The Needles

I've never been to The Needles but am hoping to get up there soon. However, I've read about the significant accessibility issues. Would anyone on here who knows about current conditions kindly share? Thanks!

Snow's pretty minimal. Can't speak about the lower roads but the Western Divide Highway is open.

Thank you!

EC Joe just posted on FB that the dirt road to the trailhead (21S05) is open.

Thank you!!!

Anyone know if a high clearance vehicle is needed for the dirt road to the trailhead of The Needles, or can a regular car make it? Thanks!

James…. Can’t say. BITD you could drive a Porsche to the end of the road.

Hurricane Hillary did a lot of damage to every dirt road in the South Sierra.

I trust we will have an answer to this question soon. 

From my experience- I wouldn’t.

Thanks! I'm going to find out tomorrow! :) I'll share on here what I find out. 

James Sohn wrote:

Thanks! I'm going to find out tomorrow! :) I'll share on here what I find out. 

Have fun!

If first time visiting. I recommend Igor Unchained.

That's number one on the list! 

James Sohn wrote:

Thanks! I'm going to find out tomorrow! :) I'll share on here what I find out. 

Following. I'm trying to get out there in a few weeks so I'm curious to hear how it goes. Have fun man

Following too! Have fun

Just got back from The Needles. Such an incredible place! My climbing partner and I were able to get to the parking area by the toilet in his 1990's Toyota Avalon, which is probably a little more sturdy and maybe has a little higher clearance than more modern sedans. The dirt road is somewhat treacherous, and a relatively high clearance vehicle (e.g., pickup truck, a Subaru, etc.) is certainly better. But, a regular car (at least a Toyota Avalon) can make it if going slowly, but the car may bottom out.

Note that there are a few burnt trees that have fallen onto the trail (not sure how long they've been there, but they looked relatively recent) which required hiking over or around them. 

And, yes, Igor Unchained is absolutely phenomenal!

James Sohn wrote:

Just got back from The Needles. Such an incredible place! My climbing partner and I were able to get to the parking area by the toilet in his 1990's Toyota Avalon, which is probably a little more sturdy and maybe has a little higher clearance than more modern sedans. The dirt road is somewhat treacherous, and a relatively high clearance vehicle (e.g., pickup truck, a Subaru, etc.) is certainly better. But, a regular car (at least a Toyota Avalon) can make it if going slowly, but the car may bottom out.

Note that there are a few burnt trees that have fallen onto the trail (not sure how long they've been there, but they looked relatively recent) which required hiking over or around them. 

And, yes, Igor Unchained is absolutely phenomenal!

Nice dude! Glad to hear your trip was a success. Any difficulty with figuring out the approach/return to The Witch? I'm looking at Airy Interlude and Igor for a trip in a few weeks and it'll be my first time out there. Just trying to do my research now and it doesn't sound like it's too hard to navigate but I'm curious how it was for you 

We did P1 and P2 of Igor and did the easy traverse to the start of P2 (I think) of Airy (the money traverse pitch), and we finished the shared last pitch of Igor. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's hard to imagine 4 continuous pitches that are any better. That pitch of Airy, in particular, was absolutely incredible! I followed on it but would love to lead it someday.

My partner had been there once before, and he has the guidebook. Otherwise, I would've been pretty lost. So, I would recommend getting the guidebook or going with someone who knows the area. At least one downed tree that I can remember caused a little confusion about where the trail went, and the cairns were often unclear or actually messed us up. In particular, there is a third or fourth class scramble below the stairs to the lookout tower that was a little hard to navigate. You can drop below it and avoid the scramble, but you have to go quite a way down. 

Overall, you could probably figure it out using just MP and your intuition, but you may lose time doing so. 

Appreciate the reply James! Thank you. We have the guidebook and I've got the formations marked on an offline map already. 

Stoked to hear it was such a good time for ya

Thanks! You should be good to go. Have fun! You'll probably be in awe when you get there like I was.

Outstanding James!

Sounds like you enjoyed just the tip of the iceberg. Lots more to come.

And yes, you need the guide book. MP will not cut it.

Indeed, Guy, there are so many world-class routes there! Other than OW (my major weakness), I'm about a 5.9/10a trad climber (at least for flashing purposes), so I need to up my game to be able to tick off more of the classics, but the spirit is willing! We did The Howling, Spooky (the OW kicked my butt), and Our Lady of the Needles, besides the Igor/Airy link-up.

Thanks for the report James. Saw your photos on FB, really makes me want to get back out there! Haven't been in probably 20 years. That off-width on Spooky spanked me as well.