Road Trip Out West - Advice, Please!

I would suggest Independence Pass as the focus on the Colorado part of your trip. There's camping around and you can find partners/socialize in Aspen.

Chris Schmidt wrote:Mesa Verde you can see in like 3 hours don't devote 3 days to it. John Strand I'm curious as to where the "high altitude climbing" nearby is? Whether you wind up in the SW at the beginning, middle or end of that time frame it is going to be HOT. Look into some water sport options. Along those lines consider a rafting trip on the CO river. I would also make sure you squeeze in Telluride/Ouray they are two of the coolest mountain towns in CO. From there you could either go to Durango and then east or go to Black Canyon NP (equally awesome as the GC and way less crowded).

By nearby, i mean within a couple hours..Telluride, Ouray etc

Also a warning for the OP: I looked at the Google Maps route you plotted, and there is one issue...you have the wrong Maple Canyon, Ut in there. I only bring this up because I know people who have been hosed by blindly following their Iphone directions, and ended up hours out of the way, in the wrong Maple Canyon in the middle of the night. The one you want is further north, next to Moroni, Ut.

Definitely don't go to Moab in July. Save it for fall or spring. Definitively skip garden of the gods. It's tremendously lame.

I'd try to work in Mt. Rushmore/Custer State park needles area and Devils Tower.

+1 for a backpacking trip into the winds, it is wilderness, vast, and huge, it will blow your mind and you will find very few people, just be prepared to be self sufficient. You also might be able to find a partner in Lander down to go climb a moderate peak.

Unless you like guided tours Mesa Verde is not worth it, even then its a day trip. Moab is too hot in July and you'll want to be in shape to day hike the Grand Canyon since I'm pretty sure overnight permits book up a year in advance.

I'd toss more time into the Tetons, Zion, yosemite, etc.

JCM wrote:Also a warning for the OP: I looked at the Google Maps route you plotted, and there is one issue...you have the wrong Maple Canyon, Ut in there. I only bring this up because I know people who have been hosed by blindly following their Iphone directions, and ended up hours out of the way, in the wrong Maple Canyon in the middle of the night. The one you want is further north, next to Moroni, Ut.

Thanks for the heads up! That would have been disappointing if I went to the wrong Maple Canyon.

Oh well, it's raining, out comes the trolls, present company included.
Sounds like too much crammed in. I have discovered over the years and many a road trip, that time is best spent focusing on fewer areas with more saturation. Fewer places, more time.
A few points. Camping in Yosemite at that time of year is on reservation only, or camp 4, which is booked May-September. And trying to get reservations is mad. Go to the website and see, the whole world is trying at the same time. Very difficult to get them for that time of year, and the valley, the whole of the park, is so overrun, that it is hardly worth it. Btw, i am local to the valley, i climb there weekly October-May. Back country permits can be very difficult also, which are required and enforced.
All that said, i have never heard of anyone not completely enamored and blown away by the valley, crowds or no, and if this is 'the trip' to the west coast, it is a must see.
Have you considered Smith Rock? The West Coast Mecca for sport, usually plenty of camping, and plenty of people to hook up with. And if you are a beer drinker, Bend/Redmond is a brewers destination!
Owens River Gorge a class 'B' crag? Huh? I am mostly a trad climber, but the gorge is an easy place to get in a day or 2, free camping, and one must see the Buttermilks, if not boulder there. And the east side of the Sierras have some of the most beautiful moderates (<10) i know.
Tahoe/Donner are excellent when it is too hot in the lower elevations, great trad and sport, easy access, etc.
I agree the desert has a chance of being unbearably hot, i think any trip of this length will be best if dictated by weather.
If you are traveling with a device with which you can stay in touch with this site, you might consider winging it a little bit by way of crowds, weather etc.
And being a East Coaster, you might not know about another climbing site that is west coast-sentric, SuperTopo.
"Nuff said, enjoy the trip

Jen S wrote: which of these places would be easiest or hardest to find partners while I'm there? Thanks again! Jen

No guarantees anywhere on finding partners, of course. But the AAC Grand Teton Climbers' Ranch is always a pretty good bet, at the base of major trails up the peaks--a couple of days without driving?
americanalpineclub.org/p/gr…
facebook.com/pages/American…
friendsofgtcr.net/

Have a fine trip.

Muscrat wrote:Camping in Yosemite at that time of year is on reservation only, or camp 4, which is booked May-September....

Yosemite includes Tuolumne, where there's less crowds and spots to legally camp fairly close to the park without the hassle of the reservation system. Temps will be more pleasant than the Valley. Also, I am not a sport climbing, but I will make an exception for the ORG.

A trip into the Winds would be excellent, but try to do it as late in your trip as you can. This is shaping up to be a pretty good snow year in the Rockies, and it might take a while for trails in the Winds to melt out. Likewise, time spent in the Tetons would be time well spent, but save it for late in the trip. Forget Yellowstone, except maybe a day hike through some of the geyser areas. The good news is that all the tourists tend to cluster around Old Faithful, leaving lots of small geysers and pools for you to explore without having to deal with the crowds. I spent a few summers working in Yellowstone years ago, and the best part of working there was heading for the Tetons on my days off.

Definitely hit Yosemite, and if the crowds in the Valley get you down head for Tuolumne Meadows.

I would consider driving straight to Yosemite, spending a week or two in the Valley and/or Tuolumne Meadows, then working your way back east. The Valley gets pretty hot as the summer goes on, and the crowds get worse.

Have you thought about Zion National Park?

Like everyone said, your itinerary is awfully heavy on the driving time. Narrow down the list a little, and spend a little more time at higher quality destinations.

Don't plan so much. Gather ideas, then follow good weather. Believe it or not, rain can shut you down even in season. Bolted climbing in Wyoming includes not just ten sleep but lander/sinks/wild iris as worthy destinations for a week or more each. For a sport climber, that's 2-3 weeks of camping climbing bliss. Cold? Sinks. Hot? Wild iris or 10 sleep.

Don't forget the Grand Tetons while your in wyoming

berl wrote:...Hovenweep is an amazing alternative to the crowds of Mesa Verde. It's much smaller, but you get a very up-close look at the buildings and canyon infrastructure.

+1 This place is a gem.

Lots of great advice in this thread. Since you're mostly sport climbing, you should not miss Lander (Sinks and Wild Iris) while in Wyoming.

Hitting up the Needles on your way back is also a good idea. Plenty of fun climbing and great camping. Yeah, there's gobs of tourists but so few of them actually stop and get out of their car.

Awesome, thanks. I guess I'll just play it by ear on some of the national parks once I'm out there to try and spend more time at the places that I really enjoy. It would be great if I could fit in more spots in WY or SD (Devil's Tower looks amazing) but I don't want to overbook myself so I'll see how things go once I'm on the road.

Stop by the house for dinner on the way out...I'm in Belchertown, MA!

A couple things...Mesa Verde is a sight seeing attraction there isn't climbing. I would recommend 1 day there if you want to see the sights. Also, Moab in July is not the best idea as you could only realistically climb for a few hours early each morning and maybe late evening..its so hot there. If you are rolling through this way Durango has some cool crags.

A few things NOT climbing related- if you go a southern route out, I-40 has some pretty crappy sections...I-70 is super dull, but not many tollways..More north, I-80 is the fastest but has tolls for the first 1000 miles. Avoiding Interstates is just silly until you hit the Rockies.
After a couple of big drives leaving from Boston, I totally avoid Penn sylvania except for a small section up north..I start on the Mass Pike.

Southern utah..esp around Blanding/Montacello would REALLY like to pull over someone with MA plates

use the smartphone, follow the good weather, pick a destination and play it by year after the first place, stay longer at crags when having fun, you always have next year to hit other crags.