THE SELF-COACHED GUMBY
ST. GEORGE
This small Utah city boasts some of the most accessible crags in the country. You'll be shocked at how easy it is to get a few climbs in, grab a coffee or a bite to eat at a local diner, and be back on a different wall within the hour. Whether you like to climb on solid sandstone, slippery basalt, or sharp limestone, you can find a variety of rock within a 20-minute drive from town.
Guide Completeness Rating: 5/10
Assuming you have a car and find a place to sleep, there is not much to worry about when you are in St. George. While the town is small, it is easy to get around and should have everything you need.
What the Crux?
Avoid these logistical snafus
Some areas (such as Utah Hills) have some seriously rough roads - if you want to guarantee the shortest possible approach, a high-clearance 4WD vehicle is recommended. More in Climbing > Area Access
The highest alcohol % you can get at grocery stores is 3.5, meaning that most beers are a watered-down version of their normal selves (Natty Light is same as usual though).
The best way to get to St. George from most places is to fly into Las Vegas and drive from there. It is only a two-hour drive from Las Vegas, and there is a wide range of cheap flights and rental cars in Vegas. There is an airport in St. George, but unless you can find a cheap direct flight it probably isn’t worth it to fly there. If you are within 10 hours or so driving, you’d save a lot of money by just driving yourself.
While the selection is small relative to larger cities, there are a few Airbnb’s available at lower rates than hotels. We stayed in an Airbnb in Ivins, which was slightly closer to Snow Canyon and some other climbing areas than St. George proper, but only by 5-10 minutes. Staying NW of St. George (Ivins area) is definitely closer to the majority of the climbing than NE of St. George (near Hurricane).
Pictured: House icon indicates Airbnb location, climber icon indicates climbing (duh)
In nice weather, there is definitely camping available. Snow Canyon has established campgrounds and looks like an amazing spot to camp. Some of the crags are remote enough that no one will bother you if you pitch a tent – though we didn’t try so I can’t say for certain. In mid-winter it can get to around freezing at night, but weather in Spring/Fall would be ideal for camping.
Getting Around
A car is essential for getting around St. George – not sure how one would get to any crags without one. In the guide books you may see people mention some roads being rough on approaches, and that is definitely true in some places (e.g. Utah Hills). We had a small 2WD Mazda sedan and were fine, but were definitely pushing its limits on some very gravelly bumpy roads. If you have access to a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, it will make accessing some areas easier.
Food and Drink
Choice in places to eat is limited, but there are a few gems we enjoyed. The Egg and I is a classic diner with some Mexican influence, Sakura is a good hibachi spot (open on major holidays). Keep in mind any beer you get at the grocery store is going to be at most 3.2% - if you want real booze you’ll have to go to a state liquor store.
Gear
There is one main place to get gear – The Desert Rat. Haven’t been, but heard good things.
Non-Climbing Activities
There are a bunch of outdoorsy activities that are popular in the area. Mountain bike trails are everywhere, and there are a few companies that offer zip-lining, canyoneering, and that type of thing. Zion National Park is only an hour away. The area also seems to be a destination for golfing.
Indoor activities are more limited. There are a few movie theaters. The bar scene seems minimal, probably due to the predominantly Mormon demographic. Interestingly, the closest climbing gym is in Vegas so many of the locals have only ever climbed outside.
Rock Type(s):
Sandstone, Basalt, Limestone
Route Grading:
Mostly fair, occasionally hard. Some Basalt areas (e.g. Black Rocks) seemed sandbagged due to crux moves being above the route grade. Some sandstone routes are harder than graded due to broken holds (keep an eye out for MP comments).
Recommended Sport Sub-Sector:
From the Chuckwalla parking area, you can access Chuckwalla wall in 1 minute. If it gets too crowded there, Turtle wall is just a 20-minute easy hike down the Chuckwalla trail. Both walls feature steep, juggy routes in the 5.10-5.11 range as well as steep, not-as-juggy routes in the 5.12-5.13 range.
The guide book for the area is Rock Climbs of Southwest Utah & the Arizona Strip. It is written by Todd Goss, who has personally been involved in developing many of the cliffs in the area. It is a really well-laid-out book with great photos and useful tools like a crag finder, indicators for types of climbs (pumpy, technical, etc.), and sun/shade times. It is essential if you are spending much time in the area.
Mountain Project is most useful for cross-referencing, especially to see what people think about grades - the book does mention that some grades are essentially guesses. It would be difficult to plan your day and successfully find crags and routes with just MP.
Depending on the sector you go to, access can be as simple as parking on the side of the road (e.g. Chuckwalla, Black Rocks) to wandering past "No Trespassing" signs miles down gravel roads.
Snow Canyon State Park
Home to much of the best multi-pitch sport in the area (and maybe the country?), the park has a $6 entrance fee per car and is open 6am-10pm according to the website. The parking lots are small and may fill up in the afternoon and on weekends, but it didn't seem to be much of a problem.
Utah Hills
This area is a few miles down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Some of the crags are on private mining company property, so contact The Desert Ratfor access info.
Even with the guide book it was hard to be sure we were in the right place. The above picture shows the turn off with Gorilla Cliff the obvious feature in the upper right - the photo is taken at these coordinates: 37.069612, -113.831321. Take the left turn leading past Gorilla Cliff and there is a small parking pullout a few hundred yards over rugged gravel (located at 37.069833, -113.825939). Past that pullout, the road gets rugged - you'd need a high-clearance 4WD vehicle.
Each section below contains basic info about the crag, as well as some thoughts & recommendations. The list is comprised of crags we have first-hand experience with - if a crag isn't below, we just haven't been yet. Crags are ordered starting closest to St. George, and grouped by proximity.
Try using the search bar above to find desired grade (e.g. "5.10"), or a time when it is shady (e.g. "Afternoon").
Popularity: High
Ideal Grade Range: 5.9-5.10 (sunny side), 5.11-5.12 (shady side)
Rock Type: Basalt
Approach: 5 min
Parking: Road-side (37.153458, -113.606079)
Shade: all day (sunny side), never (shady side)
Thoughts:
This area is composed of two long cliffs facing each other - one sunny and one shady - making it a good spot in all seasons. While it is popular and appears to be a destination for some guiding, the cliff is very long so it is unlikely you'll have trouble finding routes. The basalt is slick and difficult to get used to - I found many of the routes blanker than you'd expect for the grade.
Note: many routes have only bolt hangers at the top, so be prepared to rappel to clean.
Popularity: Very High
Ideal Grade Range: 5.11-5.12 (5.10 if the crowd is minimal)
Rock Type: Sandstone
Approach: 2 min
Parking: Large parking area (37.138212, -113.604681)
Shade: Morning
Thoughts:
An extremely popular wall for good reason - the approach is the easiest of any crag I've visited and it boasts a high concentration of fun, gym-like routes. Huge pockets on steep, pumpy routes. It can be hard to get on any of the 5.10's on the right half of the wall, but the 5.11-5.12's on the left are a bit less popular. If the crowd is too much, it is easy to hike in a bit to Turtle Wall, or hop back in your car to check out another area.
Popularity: Medium
Ideal Grade Range: 5.11-5.12
Rock Type: Sandstone
Approach: 25 min
Parking: Chuckwalla parking area (37.138212, -113.604681)
Shade: Afternoon
Thoughts:
This wall has a few of the steepest 5.11a's you'll find outside a gym, these are highly recommended. Some of the 5.10 face climbs seem much trickier than they should be for their book grades, so make sure to cross-reference Mountain Project (possibly some broken holds).
Popularity: Medium
Ideal Grade Range: 5.7-5.9 multi-pitch
Rock Type: Sandstone
Approach: 10-15 min
Parking: Small parking area (37.190567, -113.645449)
Shade: Morning
Thoughts:
Island in the Sky is a huge formation in Snow Canyon with possibly one of the largest concentrations of multi-pitch sport in the country. We climbed at the sub-sector called Sand Dunes which contains a number of moderate 3-4 pitch routes requiring no gear.
The routes are fairly spread out and a bit tricky to find - If you see other climbers on the approach they may help point you in the right direction. Also, be sure to carefully read book descriptions and online comments to get a sense for the state of bolts if you aren't bringing trad gear.
Pictured: Victoria and following on the 4-pitch 'Gratitude'
Popularity: Low
Ideal Grade Range: Various (5.8-5.12)
Rock Type: Limestone
Approach: 20 min
Parking: Very small pullout (37.069914, -113.825932)
Shade: Mid-morning through afternoon
Thoughts:
Very isolated back in the Utah Hills area on private property (check with The Desert Rat for access info), so if you want to really get far away from the city and people this is the spot. There are solid climbs at a wide range of grades, so this would be a good spot for a group of varying ability.It is not good for cold winter days as it only gets early sun, but would be great for warm afternoons.