Wandering to AZ, climbing on the way?
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We'll be on the road soon, headed from the Denver area probably for Tucson/Cochise. Instead of blasting down the interstates for 800-900 miles, we'd like to take some time and wander a little on the way. I am really unfamiliar with the climbing from Santa fe to ABQ to southern NM. Anything worth visiting this time of year? We'll be camping, so solar aspect is helpful, and after time off due to illness, I am looking at mostly 5.10 range climbing. |
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Why not head West along the 70, then cut down through Moab, Indian Creek, Flagstaff, Sedona, Phoenix etc? There are a bunch of other area along the way as well. |
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Thanks, good consideration there. We did pretty much that route last year. Thinking about a different route to see different country. |
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There's nice basalt cragging around Los Alamos. You can chase the sun and it's not crowded. Also, Bandelier Nat'l Monument is worth checking out. |
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Car camping (Sprinter van) for granite mt? MP guide says nada. |
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Paul Irby wrote:There's nice basalt cragging around Los Alamos. You can chase the sun and it's not crowded. Also, Bandelier Nat'l Monument is worth checking out.Capulin canyon looks pretty cool (for me, not so much for Mrs mountainhick) So White rock? |
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White Rock on a sunny side. |
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Yes, the White Rock crags were what I was thinking of. Plenty of bolted faces at the Overlook. Granite Mt. Is fantastic but it's also got lots of cracks and camping is tricky. |
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Mrs mountainhick aka mountainchick is OK for easy crack climbing up to 5.8, and I am happy to do some moderates with her, but she's not OK climbing where cracks are generally 5.10 and up. |
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I second White Rock. It's only single-pitch, but the south-facing black basalt is about the warmest thing you'll find in northern NM. Depending on exactly when you come through, the Shield on Sandia might be warm enough with a late start, and it has a bunch of long routes. |
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mountainhick wrote:Car camping (Sprinter van) for granite mt? MP guide says nada.Edit: I updated the GM page to specifically say it's all paved in there and any vehicle will do, as well as some info on the camping at the Yavapai CG. I'm curious...WHERE did you see anything on the GM page that says you couldn't drive something like a Sprinter? I'd like to fix it if its in there... Yup, Sprinter just fine. All paved all the way to the CG and the trailhead parking. Can get a site at Yavapai Campground, right there in Granite Basin. Don't know why someone above said camping is "tricky", unless you're trying to avoid camping fees. Watch the weather for Prescott to see what the conditions are like. Also (full disclosure), there's a 2.25 mile hike to get up to the crag. First ~1.75 is hiway trail, mostly uphill. Then you hit the climbers trail, which involves a little boulder hopping, but not that bad. Also uphill. You get all the work done on the way in, so all downhill on the way out. PM me if you want any beta or route recommendations. |
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You apparently read into the statement that I meant it said no go for Sprinters. That's not what I was saying. |
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Mountainhick, |
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mountainhick wrote:You apparently read into the statement that I meant it said no go for Sprinters. That's not what I was saying. It said nada about camping at Granite Mt. That is all. Thanks for the update. BTW, we rarely choose to camp in "campgrounds" preferring dispersed/primitive camping. That is where the 2wd Sprinter becomes a challenge.I did indeed read it that way. My bad. Dispersed camping possible around Prescott, but hard to beat the convenience of the campground right there. And it's not a sites-all-crammed-together type of CG, so better than most. And Granite Mountain is well worth a visit. |
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Jake T wrote:Mountainhick, You might consider Isolation Canyon outside of Pine in ArizonaIsn't it a little chilly for isolation? Same with Granite Mountain. It'll be snowing there by Monday. |
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Some northern NM areas that'll be good assuming sunny and highs in the 40s/50s: |
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You may consider City of Rocks State Park, NM. There are campsites around the outer edge of the boulder field. I've stopped there many times. There's not a lot of info regarding problems--that I know of, so enter the maze and find a rock you think you can climb. |