Trip destinations coming from michigan??

1. I live in michigan and climb mostly in the gym and on a small wall at home although i like to visit grand ledge when i can. Just got home from my fourth visit to red river gorge in kentucky. Such a beautiful place but i would like to begin branching out my climbing experience. Where should i plan my next trip? Is there anywhere as close as the red with enough climbing to fill a week? (Sport or trad but not looking for a bouldering destination)

Lions head in Canada is absolutely gorgeous and definitely has enough to keep you busy for a week or so, free guide book as well. Super gorgeous area right on one of the great lakes, I forget which now...
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The New is very similar to the red and about the same distance, also some sweet whitewater rafting/kayaking for rest days if you are in to that sort of thing.

The upper peninsula of MI also has some stuff, I haven't personally been but have a buddy who talks it up a bit.

Given that Michigan is a good-sized state, which areas are most accessible to you is somewhat dependent on where exactly you live within it. An earlier poster mentioned Lion's Head in Ontario (on Lake Huron), and that is definitely a wonderful location, though fairly difficult to navigate as you approach from above so it is often quite difficult to locate the various climbs. However, while the biggest and best of them, Lion's Head is just one of many cliffs along the Niagara Escarpment, which runs from near Niagara Falls all the way to the end of the Bruce Peninsular (where Lion's Head is located), so if you head in that direction you will find a good selection of crags to check out--much more than enough to keep you busy for a week!!! The rock is limestone of varying quality on the different cliffs, some are bolted for sport climbing, some are trad, while others favor top-roping. It is also a very reasonable summer destination.

Heading in the opposite direction, as also mentioned above, the New River Gorge/Summersville Lake is not that much further than the Red and is definitely a worthwhile destination, offering climbing that is quite different in nature. While the rock at both areas is sandstone, that at the New is generally of a 'harder' consistency and tends to fracture more horizontally with a high preponderance of vertical face climbs, horizontal roofs, and splitter cracks, with an about even proportion of sport and trad climbs. If you are willing to drive a bit further into West Virginia, Seneca Rocks is an amazing trad climbing area in a beautiful location.

The Upper Peninsular of your home state has very impressive cliffs of basalt rising right out of Lake Superior as well as various crags of igneous rock hidden in the forests inland. The majority of the climbing there is trad (though top-roping is also common) but some areas are bolted as well. Further around on the Canadian side of the Lake (around Thunder Bay) are numerous other impressive cliffs offering numerous routes.

All within a "Midwest climber weekend" striking distance from the D.
Devil's Lake
Necedah, WI
The MAD
All those SW Ontario crags (lots!)
All those Northern Ontario crags (lots more!)  (think north and east of the Soo)
Marquette county climbing plus further west in the Keweenaw and or Silver Mtn.
Seneca, WV
The New
The RRG
Jackson Falls (plus all the other Carbondale/ Soill climbing)
Robinson bluff (St. Louis area)

It's all just, how much do you want to drive...

To fill a WEEK!??  Colorado, Black Hills, Devils Tower.... Not “as close as the Red” but certainly within reason if you are going for a full week. I’d prob hit most of the other mentioned places even if i only had a 3 day weekend

Have you noticed the map feature at the bottom of the mp home page?  If you are just interested in knowing what else is out there near you, this is a great place to start.

Thanks to you all i have much climbing to get to

Dylan B. wrote:

The Adirondacks and the Gunks are far closer to Michigan than the places you mentioned, even starting in the Southwest corner of the state (maybe not from the westernmost UP).

True. I just have it ingrained in my mind that Mordor lies to the east, and the fair land of the elves is off in the sunset to the west.... so my compass pulls that way. :)

Having lived in climber's hell (Michigan) for 22 years, I can related to the dilemma.  The Escarpment is not that far away though, so work through those crags.  I love Lion's Head, but there is so much more.  Mt. Nemo, Buffalo Crag, Devil's Glen, Metcalf, even loved-to-death Rattlesnake Point.  There are hundreds of quality sport and trad routes.

Isaac LaPrad wrote:

1. I live in michigan and climb mostly in the gym and on a small wall at home although i like to visit grand ledge when i can. Just got home from my fourth visit to red river gorge in kentucky. Such a beautiful place but i would like to begin branching out my climbing experience. Where should i plan my next trip? Is there anywhere as close as the red with enough climbing to fill a week? (Sport or trad but not looking for a bouldering destination)

Tettegouche State Park on the north shore of Lake Superior, about an hour north of Duluth!