Larissa's Crag and Route Recommendations for All Sorts of Social Occasions in Red Rock
When your 7-yr-old niece or 40-yr-old friend wants to try climbing:
• Child's Play Wall, First Pullout (next to Cactus Massacre) - 20-30 min approach. This crag has shade in the afternoon. There is just enough scrambling for novice hikers to get an exciting taste but not so much that they'll be drained before even getting to the crag. Must climb to set up TRs.
• Cowlick Crag, Calico Basin - easy, flat approach. Flat base for people to spread out and hang out. Can scramble up the back to set up TRs. Ideal for children.
When it's 90F in the sun, and you get off of work at 4pm:
• Ragged Edges, Willow Spring Pullout - climb Ragged Edges (5.8 trad) and use the P1 anchor of Ragged Edges to TR and project Plan F (5.10a trad)
• Cannibal Crag, Calico Basin - Cannibal Crag is always busy, except when it's hot! During the summer, the southeast-facing side of Cannibal is in the shade in the afternoon. This side has the steeper, harder routes, and just a couple of easier routes. To warm up on Caliban, a crappy 5.8+, I recommend setting it up as a TR, which can be done by scrambling up the back and attaching yourself to bolted anchors on the flat top of the Cannibal boulder. Or bring a light rack and climb Your Are What You East 5.4 trad to the same anchors as Caliban. Ideally, I'd warm up on the northwest-facing side of Cannibal, but you'd have to wait till 5-6pm for them to go into the shade.
• Jabba the Hutt and Coco Crag, Calico Basin - afternoon shade. Popular after-work crag. The two crags are about 100 yards away from each other. If your target route is taken, there's likely something free at the other crag.
When it's cold and you're teaching/learning trad:
• Moderate Mecca, Calico Basin - easy approach, west facing, quiet, serene views of west side of Calico Hills, easy to set up TRs (mix of bolted and trad anchors). Chicken Gumbo, Soupy Sales, Crackers for My Soup are great routes for mock-leading -> first trad lead. The flat area above these routes is gently sloped and great for practicing multi-pitch trad skills.
When it's cold and you want all the sun you can get:
• Brass Wall and Straight Shooter crags, Pine Creek Canyon - 30min approach, moderate and hard trad routes
When you've spent a while at RR, but your climber friend is visiting and needs to get in a bunch of quick, easy pitches to get used to sandstone, and for when you don't want to mess around with rappelling and are looking for well-cairned walk-offs:
• Olive Oil, Pine Creek Canyon - 45min approach if you don't get lost. Gets a lot of sun. I'd be comfortable climbing this route 2-3 days after a rainstorm.
• MysterZ, Juniper Canyon - 45 min approach, slightly flatter approach if you start from the Oak Creek trailhead instead of the Pine Creek trailhead. Long-ish walk-off. Gets sun.
• Frogland, Black Velvet Canyon - 30 min approach. In the shade. Can get cold and windy.
All these are great options if you're an experienced trad climber (or guide) and want to show a new-ish climber the beauty of multi-pitch climbing in RR.
For hanging out with friends, moderate trad, great views of the scenic loop, and away from the crowds:
• Flight Path Area, Pine Creek Canyon - take the Dale Trail and branch off north. Shaded in afternoon.
For a short approach, partially shaded trad crag:
• Sunnyside Crags, Icebox Canyon - lead Shady Ladies (5.7), mind the left-ward traverse at the top to the anchors, and set up a TR for Magellanic Cloud (5.9+). Shady Ladies is a good candidate for someone practicing leading (TR -> mock-leading -> and then eventually leading); the traverse at the top may be too spicy for it to be a candidate for first ever trad lead.
For when you want to get tired from the approach AND the climb, and when you have a rope gun:
• Adventure Punks (5.10d trad), Challenger Wall, Pine Creek Canyon - bring all your big gear for p5.
For those breaking into 5.10 trad (which seems to me to involve finally confronting finger cracks):
• Triassic Sands (5.10), Black Velvet Canyon - the crux is indeed the crux.
• Straight Shooter (5.9+), Straight Shooter wall
• Plan F (5.10a), Ragged Edges Area