Have a chance to move to LA. How's the climbing?

Karl Walterswrote:

Shit I wrote the < sign the wrong way. I've gone just about every weekend this season. Usually camp on BLM land, sometimes take a day trip and get there mid morning. Just to be certain I checked with my wife and she noted that "we never wait we just show the parks pass". So, maybe 15 cars waiting until you get to the lane they cone off for pass holders. I'm sure it can get long, but I was responding to the hyperbole posted about it being a traffic jam. Most mornings we roll in around 9 and things are very chill. We were literally there on NYE 2022 and although it was insane finding parking in the park, still didn't wait all that long. The latest we have shown up during the year is 1PM and that was the line that was ~3min because it wasn't even the length of a full song.

It is pretty chill on average in my varied experience, sometimes you can get unlucky. 

I heard there was an approved plan to add lanes at the entrance which I'm pretty sure just makes things worse.

Karl is wrong. There’s no speed lane at Josh. Or at most national parks. And even where there is it’s often not staffed. One hour wait on Saturdays to get on. And the backup is on the 10 mile long road, park blvd leading up to the west entrance. It’s one lane north and one lane south. No passing. 

Andrew Ricewrote:

So now you're saying that the Quail Springs Entrance gate of JTNP is the worst thing about LA? Great logic!

I agree that one sucks but there's two other entrances that work for the climbing areas of J-tree and, also, if you get there early there's never a line. 

Sure, south entrance off I-10 is the best. Only an hour drive thru the park. West entrance has a line starting at 7 am. 

Not My Name, you can bring up other topics of interest if you’re feeling a bit lonely?

Merging Joshua Tree experiences with Los Angeles is like naming a baseball team “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim”.

Jioshua Tree residents may not like that, just as San Diego residents wouldn’t like to be lumped together with Orange County as “Greater South Los Angeles”.

So, onward with other topics of interest, such as climbing.   

Diego Climberwrote:

Karl is wrong. There’s no speed lane at Josh. Or at most national parks. And even where there is it’s often not staffed. One hour wait on Saturdays to get on. And the backup is on the 10 mile long road, park blvd leading up to the west entrance. It’s one lane north and one lane south. No passing. 

Literally showed up at 10AM this Saturday. They had moved the cones near the shoulder and had a sign for National Parks Pass holders to drive through. About the last 100 feet. Our wait to get to that point was not even 2 minutes. I was listening to my child's horrible playlist and we only had to listen to the Paw Patrol theme song twice and it's 43 seconds.

My friend came in at 11 and also had a pass and waited a handful of minutes.

The entrance was absolutely packed when we left at 5. The line starts after brunch when all the Tourons come in to take pictures.

Season is over but next time I'll take pics and document the duration. We have never had more than 6-7 cars in front of us before 9. I've gone in at 7 over a dozen times this year and didn't even stop because the booth was closed. You're really exaggerating at this point.  Maybe you had a one off experience or it used to be worse, but we have had no issues whatsoever. We even drove right into Hidden Valley parking and there were many open spots.

I go to JTree all the time. The line is often heinous. If you are a rock climber, LA is much better than the bay area or San Diego. If you are serious, Las Vegas is perhaps the best city in the country if you are a climber. 

Ned Ryerson wrote:

The climbing is great. You need to figure out the best schedule but pick a destination and get out there. So much rock within a couple of hours. I've managed to put up hundreds of first ascents in the last twenty years. Just in Joshua Tree alone

This is how I felt about living here. Was never an issue.

Similar to Fort Collins/Boulder. Even from Las Vegas RR is an hour to the climbs.

Try moving to London, NYC or even Boston. There isn't much to climb outdoors.

I’ve lived (am still) in all those places and LA isn’t too bad in comparison.

I mean, it's better than Kansas

I lived in Boston for 13 years, and that was when I really cut my teeth as a climber. There's lots of climbing in that area...mind you, not year round, but you can access lots of world-class climbing in 2-3 hours' driving time. Moreover, the Gunks is only 4-5 hours away, and that's as good as any climbing you'll find out here.

Jeff Jwrote:

I lived in Boston for 13 years, and that was when I really cut my teeth as a climber. There's lots of climbing in that area...mind you, not year round, but you can access lots of world-class climbing in 2-3 hours' driving time. Moreover, the Gunks is only 4-5 hours away, and that's as good as any climbing you'll find out here.

Gunks takes a bit longer than 4-5 hours in the same vein as Yosemite taking me 4-5 hours to get to from where I live in Los Angeles County.

Roughly 4-5 hours…   

Actually, I often made it in under 4 hours 'door to door' from my apartment in Somerville to the near trapps.

Jeff Jwrote:

Actually, I often made it in under 4 hours 'door to door' from my apartment in Somerville to the near trapps.

I’m not as adventurous with my bad luck a Trooper would stop me in Western MA  

I’d be leaving from Arlington if at all.

No speeding involved. You're just wrong.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Somerville,+MA/New+Paltz,+NY+12561/@41.9514208,-73.2515427,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e377297bf5e165:0x7a907799d8f97b03!2m2!1d-71.0994968!2d42.3875968!1m5!1m1!1s0x89dd1884bdee8f8d:0x82c17e4b65e32b6f!2m2!1d-74.0868095!2d41.7475933?entry=ttu

Jeff Jwrote:

No speeding involved. You're just wrong.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Somerville,+MA/New+Paltz,+NY+12561/@41.9514208,-73.2515427,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e377297bf5e165:0x7a907799d8f97b03!2m2!1d-71.0994968!2d42.3875968!1m5!1m1!1s0x89dd1884bdee8f8d:0x82c17e4b65e32b6f!2m2!1d-74.0868095!2d41.7475933?entry=ttu

Or I hit traffic… the roads aren’t like Los Angeles.

Every time I go to my Boston HQ, there’s traffic. Just unlucky I guess?

All the carpool HOV lanes in LA and Orange County have been replaced with toll FASTRAK lanes. Even when ridesharing,  carpooling with 2,3 or 4 people you get charged . Also applies to motorcycles and electric cars. Almost like money matters more than helping the environment in LA. What snarky defense do you have Andy Rice?

Diego Climberwrote:

All the carpool HOV lanes in LA and Orange County have been replaced with toll FASTRAK lanes. Even when ridesharing,  carpooling with 2,3 or 4 people you get charged . Also applies to motorcycles and electric cars. Almost like money matters more than helping the environment in LA. What snarky defense do you have Andy Rice?

It’s not a big deal, my man, real adult humans with jobs that matter and who somehow also magically have the time to climb almost limitlessly while also enjoying all the benefits of living in a major urban metropolis absolutely delight in getting butt fucked by traffic fees.

Diego Climberwrote:

All the carpool HOV lanes in LA and Orange County have been replaced with toll FASTRAK lanes. Even when ridesharing,  carpooling with 2,3 or 4 people you get charged . Also applies to motorcycles and electric cars. Almost like money matters more than helping the environment in LA. What snarky defense do you have Andy Rice?

That’s pretty much everywhere, right?

Diego Climberwrote:

All the carpool HOV lanes in LA and Orange County have been replaced with toll FASTRAK lanes. 

Not true.

I drive the 210, the 5, the 405, the 605, and the 91 almost weekly. I always use the HOV lanes, and none of them are FASTRAK lanes. In fact, the only FASTRAK lanes I ever use are on the 110. 

Jeff Jwrote:

Not true.

I drive the 210, the 5, the 405, the 605, and the 91 almost weekly. I always use the HOV lanes, and none of them are FASTRAK lanes. In fact, the only FASTRAK lanes I ever use are on the 110. 

LA county it’s mostly HOV and not all toll. Got on the 210 yesterday and admittedly, there was traffic Sunday afternoon travelling to Joshua Tree, but no fee. There are tolls, but not like OC.

OC, which is a very much conservative area, there’s mostly toll roads, and I have a FastTrak for that area. It’s not too expensive though.

Not My Name is from San Diego and I would guess he’s making a general statement for LA when he likely means in OC?

As far as I’m concerned, greater LA includes San Diego, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino and all in between …

Okay, give it to me good now…   

Diego Climberwrote:

All the carpool HOV lanes in LA and Orange County have been replaced with toll FASTRAK lanes. Even when ridesharing,  carpooling with 2,3 or 4 people you get charged . Also applies to motorcycles and electric cars. Almost like money matters more than helping the environment in LA. What snarky defense do you have Andy Rice?

Not sure where you're driving but that's not true. HOV lanes on 405 in LA are just 2+ people. No pass required. I see a lot of Fastrak lanes in OC though, and that toll road. Per Caltrans there's 700 miles of HOV lanes in LA County.