[TR] Indian Creek, Eldo, and City of Rocks- 4/24/2005

[k.rose]

Climb: Indian Creek, Eldo, and City of Rocks-

 

Date of Climb: 4/24/2005

 

Trip Report:

I just got back from a two and a half-week road trip where I visited (for the first time) the Colorado plateau country in Utah. It was absolutely magnificent, and I can definitely see myself going back. Temperatures were cool and thunderstorms frequent, so unfortunately we didn’t get to do any climbs of great length. We did spend five days climbing impeccable cracks at Indian Creek. Since the place was totally uncrowded we focused on the more popular and well-known crags (Supercrack Buttress, Donelly Canyon, and Blue Gramma cliff). Since this is where the greatest concentration of climbs under 5.11 is found. If any one is planning a trip there and wants gear beta I kept good notes. Also if you where lace up shoes plan on going through a pair of laces per day.

From there we went to Eldo where my personal high point was onsiting Grandmothers Challenge (.10c) in one 200-foot long pitch. After leaving Boulder we went to City of Rocks and spent a couple of days until chased out by a snowstorm. Some of the highlights from the City were Book of Dissent and Animal Cracker, both 5.10a and very esthetic All and all a fantastic trip.

[olyclimber]

Sounds like a fun trip, I'm hoping to make it down to the Moab/Indian Creek area this fall or next spring. I would be interested in your recommendations for good under .11 climbs.

[crazy_t]

Nice job on Grandmother's Challenge. That crux is some awkward, pumpy stuff. Quality trad lead! I used to live in Eldo, wish I still did.

[fern]

I think I met you down there. You were trying to cram yourself up an impossibly narrow offwidth? cool trip

[k.rose]

Olyclimber,

The easiest climbs that I did were Binou's crack at Donelly canyon and Twin cracks at Supercrack Buttress both are short easy 5.9 and take gear from fingers to small hands. Blue Gramma cliff also offers shorter pitches if you are unsure of your stamina or don't have a monster rack of cams. All of the longer 5.10 pitches at Supercrack and Donnelly are very worthwhile, but they are pretty gear intensive, i.e. Supercrack 1 #.3, 3 #2, 7 #3 camalots, Incredible Handcrack 1#1, 9 #2, 1#3 (this is also what I used on Generic Crack). In other words borrow all the hand size cams you can muster. Fern, you must have come by when we were playing on Binge and Purge, neither of us got it entirely free and it was the first time I recall getting my chest stuck in a crack, fun stuff.

[whirlwind]

i was think of going down this fall as well, carpool?

sounds like a decent trip there k. glade to hear you made it out of pa for a bit

[Picketeer]

I agree with k.rose. I was at Indian Creek in March and climbed in Donelly Canyon and on Supercrack Buttress. Incredible Handcrack is a great climb but just gobbles gear (save some for the crux near where the crack curls back right). Also, Donnelly Canyon faces southward and the stone was baking by noon (in mid March!) and so we worked lines on Supercrack Buttress in the afternoon (this seemed a fairly popular scheme) since the lines near Incredible Hand Crack get some early afternoon shade.

 

Be sure to check out the Yellow Submarine and Tortoise rock formations just before the turn-off for Indian Creek.

Awesome, particularly in the twilight--one of those fine road trip sights.

[snowball]

Was out there for a week in May. Super awesome trip. Second time to the Creek. Also did a lot of trail running and scrambling (3rd/4th class)in Arches National Park which is located in Moab.

 

Did the same thing as Picketeer... ping ponged between Supercrack Buttress and Doneley Canyon. I drove out there without a climbing partner from LA. Never fear. Just walk up to the Supercrack Butress and you find many people waiting for partners (the more 2's and 3's you got the more partners you'll find). The land out there is all BLM, meaning you can camp anywhere (really!) but just pack it out. Drive into the Creek with lots of food and many (many!) gallons of water because there is no clean water sources down there.

 

I plan to return this Fall when the temps drop to normalcy...