Need Tahoe-area cragging suggestions

I'm visiting N California in a couple weeks for a wedding with my wife and two boys. We'll have a couple days after for exploring/climbing. Please suggest some crags with the following attributes:
- cool conditions (shady/high altitude)
- hard/quality routes (preferably 5.13)
- sport climbing
- reasonably safe for kids, age 8 and 4.

I know it sounds like a lot of demands, but Tahoe has a ton of climbing, so there must be a couple crags that fit the bill. I know about Donner Pass and will probably check that out. Please help me sample your spectacular climbing!
Thanks!

Mayhem Cove is a good spot for moderate to tough sport. More importantly, it's fairly steep and has cleaner fall potential than many of the other CA side crags. Big Chief (NV side) might also fit the bill.

Woodfords Canyon.. An old guide is available online for free. High Energy Wall, One of these Days Buttess both have some awesome harder sport climbs along with many others in the canyon.. I know Kenny Thompson has developed a wall out past there too with high concentration of routes..True Value Crag I think. He is on MP and would be a good resource

I've spent some time at Mayhem Cove, Big Chief, and Donner. Of all of those I think Donner is definitely the best. For high quality sport the Star wall is great for overhanging 13s and the Space wall has some very fun vertical 11/12s (be a bit careful on the approach, there is some old wire lying around). I haven't tried them but there are a couple nice looking sport routes on the snowshed wall too. Even though it is roadside the Roadcut has a few surprisingly good routes (Penguin Lust in particular). The only problem with these areas is that they are all afternoon spots that get sun in the morning. Donner is pretty high altitude but they can still be warm in the shade if it is a hot day (but no worse than mayhem cove). Big Chief is a morning crag, and might be worth one morning depending on how much time you have but I wouldn't sacrifice a day at donner for a day at big chief. Mayhem Cove has a good, steep 13a and it is also a really nice area to go hiking and swimming.

Star Wall near Donner. Good handful of bolted 5.12-5.13+ Warp Factor, Taste of Pain, Steep Climb Named Desire are all quality

Snowshed wall has a few in the 5.12-5.13 Range. Within a 5 minute drive of Star Wall. Cannibals, Pump-Lust etc. Panic in Detroit if you have some gear.

I believe the stuff at Snowshed has AM shade.

If you have heard of donner, then you probably already know of those areas...

- Luke

Donner, for sure. I would definitely avoid Big Choss, there's some decent climbing, but it's mostly short and sharp. The walls generally face west and roast after 12 PM.

If you want to follow the shade at Donner, I would check out Snowshed Wall in the AM, particularly the gully on the east side, with Cannibals, Pump Lust, etc. Then head over to Star Wall in the afternoon, it probably goes in the shade around 3 PM?

Both Snowshed and Star Wall are super easy access (driving and hiking-wise), the climbing is killer, and the walls have pretty kid-friendly bases to hang out at.

Other than that, Mayhem Cove is your best bet. Emerald Bay can be a total junk show though.

Woodfords Canyon is not exactly an ideal place for a 4 year old.

Mayhem and Star Wall -- good recs. Also maybe Road Cut although you'd have to watch your kids carefully and therefore may not be practical.

Just got back from there with my family, including my ten year old niece. Snowshed was great...Cannibals and Crack of the Eighties were both super 5.13s. And there were great routes for kids too, Esp on the right side of the cliff. Mayhem cove has Cajun Hell .13a/b, which was great, but nothing really for kids...it is an easy hike for kids though. Star Wall is great for hard stuff and an easy hike, but again nothing for climbers who climb below .12.

My favorite .13s in the area were Cannibals, Cajun Hell, Steep Climb Named Desire, and Crack of the Eighties.

Wow, thanks do much for the great beta! I don't need climbs for my boys, just need to make sure there aren't dangerous cliffs they can fall off of, or highways to run into.

What time of day does Mayhem get shade?

Mike Anderson wrote:What time of day does Mayhem get shade?

Probably noon or one it starts going into shade. Beautiful nook of Lake Tahoe too there in Emerald Bay.

If you are there in the week, parking won't be an issue. Grab a space off the road, or pay the $5-10 they charge you in the trailhead lot.

Mayhem itself usually only gets a couple parties at a time and probably not on the routes you are looking at.

Another option may be the Emeralds? Larry Land, Bowman Lake Crags, etc.. I know they are getting some hard, bolted granite done, but you'd need a tour guide. Not sure on the hang for kids.

Cannibal's gully at Snowshed is north facing and great in the am and evening. Houses the best 5.13 in the Donner region, Pump Lust, and Cannibals ain't too shabby either.

Star Wall high quality as well with lots of fun variations like Bronco, Warp Factor, Steep Climb, and if you nail down those first 2 quickly then you only need to learn about 20 ft of additional, though really hard climbing to get Steep Climb.

Another great spot is Bowman Lake at the B-Word crag. It's probably less than an hour from Donner going west down I-80 with 20-30 mins of dirt road driving. It's away from the crowds, situated above Cabin Creek, and has a series of great climbs L-->R 13a, 13a/b, 12c, 11d, 12a, 12c and would be a nice day trip with the family. You can car camp right at the crag as well. Better climbing than Mayhem in my opinion unless of course you're right there in South Tahoe in which case it's a real schlep.

Columns of the Giants is about 1.5-2 hrs from South Lake and has a number of burly steep blocky 13s but bring your kneepads.

Have Fun