Visiting the USA in July - California vs Wyoming

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ScottG

Trad climber
Coorparoo
Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 27, 2017 - 01:47am PT
Hi all - I'm just looking for some suggestions.

My girlfriend and I are from Australia. We were planning to visit the USA for about six weeks in May/June this year, with walls in Yosemite being the main focus. Due to injury troubles its now looking like we're going to have to push our trip back back a month or two until July/August, which will put us right in the middle of the hot weather in the valley.

I'd still like to try to get a wall or two done in Yosemite, but I'm wondering if it might be better shorten the list of things we want to try to do there and head up to Wyoming for some alpine scrambling in either the Tetons or Wind River range.

We're 5.10ish trad climbers, with plenty of multipitch trad experience and a couple of short (10 pitch) 'wall style' aid routes under our belts. We're clueless when it comes to snow and ice though, as its not something we see much where we live.

I know almost nothing about the climbing in Wyoming other than having seen a few spectacular photos, but that was enough to whet the appetite.

Does any one have any advice/suggestions?
Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
Mar 27, 2017 - 01:56am PT
Given that this is more of a California-based forum, you are going to get biased responses, starting with this one.

The high Sierra is a truly magical place, although I really hate the lack of snow late in the summer. I am more of a May-June Sierra climber than an August-September kind of guy.

Approaches are relatively short, as they are in the Tetons. Tuolomne meadows is perfect later in the summer and there are some magnificent peaks around there.

The next best granite would be further south in the Whitney region; that stuff gets me so horny. But, I can't complain about granite anywhere in the Sierra.

Regardless, you'll want to base yourself on the east side of the Sierra, out of Bishop or Mammoth Lakes. The approaches from the western side are intolerably long.

If that's not enough, it's a lo-o-o-ong haul from Yosemite to the Tetons, and there are glaciers in the Tetons. Bring crampons if you're going to the Tetons as late summer snow gets hard and icy.
drF

Trad climber
usa
Mar 27, 2017 - 03:41am PT
What are your injury bugs?

If you are coming to Wyoming July/August I'd hit the City of Rocks on your way. The Elephants Perch is quite excellent.

The Teton's snowpack is big this year but will be mostly receded by July. Same applies for the Wind Rivers range which is more of a backpack-into experience.

You could easily spend your whole time in Cali too. NJoy
ScottG

Trad climber
Coorparoo
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 27, 2017 - 04:51am PT
DrF - The list of injury bugs is long and probably boring. My ankles are really bad, which makes anything with a long approach a problem for me. That isn't going to change, but in the shorter term I've got some shoulder issues to sort out, and my partner has a hip/back injury that makes it pretty hard to climb at the moment. Between the two of us its looking unlikely that we'll be fit enough to tackle any of the original goals we had in Yosemite in May, which is why we're thinking about leaving it a little bit later. I have a work thing in Wisconsin for a week at the end of June, so the original plan was to spend six weeks climbing first, but now we're thinking it might work to do the work thing first and the climbing trip after.

We did a little bit of climbing in Tuolumne a few years ago and it was awesome. I'd happily go back, but we'd also love to see some new territory, which was why Wyoming sounded appealing.
pierref

Trad climber
france
Mar 27, 2017 - 05:12am PT
Both are doable in one month:

My experience:

Flying from France to SF
one day drive to south lake tahoe
2 days climbing in Loversleap to be recovered from teh jet lag.
One day driving to Jackson hole
6 or 7 days climbing in teton range.
2 days drive to tuolmnne meadows
10 daus climbing in TM and the valley
And come back to SF and France.

A great trip in August
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Mar 27, 2017 - 06:04am PT
What it says in the post above this, ! (Well, yes summer-time, August, in the high country, but don't miss judge the heat!)



Well , hey now, I've just wasted z morning looking at Wyoming.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2743302/Have-you-climbed-in-the-Tetons


I miss the guy that was young wild and hard enough to make the Cowboy state pay.
That would be the younger me.

I was a driving maniac, I was a fan of a travel in' band,
and climbed across the country,
while following the band around the calendar


... Right, now I've read that, about your fitness; you have Ankle & shoulder issues.

Has it occurred to you to check out Other western summer spots ?
Rushmore & The Needles of South Dakota?( Lake Loius, Canada)
The Whole east coast, both mountains( don't laugh) & crags?
( any where can be Sticky, humid or sweet in the summer)



WYOMING?
The long long drives! ( wTF), were straight,
the long long walks (Wtf) were mostly too.
(really,~ "if we were in Cali we'd be climbing already" ~ , was a mantra)

So, the consensus has always been . . .you have to go
The Tower, The Winds -Tweetnot, & The Grand ( it's all lots of hiking!)
and some of the more obscure or Fabled places, to many to list
(where the car camping is as close to the rock as can be. to many to list!)
have to be experienced !
Then get to the other states,
like me you may not ever get back
to being in love with Wyoming.
crankster

Trad climber
No. Tahoe
Mar 27, 2017 - 06:31am PT
Scott,
Too bad you can't hold off until Sept. when temps and crowds ease. Anyway, 6 weeks is a long time to explore the American West. I crammed Yosemite and the Tetons into a 2-week road trip when I was younger.

You could base in Tuolumne for a bit, hit the classics with short approaches and make strategic strikes to the Valley, avoiding the hot afternoon. Head north with a 2-3 day stop in Tahoe (Lover's Leap has short approaches) then on to City of Rocks and the Tetons. The Winds and Tetons aren't known for short approaches, however. Ahh, but the scenery.

Enjoy!
ionlyski

Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
Mar 27, 2017 - 07:35am PT
The Winds and Tetons aren't known for short approaches, however

I was going to say. Upthread tells you about short Teton approaches. I don't consider 5 or 6 thousand feet of gain to be a short approach.

You were probably looking at photos from the Wind Rivers though I'll bet. Just know that the nature of going in there is different than the options you'll have in the East Sierra. It's more of a pack it all in and camp in the backcountry and then selecting your climbs from there.

DRF- The Elephant's Perch is not at the City of Rocks. Perhaps you mean to mention The Sawtooth Range? At anyrate City of Rocks does not include the type of climbing he's looking for. Don't go there. It'll be bloody hot anyway.

Arne
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Mar 27, 2017 - 07:36am PT
Check out the Elephant's Perch in Idaho and then move on to the Tetons with a climactic finale in the Winds.
The Elephant's Perch sports great 8/10 pitch climbs on excellent granite and great camping twenty minutes from the crags next to three alpine lakes. If you take the inexpensive boat ride across Red Lake your approach hike is under two hours.
The Tetons are beautiful and a great place for long, moderate alpine rock routes. Alpine ice (Black Ice Couloir) and mixed rock and snow climbs can also be found. By all means, stay at the AAC Climber's Ranch.
Do the Wind's later in August when the mosquitos have abated. Glorious rock climbs rise above pristine mountain lakes. Bring a fishing rod.
Have fun!
Alan Rubin

climber
Amherst,MA.
Mar 27, 2017 - 07:41am PT
How bad are your ankles? How much do they limit your hiking--especially with a pack full of camping and climbing gear? These are important questions because most of the best alpine and multi-pitch climbing in Wyoming--and a good amount of it in California, is in the back country, often requiring substantial walk-ins to reach--and usually with pretty steep uphill trudges as part of the package. For instance there is nothing 'roadside' in the Tetons, with the shortest approaches to a few worthwhile climbs being about an hour, but for most of the main routes, especially for the major summits, the approaches usually involve several hours with significant uphill sections (many folks approach one day, set up a high camp and climb from there). Approaches for the Wind Rivers are even longer, with almost all climbs done from camps (though horses or other pack animals can be rented to make things easier). Both areas are wonderful, just require effort to get into and can be very rough on uncooperative joints!!!

It is a similar story for most of the main Sierra peaks and walls, with eastside approaches being shorter but often very steep. California, however, does have more options for long climbs with short approaches than does Wyoming. In addition to the Valley and the Meadows in Yosemite, there are areas such as Lovers leap, Courtright Reservoir, Shuteye Ridge, the Needles (a bit of an approach there but neighboring Dome Rock has great climbing and virtually no approach)as well as others that are likely to provide what you are looking for but will be easier on your ankles. Heat can be an issue at many of these areas at that time of year, but not necessarily a game-stopper.
ionlyski

Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
Mar 27, 2017 - 07:43am PT
Ditto on the Elephant's Perch!
Byran

climber
Half Dome Village
Mar 27, 2017 - 08:42am PT
California and Wyoming both have really great alpine climbing in the summer, and there's plenty to do whichever you choose. You will have to hike to get to the climbing however (couple exceptions, like Calaveras Dome in CA, and Devil's Tower in Wy). If long approaches are really a problem with your ankles then Squamish is probably where you'd want to go that time of year.
zip

Trad climber
pacific beach, ca
Mar 27, 2017 - 08:51am PT
I have climbed in both, but feel the surfing is better in CA.
Alan Rubin

climber
Amherst,MA.
Mar 27, 2017 - 08:56am PT
Isn't Calaveras an oven in July/August? Devil's Tower is surely worthwhile and would be a reasonable stop for the OP if they are driving west from Wisconsin. It is surely hot there in the summer, but one part or the other of the Tower is in the shade at any given part of the day. And, though not multi-pitch, if they are driving that way from Wisconsin then a stop in the Black Hills Needles (and/or Spearfish Canyon)is also definitely worthwhile.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Mar 27, 2017 - 09:07am PT
many good recommendations, if you are conditioning and approach limited you might consider "cragging" at Vedauwoo, many 1 and 2 pitch routes at a variety of difficulty and climbing types with close by camping and near by college town.

You can side trip down to Colorado, and perhaps loop in a longish trip to Devil's Tower, the Winds or Tetons... many others.

While Vedauwoo is famous for offwidth, there are many other types of routes there, enough to help you get in shape for other objectives. It is at relatively high altitude and generally cool enough for a summer destination.

Dingus McGee (an avatar who posts here) has developed many sport routes in the surrounding crags which are generally of good to excellent quality... so even more variety locally.

And it is mostly free from the crush of the climbing crowds.

Whatever you decide, have fun!

rgold

Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
Mar 27, 2017 - 09:16am PT
Actually, if joint problems are an issue, going into the Winds with your gear transported on pack animals (horses or llamas) might actually be the best solution. You walk in with a day pack, camp pretty much at the foot of the climbs, and can allow yourself a luxury or two since you aren't carrying it. Get a flavor at http://www.supertopo.com/tr/The-Lama-Wrangler-the-Cook-the-Guidebook-Author-Boston-the-Luxumberger-and-his-son-Harvard-the-Counselor-and-the-Lizard/t11120n.html
10b4me

Mountain climber
Retired
Mar 27, 2017 - 09:45am PT
One thing to remember about climbing in both the Sierra, and the Tetons, in summer, is the possibility of thunderstorms, just an fyi.
crøtch

climber
Mar 27, 2017 - 09:51am PT
Have you considered Squamish as a backup plan? July/August is high season, the approaches are short, and you've got a variety of climbing available to the 5.10 leader.
ScottG

Trad climber
Coorparoo
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 27, 2017 - 10:32pm PT
Thanks for the suggestions guys. The big attraction of climbing in North America for me is being in the big hills and the length of the routes. We don't really have much in the way of really big cliffs here. I like the protracted adventure on long routes. I don't really want to travel all the way over there to spend time cragging or climbing sport routes, we have plenty of short cliffs within five minutes of where we live. I'm definitely a bit limited by my crappy ankles though. They really won't carry me much more than four or five hours horizontally. Less on a downward slope or carrying a heavy pack. Uphill is generally ok, and climbing is no problem. That's why Yosemite walls are so appealing. Short approaches to huge cliffs.

The routes on the original list were West Face of the Leaning Tower, Lurking Fear, Lost Arrow Spire and maybe Zodiac. We were there a few years ago without much idea what we were doing and in true gumby style we ended up bailing from the Kor roof on south face of Washington column. We have a bit more experience now. We've climbed Australia's best known granite 'big wall', (Ozymandius at Mt Buffalo) which is small by Yosemite standards, but its steep and involved enough to have given us confidence that we could actually get up some stuff this time.

Taking pack horses into the Wind River range sounds like cheating but maybe it would be the way to go. I'll see what I can find out.

BLUEBLOCR

Social climber
joshua tree
Mar 27, 2017 - 11:02pm PT
Mike. has the best beta😏

Jus go jump on the Zode, dude! It'll be the best 6 weeks of your life😉
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