Possibility of/considerations for safe Devil's Lake trip

I'm living in the UP of Michigan, and I'm considering coming down to DL for a bouldering trip, and was wondering if it would be realistically possible to do so responsibly, and if so, what considerations are to be made? I'd go during the week, ideally camp somewhere remotely, and bring my own food. I'd only have to be in public to get gas on the way, and at the park itself. So, main questions:

How difficult would social distancing be at the crag itself? I know DL has an absurd amount of bouldering, so it seems to an outsider that there has to be some fairly quiet spots in there, but I know things like parking situations can make this more difficult than it seems.

What are good camping spots? Ideally whatever the most low-key car camping spot is, though I wouldn't mind a cool spot to hike into on a rest day.

Slightly more generic question, but what how limited will I be by being a solo boulderer? I've got a Mad Rock Duo and Metolius Session II, plus a sit start pad, so I usually feel pretty comfy ~15 ft above a flat landing as long as I can stay mostly upright. I could probably get a buddy to come down with me, but it'd make going mid-week harder. I'd also be down to link up with others but don't know if that would be frowned upon atm.

With two pads you should be able to get on a good amount of stuff in the up-to-V3/V4 range (judging by your ticks). North Shore, Flat Iron/Guillotine, East of the Trail and Burma Road would be good places to check out. Some of the classic problems in these areas are on the taller side (Big Bud, Slope of Dadaism, Classic Warmup) but falls can be safe with no spotter.

I definitely think this can be done. I would just choose carefully and hit up some of the locals on beta for safer landings. As for "remote camping..." you won't really find any.  There is no dispersed camping option in the area and no backcountry site in the area either.  Your best bet is to talk to Donna at Greenvalley to see if you can stay at their property.  She is awesome and loves climbers and I think she has a few tent sites by their pond. Otherwise, stay at the park in the ice age campground for most "remote." 

I’ve been mapping the bouldering areas since March (most of this is built into the MP maps feature) and have hardly seen anyone in months.  Rock climbing has not been particularly crowded, and bouldering even less so.  The most popular bouldering seems to be the North Shore and the Monolith areas.  Social distancing while climbing or bouldering has been less of an issue than I anticipated, frankly.

Trails are crowded on the weekends, but not during the week.

Yeah it’s been surprisingly chill even on weekends with full parking lots.  Way safer than climbing in the gym right now.  Bouldering would be no problem, there’s endless options.

Awesome, thanks for the help everyone! I think I'm going on Tuesday night and staying at the ice age campgrounds. Looks like it's raining today, is it a safe bet that most things will be dry by Tuesday afternoon when I get in? Also, are there any stores that reliably have the bouldering guidebook for the area? Thanks!

Dane Dingmanwrote:

is it a safe bet that most things will be dry by Tuesday afternoon when I get in?

Absolutely. I've seen the Baraboo airport get two inches of rain, and by noon the next day you can hardly tell except for a few spots.

Dane Dingmanwrote:

Awesome, thanks for the help everyone! I think I'm going on Tuesday night and staying at the ice age campgrounds. Looks like it's raining today, is it a safe bet that most things will be dry by Tuesday afternoon when I get in? Also, are there any stores that reliably have the bouldering guidebook for the area? Thanks!

Wildside in Baraboo would be worth a try.  As far as the rain is concerned DL Quartzite is bomber and...slick when dry, so climbing after it rains isn’t something to worry about.

Campgrounds are booked at park. Tried calling greenvalley, went to voicemail. Left a message, but can I reliably get a site there if I just go tomorrow? If not, are there other places I could camp without reservation, or should I postpone a day until I figure it out?

I'd for sure hold off if you're looking at a 5+ hour drive and don't have accommodations in place before you leave. There's been some cool new development closer to the UP than Devil's Lake, maybe check that out instead.

Dane Dingmanwrote:

Campgrounds are booked at park. Tried calling greenvalley, went to voicemail. Left a message, but can I reliably get a site there if I just go tomorrow? If not, are there other places I could camp without reservation, or should I postpone a day until I figure it out?

I haven’t stayed there personally but friends have and they haven’t had trouble getting a spot on the weekends.  Weekday should be no problem.