A not-so-mini post! I went down to SLC for a friend’s birthday climbing trip and hit some crags in St. George and Zion. I was very fortunate to be with some more experienced climbers (and folks who knew the area) so I got to lead and top rope some stuff of higher grades than I usually would have done.
We were primarily sport climbing single pitches (a few multis, a little trad) in the 9s, 10s, and 11s realm (a few 12s for our hardos). I typically like areas with relatively short approaches, a mix of easier and harder things, and really pretty scenery. I will say a lot of the areas in St. George seemed pretty exposed in terms of the sun and stuff got HOT. I’ll give a little rating and summary below of the places we climbed.
Day 1, S-Curve and driving down to St. George
★★ S-Curve, Big Cottonwood Canyon: Nearby SLC, great hiking and short, but rocky approaches (i.e. wear shoes). The rock was brutally cold in the morning and I regretted not bringing hand warmers for the first climb because my fingers were so numb. The scenery is beautiful though and we saw a moose in the parking lot!
- Chorus Line 5.9: I was SO cold on this one – definitely leadable for my level but the move around the first bolt was pretty icky to pull yourself over the shelf with numb hands, so I just followed. You’re just traversing around the 2nd / 3rd bolt (so much so that we were kind of confused if we were on the right route originally) and then it turns into straight slab at the top, but I really liked it! A really solid warm up route.
- Red Light District 5.10a: My favorite one of the crag! Again did a follow on it but got it clean so could have led. It feels a bit exposed but the moves are all really fun and you have lots of great hands.
- Black Monday 5.11a: I definitely cheated a bit by going left at the start and then got hauled a bit up the middle section with the overhang and things being a bit reachy and pumpy. Definitely above my current climbing capability but it was cool one!
Day 2, Snow Canyon and Chuckwalla Wall
★★1/2 Snow Canyon: Firstly, this area is STUNNING. It’s really pretty and has a bunch of great multi pitch. Our group wasn’t doing too much multi pitch though and we were looking for easier sport climbs and there weren’t a LOT. The approach from the parking lot is super easy, basically walking a short distance along a road and on a flat sandy path. Definitely hit this in the morning as early as you can before the sun comes, after which it is way too exposed.
We really struggled finding the routes on this wall. We climbed entirely in the Island In The Sky area but were originally looking for the Sand Dunes wall (in Island In The Sky) and some unfriendly older German climbers intentionally misdirected us! We eventually figured out Sand Dunes is the second pitch area of Indian Wall, which is on the far right as you’re facing the crag. Since we got pointed in the far left direction instead, we ended up having some members of our group climb in The Doghouse and I climbed on Circus Wall.
Circus Wall has a cave maybe 20ft up the wall with some names and dates carved into it from the 1800s, which was very cool and there were a lot of casual day hikers coming to take pictures of the cave while we were climbing.
Before the sun chased us out, we did the first pitch of a 5.9 (I think Jimmy the Greek?), which was uncomfortably slabby and then what I believe was a 5.10D further right on the wall, like a 2 minute walk away, perhaps on Aftershock wall? We honestly had such a hard time identifying where climbs were, seeing anchors or bolts and a lot in the area was multi pitch, which only some members of our group wanted to do. Our hardo friends who climbed 5.11s and 5.12s in The Doghouse had an amazing time and were in the shade for longer, but I personally would probably pass on this area again until I was a better climber or did more multi pitch.
★★★ Chuckwalla Wall: This is SUPER close to St. George and has a really short approach (sandals are fine). We hit this in the afternoon and the easier routes at the crag were in full sun with some harder routes in a shaded just 50ft away. Our hardos climbed in the shade and loved it, we climbed in the sun and honestly loved it too. From the angle of having lots of things I was interested in climbing (9s and 10s), this was my favorite crag. Huge huecos made for great jugs with really fun moves, and routes that were long enough to feel satisfying, basically just outdoor gym climbing vibes.
- Dirtbag 5.10-: In a twist of events, I led this! I didn’t get the last move to the anchors (it felt a little sketchy to me, very tiny crimps and thin feet – it would have been safe to fall but I hate falling on lead) but I think I could do it now that I’ve seen the beta. Honestly super super fun and I would do again!
- Sands of Blood 5.9-: Honestly, who comes up with these names? They’re so good. I led this too! This was such a fun one – I never felt scared at all (got all my nerves out on the previous one) and the hands felt so secure the entire way. I think this (or a route the following day) were my favorite climbs of the weekend.
Day 3, Prophesy Wall & Namaste Wall (Zion)
This was definitely our most tiring day! Both of these spots have some VERY long first pitches and we were RIGHT at the end of 70m ropes (we had one 80m rope fortunately). Tie your stopper knots of these, folks! We were LITERALLY right at the end of our 70s and had a few we wanted to do but realized we’d need 80m ropes. Bring your long, long ropes if you want to climb at either of these crags.
★★★★ Prophesy Wall: One of my favorite crags of the trip, easily. There was multi pitch, 110ft 5.9s, slab, crack – the variety here was insane. Another one to definitely hit in the morning because the sun gets very hot and I would recommend hiking shoes here as opposed to sandals because you have a short semi rocky hike up. It was very easy to find routes and there was a peregrine falcon nest up near some of the routes, so we saw them flying in and out and heard the babies in the nest!
- Whatever Happens…Happens 5.9: Dude this route is so long. A 70m just reaches and you end up lowering them off to the right onto a slabby ledge. Honestly so fun though, I think this WAS my favorite route of the weekend. Really long, super fun moves, just felt really great to climb but very heady at 110ft.
- The Soffit of Jericho 5.9 I led this clean! This honestly felt scarier than Whatever Happens…Happens (in part because I top roped that one) because The Soffit of Jericho is so vertical. Still, a great route!
Some folks from our group messed with Wuhan Bat Cave, Quarantine, Antivaxers, Remains to be Seen, Put Up or Shut Up – honestly everyone loved the climbs they did and there was so much to do. This crag had a lot of our top climbs of the weekend and they were SUCH long routes.
★★★★ Namaste Wall (Zion): This area was iconic. For approaches it was the longest of the weekend with a 30 min 1200ft elevation gain hike up but the last bit is just walking through a flat, beautiful canyon. It was so stunning. The climbs here are huge huecos in long lines down juggy, pumpy overhangs on 140ft routes. I will say I’m not very afraid of heights but after 80ft up dangling on a rope on an overhang…. I was feeling it.
I did the first 70ft of Dost Mitra 5.11a/b on top rope before I got sketched by a big move off a pockety pinch that my hand was too small for. My group did Namaste 5.11d, 1/2 Route 5.10+ (I really wanted to do this on top rope but I was pumped after the 11), Huecos Rancheros 5.12b (which was a lot of folks’ favorite route of the weekend).
Everything is juggy huecos but it is so overhung. Even on top rope, you can only climb as a follow and call for takes at the clips (otherwise you swing out FAR), so they’re beefy climbs. Still, the area is so beautiful and, for at least a place to visit, it was my favorite wall (even if there was hardly anything for me to climb there).
Day 4, Bonus Day! Meadow Hot Springs
We headed back north to SLC and stopped on the way in Meadow Hot Springs, which was about halfway back (2 hours from St. George). They’re natural hot springs (3 pools – one warm one, one luke warm, one cold) that you can swim in! They were pretty empty when we got there (thanks to a thunderstorm that afternoon) and we had them all to ourselves for a while and then a family with a lot of children and some other folks got there, but the pool is large. Folks were saying you can dive in the pools and they’re connected by lava tubes, so that’s kind of crazy. They were lovely and free and we had the best time. The road to the parking lot is an OK dirt road and there’s a parking lot that’s generally OK. There’s a road that goes past the parking lot, closer to the springs but NOT ok for cars (we saw two cars stuck there in the mud while we were there that got hauled out by a pick up).
Overall an amazing trip! I’m hoping I get some more invites to these group trips and can join them when they go to some other places to climb like the Grand Tetons.
Fun-sized: A Travel and Life Blog 