Aid Training Spots in SoCal

I just temporarily moved to Orange County from Seattle, and getting to know the area (so far have spent every weekend at J-tree). I've been trad and alpine climbing for several years, climb mostly moderates and am looking to get into aid in order to diversify my skillset and the routes that are open to me.

Any reccomendations for places to practice/easy aid routes this time of year? Hoping to get a start on it this winter so I can be a bit more prepared by the time alpine season opens up north. Things within a couple hours of OC would be ideal! Thanks!!

There is a easy bolt ladder at Stoney Point on the main wall that is good just to work in movement in your aiders and a good place to go if you don't have a partner as it's a fun easy aid solo with whatever system your working on.
I also aid solo up at the Tunnel Crag on Hwy 2. I usually solo Paper Clip and Yosemite Sams. Both are bolted but require gear between some bolts and you can hook the final moves on Yosemite Sams as the hooking doesn't follow the free climb at the end and doesn't run the risk of pulling off any free holds.
Riverside Quarry has some good stuff but it's Riverside Quarry. I'd rather head up Hwy 2 and climb at the Tunnels.

CLEAN aid all over Tahquits and Suicide ..... the Pirate is most peoples first aid climb.

But there is not to much Aid to do in this state.... we like to free climb that stuff.

At Josh- look up "Goof Proof Roof" .... a whole bunch of US worked really hard to free that one.... we were defeated.... that's a good one and still an aid climb.

If you must do Aid.... check out a place named "DanLand".... find the stuff for "SeKi" listed on supertopo.... its up by Sequoia NP, Three Rivers, CA. If your up in that part of the world... IIRC up the road to Mineral King a few miles past DanLand... at the OLD entrance station to Mineral King is a big old rock with climbs up to 3p ...its like a 300 yard walk. Some really hard Aid on that one. I have looked at topos that show one of those with A4.... sorry no name for that one, I have asked the DanLand crew if they know anything about that one... they do not.
Moro Rock, in Sequoia still has big aid lines to climb....
The Watchtower also in Sequoia, still had one of the granddaddy aid lines to be climbed, the top 1/3 of the route "All Along The Watchtower" had not been climbed.... so far all take the EXIT stage Left.

Yosemite..... Aid climbers paradise, nothing more needs to be said.

So.... Welcome to California.

If you're looking to stay close to Orange County, I have seen people practicing aid at Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside, particularly on a wall known as "Major." I don't aid climb, so I'm not sure how difficult the routes are. And I would be suspicious of the hardware - a lot of those bolts were placed decades ago.

Hey there ! I'm from Portland and here for the holidays. Planning to mess around in JTREE w some aid if you're interested in partnering up and doing it.

Rubidoux has a few spots I've seen the remnants of some old aid lines.
The riverside rock quarry is probably your best bet though. I've only ever seen one party aiding there in all my years climbing there, but apparently the guys who put up Wings Of Steel in Yosemite put a lot of time in training there, so I'm sure you can find something to satisfy you.

If you get up the Angeles Crest, and find your way down Chilao Creek, to the Sandy Bottom boulders, there is a good assortment of practice aid routes to be found. Go down to where Chileo Creek meets Alder Creek and there is a nice wall with a big roof to aid. Be careful though, more than a few put their first bolts in at this area, as well as all bolts are very very old...

Josh...Welcome to Southern California.
You might try the aid traverse at Santiago Park (west of Hart Park) in Santa Ana. Try the Major & Minor near the cross at Mt. Rudidoux.
Also, a couple nice new steep bolt ladders at Texas Canyon (Santa Clarita). Check out BigWall.com
Indeed, Richard Jensen and Mark Smith (Wings of Steel) put in tons of time climbing, trundling, and writing a guidebook to Riverside Quarry.

Benjamin Chapman wrote:Josh...Welcome to Southern California. You might try the aid traverse at Santiago Park (west of Hart Park) in Santa Ana.

I'd second both Rubidoux and the Hart Park bridge. I cut my teeth in both places, which gave me the skills to nail Zodiac back in the early '80s when it was still a rather hard nailing route. My only caveat would be that now, lots of El Cap routes (assuming that's your goal), don't really require skill set anymore (a good thing). Still, learn your clean placements, how to place beaks, as well as paste heads if you want to venture up some older aid lines. More importantly, learn how to move efficiently in your aiders, test gear and get your system down. Way too many folks head up walls that look uncomfortable even weighting their gear.

Theres a few aid lines in (eastern) San Diego county at McCain Valley. It's worth the drive from O.C mountainproject.com/v/lowen…

Unknown Highway on the Willit pillar in Indian Cove Campground has a good bolt ladder if you want a place to just practice moves without having to haul a bunch of gear with you. Be warned, a bunch of the bolts are pretty old and beat up (hangers spinning on the bolt), and there are some free moves. Welcome to Southern California!