A 5.6 tour of the USA?

Becky route, Church Dome.

North Ridge Lone Pine Peak.  Full day of 4th and low 5th terrain and a few pitches of 5.6-5.7 ending at 13K feet.

The North Face (or Left Eye Brow) of Sugarloaf in the Organ Mountains is really hard to beat. Beautiful and remote setting, no crowds, and 1,500’ of impeccable white granite. This is really the best low 5th class route I’ve ever done.

Ellingwood Arête/Ledges on the Crestone Needle is pretty cool also. I believe that it is 5.7, but it is super casual.  

The Needles in South Dakota have a bunch of moderates and it’s a pretty magical place

Along with the previously mentioned Solar Slab and Cat in the Hat in Red Rock, Geronimo and Physical Graffiti are worthwhile. 

Sharkstooth in RMNP

Michael Catlettwrote:

Ditto Nick's point about Seneca

agreed, except for maybe Green Wall? Didn't it start out as a 5.6

Green  wall is the  only  Seneca 7that I have  done  that would be a 7 in NH,NV,ME, VT,WY, SD etc..  

It is hard to believe that we are well into the second 'page' on this topic and no one, except for the OP's reference to High Exposure, has mentioned the Gunks!!!! The Shawangunks likely holds the largest and most concentrated collection of easily accessible, quality 5.6 and below routes of any climbing area, anywhere. OPs 'friends' can easily expend the entirety of one of their trips on those cliffs and not exhaust the possibilities. I won't mention specific routes just follow the 'stars' in the guidebook (of which there is a fairly new one for the main crags) or the recommendations on here.

Elsewhere in the Northeast, the Adirondacks in upstate NY, is a huge area, with many backcountry crags, but there are several accessible areas with good routes in the grades of interest. The Keene Valley (off Exit 30 on the Northway--I-87) is pretty much the heart of Adirondack climbing, with Chapel Pond Slab and the surrounding formations being both the home to some very good easier climbs and very close to the road. If they are willing to bump up their grade by a point to 5.7, not too far from Keene (heading towards Lake Placid) Pete's Farewell is another excellent roadside climb that isn't too hard for the grade (and despite being graded 5.8 in the current guidebook, I don't recall the adjacent EL being any harder). The Main Cliff at Pokomoonshine, about 20 miles north of Keene, has nothing worthwhile in the grades of interest, but Catharsis on the Poko Slab is one of the more delightful romps I've done at 5.5. In the southern Adirondacks, Rogers Rock, literally above Lake George, has several good slab climbs of those grades, Little Finger being the most classic (with the '5.8' crux being easily bypassed), with the added adventure of a canoe trip there and back.

In New Hampshire, the North Conway area is the major climbing center, with the Standard Route on Whitehorse Ledge offering a long classic 5.5/6 slab route, with several others of a similar grade nearby. Next door, on the steeper Cathedral Ledge, Thin Air is a super popular and varied face climb--get up early or be prepared to wait. A bit to the right, Standard Route is definitely burlier, but still rated 5.6--and a very historic route. Over in Franconia Notch, Cannon Cliff definitely has a more difficult approach up a big steep talus field (strong evidence of the cliff's reputation for occasional large rockfalls) but despite that, Lakeview on the slabs on the right side of the face is a good outing. The lower pitches are fairly nondescript, but the finishing A Cheval and Corner pitch is spectacular and well worth the effort below--and you can see the remains of the late Old Man of the Mountains right next to you.

Acadia National Park in 'downeast Maine' is quite far from the other areas, but still very much a place worth visiting with its conjunction of mountain and ocean. The short, semi-tidal Otter Cliff is very popular, with many pitches of 5.6 and below--with the various Wonderwall variations being personal favorites. Most climbs there are usually top-roped but leading is possible. A bit more inland, but still overlooking the Atlantic, the South-facing Wall of the Precipice on Champlain Mountain has Standard Route and Story of O, two good multi-pitch routes in the 5.5/6 grades. with the shorter Wafer Step on the Central Slabs also being very pleasant. Even more inland the Regular Route on South Bubble above Jordan Pond is worthwhile, with a choice of exits.

This should be enough to convince OP's friends to include the NE on their tour or tours.

Jay Andersonwrote:

My mostly-old but very-fun crew will be in the Lodge at Castle Rock the last week of June.  Drop by for a cocktail on the lawn if you're there that week.

Ooooo! Pretty cush! I don't remember the Over 50 dates, but, it's a for sure maybe! Pass on the cocktails, but very fun is....fun!

H.

I guess the gunks got passed over in all these recommendations because it's a foregone conclusion they're the best easy trad crag out there? There's no better place to just shut your brain off and climb pitch after pitch of outrageously steep, ridiculously easy (for the exposure/angle) climbing. As someone who loves getting into the flow and just moving without thinking, I had so much fun on Madame G's, Something Interesting and the Strictly->Ceiling linkup i literally laughed out loud climbing them.

As a visual reminder:

Great video. And, yes, the Gunks is definitely at or very near the top of the list--both for the climbing history and the climbing itself. I've always wanted to go there. It may deserve a couple of trips. Avoiding the crowds sounds like the crux of the issue.

EDIT: And Alan, thanks for convincing me to head northeast!

There’s a handful of nice 4s and 5s at the Gunks that qualify as 6s anywhere else. Easy walk on the carriage road. 

Norma's Book at the City is my single pitch fav 5.6.  

Not to diss the Gunks 6's, I agree that Madam G, High E and Shockleys are awesome, but Thin Air at Cathedral is pretty cool. Whitney G at Cannon is 7 so maybe doesn't count, but full value .

www.mountainproject.com/route/105735809/cosmic-wall   A bit of a hike but its just off I-5 halfway between JT and Index with a nice campground you can hike from.

A northeast addition that may be worthwhile is the A.M.C. Route (5.6) on Tumbledown Mountain in western Maine. Lots of hype from those that climb it! The Northeast Ridge of The Pinnacle (5.7) on Mount Washington is also very popular, especially for the exposed Fairy Tale Traverse. Both are a bit less roadside than many other suggestions for the northeast. Another suggestion just a bit harder than 5.6 is of course the Whitney Gilman Ridge (5.7) on Cannon Cliff and the West Chimney (5.7) of the Eaglet. Some of these suggestions are very important climbs in modern North American climbing history, considering they're like 80-100 years old now and represent some of the first roped rock climbs on the continent. 

The Trap Dike in the Adirondacks is a great 4th class outing too in a beautiful part of the High Peaks region.

The Canine (5.6) on the Dorian Tower in Ontario is also an interesting aside but not in the USA obviously

Nol, I like your mention of the importance of climbing history. Part of the joy would be in retracing the steps of previous generations and imagining what such a climb would have been like with the footwear and gear they had at the time. Impressive, bold stuff.

Exum Ridge on Grand Teton fits. 

...nothing harder than 5.6?  Yes.

..doesn't have the instant Mountain Project 4-star recognition, thus heavy traffic.  No.

..maybe routes in newly developed areas? No.

..shorter approaches would be preferable for those gouty knees and flat feet. No

...although an alpine route or two might not be out of the question if the line is gorgeous enough. Maybe 

...Asking for a couple of friends. Right.

The Upper Exum has a 6.5 mile approach, or so. With gear, it will be hard on old knees. The entire elevation gain is 7000 feet. Mount Moran's CMC route is less crowded and has an easy 5.5 route which you can dial down or up. You can rent a canoe fairly inexpensively to cross the lake which adds a little mix to the approach and takes weight off the knees.

Lol - 

N Ridge Spearhead, N Face Long’s

SE Buttress Cathedral, W Face Conness, NE Buttress Tenaya.

Calypso in Eldo…