We’ve been lucky enough to visit most of the iconic American climbing areas, and many others that should be more widely known – have a browse through here if you want some inspiration: https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/category/usa/
However, Indian Creek had eluded us (or perhaps we’d eluded it!) My previous visit with Helen to Moab had been a whistle-stop affair, as a part of our Big Trip, with young kids in tow and a slickrock bike ride and The Big Parks demoting climbing aspirations to a quick hit on Wall Street.
Last year’s Utah adventure with Bill was focused on Big Walls and Towers, with single-pitchery off the agenda.
The Creek has a good claim to be THE #1 crack-climbing destination on the planet, famed for its sandstone splitters – 100ft endurance tests of relentlessly parallel cracks requiring a whole rack of cams of a single size; a climbing Mecca drawing crack-fanatics from all over the world. It was about time we paid a visit!
I had a few misconceptions, which it might be worth sharing in case I’m not the only dullard. Firstly, it’s over an hour’s drive from Moab into The Creek, so you won’t want to commute. Secondly, I’d imagined it to be a linear crag in a tight canyon, whereas in reality it’s a sinuous wall (with climbing available in all orientations for sun or shade as required) in a broad valley. Thirdly, I had feared hideously crowded and claustrophobic climbing – whilst there were quite a lot of climbers there’s an awful lot of rock (1,000 routes spread over five miles of walls). Mountain Project is full of reports of lines (queues) on popular routes, but we only bumped into one team on one of the most popular areas (Donnelly Canyon) right next to the major parking area. Maybe it wasn’t peak Creek season (but if late October isn’t, when is?)
Whilst there’s a huge amount of rock to choose from, many sectors require a bit of 4wd to access, or parking in limited bays by the side of the road – neither great in a 25ft RV, so it seemed sensible to get a first taste from the major parking area at Donnelly’s.
You’ve got a choice of the famed Supercrack Buttress on the right…
… or Donnelly’s on the left (with the classic splitter of Generic Crack the most obvious landmark).
We plumped for the latter and managed to find our way to Binou’s Crack (we’d forgotten to download any photos on the Mountain Project app, so the name was a bonus!):
Also in its favour is that it’s pretty much the easiest route in the area, has a varying sized crack (so doable with a typical Brit rack) and it was just going into the shade.
Despite all that, it still felt quite testing for a 5.8+!
Elephant Man, 10a, also met the “wonky crack” criterion (though I still did a bit of leap-frogging), and actually felt easier and more like a grit crack (though two or three times longer)
So much for a brief taster – I went away with the feeling that we still hadn’t really sampled the essence of The Creek, personified by the iconic Supercrack (recommend gear 6x #3s and 3x #4s rather than one of each which I was packing!)
Another misconception / pleasant surprise was the fabulous Superbowl Campground, a further 15mins beyond Supercrack Buttress. I’d imagined Camp 4 squalor (don’t get me wrong, it’s one of my favourite places in the world, but…). Instead, it’s a spacious area with pitches separated by colourful Cottonwoods, and views to die for onto the far rim…
and over to the twin Six-Shooter towers.
Not a bad spot for a sundowner around a crackling fire.
The forecast was for possible showers the next day, and I couldn’t quite muster the enthusiasm to round up a possy of buddies for a communal cam rack for one of the splitters. Perhaps next time…
Instead, after a quick peak at the petrogliphs on Newspaper Rock…
… we headed back into town to explore Kane Springs Canyon, which branches south off from the Colorado River canyon, south of Moab. This soon turns into a dirt road and is much travelled by tourists in rented Jeeps and Off-Highway Vehicles (who were no doubt put out to find themselves sharing the road with a warehouse-sized RV). In fairness, it’s quite a spectacular drive, with the mixed trad/sport crag of Ice-cream Parlour being the climbing highlight.
Spitting with rain, but not wetting (… and remember: Don’t climb on wet sandstone) we had lunch while the squall passed.
Left Slab and Black Slab are a couple of bolted 5.7s (runout and with some very height-dependants moves) and Hot Karl Sundae is a technical 10c with interesting, tenuous climbing over an overlap and up an open groove.
Another picturesque campground (aren’t they all!?) King’s Bottom sits immediately on the bank of the Colorado, with views over it to Wall Street on Potash Road – our next stop…
This was the scene of our only previous Moab foray, and you can’t ask for much more convenience – you can literally belay from the passenger seat!
Yogini and Neopolitan are a couple of sandy, slabby 5.7s (the latter is much more highly recommended).
Banana Peel is a cool, crimpy 10a, the bottom 15ft of which has sadly suffered death-by-toprope. Here’s a shot of Sam, taken from the top.
More enjoyable are the adjacent trad/sport 10a/bs: Little Tufas, and Lacto Strangulation.
Fab views of the Colorado River from the top of the crag, with King’s Bottom Campground somewhere just off the left end of the picture.
A bit of a blip in the immaculate weather threatened to turn Helen’s Big Birthday into a damp squib. Happily the forecasted overnight rain barely materialised, but although the big day dawned clear and blue it was a tad chilly: sub-zero overnight and with a high of 6C and “feels like” 2C in a biting northerly.
A VERY leisurely breakfast, chilling at Fisher Towers, at least allowed the sun to come around.
… and we set off for a return visit to Take-out Beach, which we judged to be the most sheltered spot to hopefully bag a Birthday YECTOYD. The excellent Minions, 5.6, proved just the ticket.
That went smoothly, and without frostbite, so we took another gamble with To Boo Or Not To Boo, 10a. After a quick go on a top rope she led it in fine style, delighted to find a Moab sandstone 10 that climbed like a limestone route thanks to a coating of calcite.
Just to the left, I managed to onsight the 4* Protest Too Much, 11c, making for a highly successful if short day. Here’s the view back to the Theatre sector…
… and a mini topo.
Meanwhile, no surprise where we were heading:
… followed by cake back at the campsite, before wrapping up warm for the minus 6C overnight.
Fresh snow dusting the La Sal Mountains, and we decided to start making our way slowly south to hopefully surf the ideal isotherm for the reminder of the trip.
RockAroundTheWorld 