Family Adventure Life: City of Rocks, Almo, ID

City of Rocks, Almo, ID (Feb. 27, 2016)

Bouldering on Window Rock.

Erin at the Visitor Center sign.

Lets start climbing!

Edward Whymper, an English mountaineer wrote, “Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end.” City of the Rocks granite is internationally renowned among climbers. There are over 600 climbing routes both traditional and sport. This blog entry details the trip that Erin and I just made to this beautiful place. From the quaint visitor center to the towering monoliths, City of the Rocks remains one of Idaho’s best parks. I have been fascinated with the geology and almost mythical or magically appearance of this park for about as long as I can remember. On this particular trip we stopped at the visitor center to pick up a new map and chat with the ranger, then we headed for Super Hits – Bloody Fingers to do a classic chimney climb, we capped the afternoon off with a stop at Practice Rock for a few low key top rope climbs.

A pretty view of some of the park.

Erin posing at Window Rock.

The visitor center for both the reserve and State Park is located in the historic village of Almo. The center is open seven days a week from mid-April to mid-October, Tuesday through Saturday during the winter months. There is no fee to enter the Reserve. After a 3 ½ hour sprint down I15 and I86 we pulled into the bustling metropolis of Almo, ID. Tucked into a remote mountain range in southern Idaho this SMALL village sported an Inn, a steakhouse, and the visitor center for the park. The visitor center looks like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting. We were warmly greeted inside by one of the on duty rangers (in my experience rangers are pretty much the coolest). After a brief chat about what we were up to and the questionable weather we grabbed a new USGS Topographical map, a few bumper stickers and hit the road.

Striking a pose on Super Hits.

Selfies on my phone!

At least she is cute!

Dave Bingham a climbing guide and author of City of Rocks Idaho wrote, “Like Decadent Wall, “Super Hits” was another Jay Goodwin “theme” crag, with several routes named after Punk band songs from the ‘80’s.His ascents were mentally demanding (runout). Some have been retro-bolted while others are rarely climbed. Meanwhile, the original “70’s classic “Bloody Fingers” remains one of the coolest routes at City of Rocks, and still a challenging lead after all these years.” At Super Hits we decided to give the Chimney, a 5.6 route, a try. The wind howled viciously from the time we parked the car to the time we left. Tucked against the rock it was manageable but if you moved out into the open at all you had to brace yourself. This particular route is subject to afternoon shade and hadn’t melted off as much as other parts of the park. The shady conditions caused our belay location to be in a snow drift at the bottom of the Chimney. Frozen fingers and toes aside it was nice spot to knock off the first climb of the trip and we messed around with a 30-40 meter rap from the bolted chains on the top.

Working a little 5.7 route on Practice Rock.

After thoroughly freezing our digits we decided to find a rock that was clear of snow and preferably in the sun. Scouring my topo and guide book for the perfect slab of granite to test my mettle I came upon Practice Rock. Erin scoffed that with such a name it might not be a fun challenge but when she saw the dry sunny belay sight her opinion quickly changed. Has it turns out my unpracticed skills deeply enjoyed the various 5.7-5.9 routes available on Practice Rock. My personal favorite a 5.7/5.8 called Betwixt. Coming from an intermediate climber of limited experience I would absolutely recommend this spot as a great spot to “Practice” you’re climbing.

Rappelling down the Chimney.

After a full day of Visitor Centers, Chimney climbs, and top rope “Practice” we found an empty camp site and broke out our cooler with a salami and cream cheese bagel picnic. Throw in some chipotle chicken salad and vanilla cherry soda and it was a win. From the quaint visitor center to the towering monoliths, City of the Rocks truly is one of Idaho’s best parks. Spending an afternoon outside with my beautiful wife enjoying nature and a little physical activity and yes some food is pretty undeniably a win. Until next time.

-Adventure on!