2 days in Tuolomne or 1 day in Tuolomne / 1 day in Mammoth

I have a weekend getaway up in Mammoth. Multi-pitches are on my agenda, and I'm particularly drawn trad and crack. My face climbing skills are up to 5.10b max, but I've never tested my mettle at Yosemite, so I'm guessing a 5.10b there might suck for me. When it comes to crack climbing, I've got the hand jams down, but my finger jams still need some work.

Now, here's where I could use some advice. Should I dedicate both days to climbing in Tuolomne, or would it be better to split my time between Tuolomne for one day and Mammoth for the other? I've heard great things about Crystal Crag, but I'm torn about whether it's worth giving up a day in Tuolomne. Plus, it'll be my first time exploring the stunning Sierras.

Crystal crag is a beautiful rock in a beautiful setting but it’s almost entirely a scramble and gets soloed as much as it gets rope climbed. It has a bunch of really excellent sport climbing at the base that I’d recommend but if you’re looking for trad I’d say two days in tuolumne. It’s constantly either my favorite or almost favorite place to climb in the world 

Better to spend two days in one place -- save on travel, get an idea of the area, actually have a chance to explore a little bit.

Plus Tuolumne is one of the greatest climbing areas in the world you really can't get better. Mammoth is beautiful but it's a very different kind of climbing. For density of multis you can't beat the Meadows and the Valley.

Edit: just reread, you are staying in Mammoth? Go climbing there it's very nice. No point driving to Tuolumne, you will just waste time you could be on the rock

Will there be any overnight parking in Tuolumne this year ?

It sounds like your accommodation is in Mammoth?  And you are talking about commuting up to the Meadows from Mammoth to climb?  I adore the climbing in the Meadows but the Mammoth Lakes Basin is also stunningly beautiful.  If you are talking about a commute from Mammoth, I certainly wouldn't do that two days in a row, given the thousands of routes available at your fingertips in Mammoth.

The pass and Tioga Rd is only just scheduled to open.  Nobody knows yet what the day use parking or pullout situation is going to be.  You should wait until a few days before your trip to get the up to date info, before making a plan to climb a specific route in the Meadows.  

phylp phylp wrote:

It sounds like your accommodation is in Mammoth?  And you are talking about commuting up to the Meadows from Mammoth to climb?  I adore the climbing in the Meadows but the Mammoth Lakes Basin is also stunningly beautiful.  If you are talking about a commute from Mammoth, I certainly wouldn't do that two days in a row, given the thousands of routes available at your fingertips in Mammoth.

The pass and Tioga Rd is only just scheduled to open.  Nobody knows yet what the day use parking or pullout situation is going to be.  You should wait until a few days before your trip to get the up to date info, before making a plan to climb a specific route in the Meadows.  

Yeah it's 2 hour roundtrip. I thought staying in Lee Vining was too exp for the closeness. I'm staying with a friend in Mammoth at no cost. I thought about camping but the campground at Tuolomne is closed and I don't really like FCFS sites since that's up to random chance. 

Planning to go next month so hopefully the road is open. 

Isaac Mann-Silverman wrote:

Better to spend two days in one place -- save on travel, get an idea of the area, actually have a chance to explore a little bit.

Plus Tuolumne is one of the greatest climbing areas in the world you really can't get better. Mammoth is beautiful but it's a very different kind of climbing. For density of multis you can't beat the Meadows and the Valley.

Edit: just reread, you are staying in Mammoth? Go climbing there it's very nice. No point driving to Tuolumne, you will just waste time you could be on the rock

Yeah I'm staying in Mammoth. The drive to Tuolomne is 2 hours roundtrip and I'm usually never in this area. 

Sure I could be spending 2 more hours to climb at Mammoth but that takes away the chance of climbing at Tuolomne. The comparison would be 8 hours of climbing at Tuolomne or 10 hours of climbing at Mammoth? 

Edmunds Yima wrote:

Yeah I'm staying in Mammoth. The drive to Tuolomne is 2 hours roundtrip and I'm usually never in this area. 

Sure I could be spending 2 more hours to climb at Mammoth but that takes away the chance of climbing at Tuolomne. The comparison would be 8 hours of climbing at Tuolomne or 10 hours of climbing at Mammoth? 

If it is your dream to climb in the Meadows then absolutely it's worth it. Even better if you have camping gear, I believe there is good dispersed camping outside the gate on the east side.

Have you been to Mammoth? Once you get there you may decide there is no need for the commute. It's pretty beautiful there.

Tuolomne. Just start driving a little earlier. It will not be your last time there.

Tuolumne climbing can be a bit of a rude awakening for the uninitiated. Start real easy on the first day, then decide if you want to go back. Also, dispersed camping is not permitted in Lee Vining canyon east of the park entrance. 

Edmunds Yima wrote:

Yeah I'm staying in Mammoth. The drive to Tuolomne is 2 hours roundtrip and I'm usually never in this area. 

Sure I could be spending 2 more hours to climb at Mammoth but that takes away the chance of climbing at Tuolomne. The comparison would be 8 hours of climbing at Tuolomne or 10 hours of climbing at Mammoth? 

If you're concerned with climbing minutes consider also the approach time.  You mentioned Crystal Crag and it's been awhile since I've been there, but Supertopo says the approach is 30 min to 1.5 hours.  If you average that to 1 hour then the round trip is roughly the same as driving to Tuolumne.  And if you climb someplace like Stately Pleasure Dome, where the approach time is about zero   then you're not really missing out on much potential climbing time.

So maybe it comes down to whether you'd rather spend those 2 hours sitting in a car vs. hiking in the outdoors.

Unless you really wanna crag, go to tuolumne. It really is a magical place. Not sure how the road opening/construction factors in, but I expect it'll be incredibly busy in the coming month. Try Hermaphrodite Flake or Great White Book (if you're comfy on granite). West Crack is another easy classic, but has a burly finger crack crux off the ground. Also cathedral peak is not to be missed. Lots of variations and easy to pass folks/not be stressed on a busy day.

If you wanna crag and don't mind driving a bit, consider rock creek. Lots of great crack and slab in the 5.8-10 range.

2 days in Tuolumne sounds wonderful. Its a beautiful drive up from Mammoth, passing volcanos and a massive inland sea (ok, its a lake, with no outlets). The drive up to Tioga is amazing. Hit the park gate early. going back down day 1, stop in at Whoa Nellie Deli for a beer and some good grub. Enjoy the drive back to Mammoth. On the 2nd day, do the same drive; you'll notice different stuff. 

And at Deadman's Summit is a pretty well known bouldering area just a literal stones throw off the highway, with a pretty rich history of climbing all by itself. If you have 30 mins to spare, on one of your days, it's worth a look. 

There's not a ton of cracks in Tuolumne, like there is in the valley, but the ones there are pretty danged good. Be easy on yourselves, day 1, is my last recommendation. Knock off a classic moderate or two (or three!). Enjoy.

personally, tuolumne ranks highly in terms of places to climb - anywhere...

that said, i was up there riding my bike/scouting yesterday and i would say that many areas in tuolumne currently have access/route (water/swamp/wet rock) issues.  it's also been quite toasty, which makes the drier, more feasible (ie south facing) routes less appealing unless you climb early in the day or there is a breeze. 

How are the mosquitoes?

philip bone wrote:

How are the mosquitoes?

i was on a bike and on the road, no mosquitoes.  been climbing in tioga/lee vining canyon, also minimal mosquitoes.  BUT, i anticipate that in areas that are more vegetated and wet (let's say the approach/base of dozier, medlicott, etc.) the bugs will be horrible, if not now then in the near future.  sincerely hoping that i'm wrong...

Thanks it’s a weird season. 

philip bone wrote:

How are the mosquitoes?

Cathedral parking lot this morning was grim, much better once on the trail

philip bone wrote:

How are the mosquitoes?

Thick clouds of mosquitos this morning at the base of Daff. Got better once it got warmer and breezier though.