show you around.

You might want to buy a copy of the Bible, aka "climber's guide to Devils Lake" by Sven Olof Swartling. It comes in handy.

Hey Josh,

I'm sure your hiking buddies will want to check out Devil's Doorway. In that case, there is a super-classic 5.8 just to the east of the doorway called Jolly Roger. It's totally worth doing if you're in the area.

If your hiking peeps want to check out Balanced Rock, Watermarks is another ultra-classic DL 5.8, and it is just below the actual balancing rock.

Actually, you could spend a lifetime climbing 5.6-5.8 at Devil's Lake. There are so many great climbs of that grade spread throughout the park.

So now that I've been to the lake four or five times, I would like to put in my two cents. The first time I decided to take the hikers with me on the east ramparts, and we just climbed really short routes that looked like a lot of fun. A lot easier to convince nonclimbers to climb 20-30 feet than 80ish with a lot of exposure. The routes weren't super fun, but the attitude was. Going back a couple of times with them, the best area that had something for everyone was Brinton's Buttress. Brinton's Crack and Berkeley were really fun 5.6's, and Boy Scout was a good way to get these com padres of mine more comfortable with some exposure. I really enjoyed Brinton's Direct, and Chiaroscuro was as fun to say as it was to climb. Also, if you are up to it, climbing Devil's Doorway's impossible crack led to an amazing few, not to mention the crowd that watched us made the climb feel that much more impressive. I was less than calmly told by some ethnic visitors to our great state that I must have (expletive) lost my (expletive) mind.