Sport Climbs in AZ/UT

My friend and I are flying down to phoenix for spring break in the middle of March. We have a car, and are driving up to Seattle, and want to do some sport climbing on the way up. Any recommendations on areas on the way up? We haven't decided whether to drive up through St George UT, or over to Yosemite and up through CA yet.

Lots and lots either way, on a variety of rock types -- more volcanic (multiple flavors) + granite (fun featured) toward Calif.

What grades are you looking for?

Do you have 4WD?

Do you have a high-level clearance vehicle?

Ken

Sean Marble wrote:

My friend and I are flying down to phoenix for spring break in the middle of March. We have a car, and are driving up to Seattle, and want to do some sport climbing on the way up. Any recommendations on areas on the way up? We haven't decided whether to drive up through St George UT, or over to Yosemite and up through CA yet.

Since you mentioned sport climbs, just realize that Yosemite has very few sport climbs.  Personally, for sport climbing, I would take the UT route.  

Either way, you can hit up Red Rock in Vegas, then if you decide to do the CA route, you have the Alabama Hills (super chossy crappy granite climbing IMO), Owens river gorge (good fun volcanic rock, but mostly vertical or less than vertical techy routes), then you are into Yosemite (as mentioned, no sport climbing), then you are looking at mostly small, not that great climbing as you drive up the coast (I would probably head inland in OR to go to Smith Rock which is world class volcanic Tuft).

If you go with the UT route, once again you hit up Red Rock, then the St. George area (which has a ton of world class limestone sport), maple canyon is obviously world class sport climbing (but who knows how the snow will be with this strange winter we are having), next you have the SLC area (again, depending on weather, but you have your choice of limestone, granite, quartzite, conglomerate, and schist, and can certainly find sunny areas that are good to climb even in the cold), next you can hit up City of Rocks/Castle Rock (granite, city is more trad but does have sport, castle is oposite, and the granite is infinitely better than alabama hills), next I'd hit up Smith Rock (which is where the two routes could converge) and head on to Seattle from there.  

I have lived in both UT and CA, and have to say that UT is much better for sport climbing, but CA is much better for trad climbing and since you mentioned sport in the OP, I'd guess that the UT route is probably best for you.