Bozeman vs Flagstaff?

The time has almost come for me to make a decision on where to go to school. I mostly am making that decision based on location, and my top 2 picks are NAU in Flagstaff or MSU in Bozeman. Ive spent time in Bozeman before, but only ice climbing and skiing, not on the rock. So basically my question is, how do the 2 climbing area compare? I like climbing everything except sport routes. They both look like they have excellent climbing, but with Flag having the clear edge on mountain biking and running, and Bozeman having the clear edge as far as skiing and mountain expeditions. Also which one is the least like Boulder? Thank you

PS how is the climbing in and around Logan, UT? It looks like it might be an area with good recreation and central between the desert and the big mountains

Bozeman is a good place for rock climbing. We have quite a bit of climbing within an hour of campus. There is more climbing than Mountain. project shows. The local gym is very active, so finding partners is easy. On top of local climbing, there are a some good areas within a reasonable drive: Ten Sleep, The Fins, City of Rocks, etc. Rock types vary but it is mostly limestone and granite. Rock climbing can be found almost year round. There is an area about 30 minutes from town that gets very little snow and is south facing so on a sunny day you can comfortably climb in February.

Sounds like you already know about the winter so no need to tell you all about what it is like

Also, I don't think Bozeman is like Boulder. The population is way lower and you will rarely have to wait in line for a route. Cost of living is a bit high but it is a mountain town so what can you expect.

I cannot speak very well to Bozeman or Flagstaff as I have only visited, but I just spent 6 years living in Logan getting my BS. If you don't like sport routes the climbing there isn't for you. All the good climbing is steep limestone climbing and the few trad climbs are choss-fests. The skiing is good if you don't mind breaking in skin tracks or occasionally crosssing paths/hitching rides with snowmobilers to get the goods.

The mountain biking there is really good and you can adjust elevation to suit the heat pretty well. As far as central location in my opinion it can't be beat except perhaps by SLC: 4 hours to the creek, 3 to the Tetons, 5 to Bozeman, 90 mins to Snowbird/Alta, 7 hrs to Red Rocks, 6 hrs to the front range, 4 hrs to the Sawtooths, and 8 hrs to the Valley. To be fair to get most of those places you drive through a whole lot of ugly nothing in between.

The town is pretty large ~100K in Cache Valley when USU is in session, but the committed outdoor community (read people who put outdoor recreation above their religious beliefs) is very small and you will get to know pretty much everyone in town if you are even sort of outgoing. Just a heads up, LDS (Mormons) make up 60-75% of enrolled students, and a lot of them became good friends (and good climbing/skiing partners) of mine, but if you haven't lived in Utah or Southern Idaho before it will be an adjustment.  

i always referred to flagstaff as a miniature boulder

  Any how the trad climbing there is good. Not a huge scene when I was there, which was nice.  And the school is good too as long as you go to class most of the time. I have a mechanical engineering degree from Bozeman. It was pretty tough but I don't regret it at all. Would have been easier if I went to class more. Instead I skied 120 days a year. 

Flag is nice. We have a big canyon nearby. 

I currently go to ASU in Tempe, AZ and have been to Flagstaff multiple times to climb and visited Bozeman because I applied to MSU. I am also from the front range btw. Would not say the skiing is at all comparable in Flagstaff at least coming from CO. I was genuinely surprised at how short the season was and neither of the two resorts are very sizable. However, the skiing is extremely cheap and by that I mean a season ticket is cheaper than a lift ticket to Any major CO resort (like $90 for a season pass I believe) If skiing is a deciding factor MSU is the place. However I would not say that NAU/Flagstaff seems like Boulder to me. Way less in your face Boulder hippy liberal vibe mostly people into the outdoors, not as basic Patagonia wearing Colorado wanna-be Californian vibes as well. Climbing in Flagstaff is honestly very good and very local to flag, The Pit, while most routes are sport climbs nearly all routes there originally were trad routes and many people still trad climb there not sure if that's what you're into but priest draw is also very close and has quality bouldering, Sedona is about 40 minutes from Flag I believe and has some good trad. Lots nearby for sure huge mountain bike community up there as well and obviously a large community of runners I've seen elite runners along lake Mary road a few times. Also Flagstaff has amazing food good restaurants and culture all throughout the city 

I've lived in both cities, went to both NAU and MSU. Both are good schools, both great towns,you can't lose either way!!  Both places you could go to class in the am and climb in the afternoon, But strictly from a climbing point of view, NAU takes the cake hands down.  The season is truely year round in AZ.  Montana winters can be long...

I currently live in Bozeman, I am getting my PhD at MSU. I would say Bozeman climbing is pretty great, not as concentrated as other areas I have been to though. There is nearly every rock type within an hour's drive. Lots of potential for new route development/adventuring. If you are looking for a place that is well rounded, I would say I haven't found anywhere better (I have lived in boulder for a few months). The ice is A, skiing is A, Rock is like a B+. Lots of opportunities to get strong here. Easy access to 4,000ft vertical trails. 1 super rad climbing gym, 1 super rad mountain fitness gym. 

I'd say if you are looking for mainly rock climbing, go to NAU. If you are looking for a bit of everything, come to Bozeman.

Goodluck!

Go to NAU. The thing that gets overlooked in "where to go to school" conversations is that school year is fall-winter-spring. You will get way more climbing done in fall-winter-spring at NAU than MSU. 

If you're really into hunting/fishing the decision would be a lot harder, but if not and you just want to climb and play outdoors, it's an easy choice IMO.

Thank you all for your info. The tricky thing is that the thing I would miss most if I went to Bozeman is the desert towers/Indian creek/mountain biking that comes with the desert. On the other side of the coin, if I went to flagstaff, I would miss the long alpine routes/skiing/mountain excursions that you get up north. Is the backcountry skiing in the mountains around Flag completely terrible? Or good enough to keep you going until you can make it up to Colorado or Utah?

How is the backpacking in the general north AZ area? Lots of variety? Crowded? not my biggest factor but something to think about

Rock quality around Bozeman is pretty damn good, however the winters are quite long.  If you're into ski touring or ice climbing, you'll be in heaven.  If not, you might enjoy Flag's longer rock season.  I'd say it really mainly boils down to that question - are you primarily a winter or summer climber?  Would you rather be striking distance from the north faces of the Canadian Rockies?  Or the walls of Zion?  IMO you've done a good job of narrowing it down to the two best possible schools for a climber.

Bozeman does have a great gym and a strong climbing community.  I moved up here over two years ago from SW CO to study geology and haven't regretted it for a minute (but I definitely like my winters long, cold, and icy). I have a lot of friends who have graduated from NAU and loved it too.

I wouldn't count on (rock) climbing more than a handful of days outside in Bozeman between mid-November and early April. Some people may disagree, but that was my experience. 

Also, go to class. No point in paying all that $$ if you're not. It'd be better to just take a year off school if you wanna climb/ski as much as possible. 

Logan, Bozeman, and Flag are all roughly the same in terms of population and access to outdoor rec, and last I was aware, their respective universities are all roughly in the same league as well (not talking about specific grad programs or anything).

If I had to pick one, it would be Flagstaff, hands down.  Longest climbing season, most diverse rock, and the closest access to mega-destinations.  Only in terms of mountaineering or skiing is it lagging behind the other two places.

If you are looking for a large outdoor community, ample dating opportunities, or nightlife, do NOT go to Logan.

Go to Bozeman.  That way your dad will come visit me more often.  

Your course of study should be more of a deciding factor though. You'll find plenty of good in both places.

1st degree's from CU, 2nd is from NAU, almost wound up at MSU for both. Flag tops the list for me because of easy access climbing (especially if you're wiling to embrace limestone sport - about 10min from campus), easier access mountainbiking, and surprisingly good skiing if you're willing to tour around. What I didn't take into account with Flag prior to living there was that Sedona is day-tripable and, lucky for me, is where I did some of the best winter climbing/riding I think I'll ever do. Closer to flag is the waterfall which is epic in the cool months and still being developed, and the peaks crag which is firing during the warmer months. There's a fantastic and extensive trail/fireroad network that connects the urban/suburban centers with five-star trails literally right outside of town. Can't really speak to Flag's similarities/differences from Bozeman, but its sort of a smaller, quieter, less liberal version of Boulder; central downtown dining/shopping area, overrun with students during the schoolyear and empty during the summertime (score), tons of outdoor adventure types year-round, more diversity with a interesting blend of hippy academics, rednecks, train-hoppers, river-rats, and navajo. The student neighborhood is more dispersed, still surrounding the school but with nothing like "the hill". Much more in common with the Goss/Grove area in Boulder. Like I said, I was really surprised with the ski touring just outside Flag - super easy access, light snow, and lots of it during the relatively short winter. I skied a few days at Bridger, and had way more fun skiing in Arizona, which is weird for me to say. The academics at both schools were comparable in terms of curriculum/professor investment, but CU has more student research opportunities for everything other than probably Forestry. Also, theres a level one trauma center in Flag where the healthcare students rotate - worth mentioning if you're going that route. 

flagstaff climbing community is a very closed circle, but there is a lot of rock. U of Utah has great access to skiing, climbing, biking, etc without being a typical college town

Hank G wrote:

1st degree's from CU, 2nd is from NAU, almost wound up at MSU for both. Flag tops the list for me because of easy access climbing (especially if you're wiling to embrace limestone sport - about 10min from campus), easier access mountainbiking, and surprisingly good skiing if you're willing to tour around. What I didn't take into account with Flag prior to living there was that Sedona is day-tripable and, lucky for me, is where I did some of the best winter climbing/riding I think I'll ever do. Closer to flag is the waterfall which is epic in the cool months and still being developed, and the peaks crag which is firing during the warmer months. There's a fantastic and extensive trail/fireroad network that connects the urban/suburban centers with five-star trails literally right outside of town. Can't really speak to Flag's similarities/differences from Bozeman, but its sort of a smaller, quieter, less liberal version of Boulder; central downtown dining/shopping area, overrun with students during the schoolyear and empty during the summertime (score), tons of outdoor adventure types year-round, more diversity with a interesting blend of hippy academics, rednecks, train-hoppers, river-rats, and navajo. The student neighborhood is more dispersed, still surrounding the school but with nothing like "the hill". Much more in common with the Goss/Grove area in Boulder. Like I said, I was really surprised with the ski touring just outside Flag - super easy access, light snow, and lots of it during the relatively short winter. I skied a few days at Bridger, and had way more fun skiing in Arizona, which is weird for me to say. The academics at both schools were comparable in terms of curriculum/professor investment, but CU has more student research opportunities for everything other than probably Forestry. Also, theres a level one trauma center in Flag where the healthcare students rotate - worth mentioning if you're going that route. 

How would you compare the backcountry skiing of Flag vs Boulder? obviously the skiing is a little bit closer to flagstaff than the good stuff in Colorado is to boulder, but what about the actual skiing? I have been somewhat unpleasantly surprised with the front range bc since moving here-the breakable crust, high winds, and bitter cold. Is there pretty consistent powder in the winter and corn in the spring in the San Francisco peaks? how much vert do the longest BC runs in Flag have? Thanks

Jack McNeil wrote:

How would you compare the backcountry skiing of Flag vs Boulder? obviously the skiing is a little bit closer to flagstaff than the good stuff in Colorado is to boulder, but what about the actual skiing? I have been somewhat unpleasantly surprised with the front range bc since moving here-the breakable crust, high winds, and bitter cold. Is there pretty consistent powder in the winter and corn in the spring in the San Francisco peaks? how much vert do the longest BC runs in Flag have? Thanks

I didn't have an AT setup when I was at CU, so I can't really compare the two.. Most of my skiing was in Summit co. and the Kachina don't come close to that. What I can say is this - while I was lucky to get a lot of days on fresh snow in Arizona, the terrain is pretty bland compared to the rockies/sierra; mostly glades and not a whole lot of huckable terrain. The snow stays pretty soft below tree line, but once you get above 11k-ish the trees break and the wind crusts the snow up pretty good. I think my longest single run was probably around 2k, but we would usually do a few laps throughout the day.

I definitely wouldn't reccomend moving to Flag solely based on the skiing, but factoring it into the mix of climbing and biking and its hard to ask for more.

Check out https://kachinapeaks.org/