City of Rocks/Castle Rocks, Idaho

Location: (very) South central Idaho; West of Almo, Idaho; 4 hours north of Salt Lake City, Utah

Type of Climbing: Trad, Sport, Bouldering

Type of Rock: Granite

Camping: Free BLM land past Smokey Mountain Campgrounds, $20/ night at Smokey Mountain Campground

Guidebooks: City of Rocks Idaho, 7th: A Climber's Guide by Dave Bingham, Castle Rocks Guide (get it at Rock City while there) 


Castle Rocks...
It is about 10 minutes north of the City with a plethera of sport climbing at close locations.  If you are more of a sport climber definitely check out Castle over City because you park at one place and basically can walk anywhere in about 10-15 minutes.  The only real downside to Castle is that you have to pay a $5 entrance fee because it is a state park.  The best spot in the city to climb the most routes in the day would have to be the Hostess Gully.  The Hostess Gully has around 20 routes in the gully and outside of it, all ranging from a 5.7 to, I believe, mid-11s.  Beware though, some routes you will need at least one piece of gear because it can be runout between clips.  Castle Rocks is a state park, meaning there is not any camping in the park.  Some routes you should check out are Shock and Awe (5.10a), Sloppy Seconds (5.10a), and True Grit (5.10a).




City of Rocks...
It is the main area that many people flock to for some of the best climbing in Idaho.  With it being so close to Utah, you will find many people from all over Utah climbing here.  One nice thing that I liked over Castle was the fact that it was free to get in.  Always a nice deciding factor if you are trying to save.  Another nice thing about COR are the approaches.  There are basically nonexistent.  You park right next to many of the crags giving you the ability to climb longer.  City of Rocks, in my opinion, is better for traditional climbing than it is sport.  Though, there are many good sport routes (Bath Rock's Colossus 5.10c is a must, Flaming Rock's multi-pitch 5.7, to name a few) I would come back to explore more trad climbing.




For guidebooks...
Both areas can be difficult to navigate, even with a guide book.  For Castle Rocks I would definitely pick up the Castle Rocks Guide. (you can get it at Rock City...support the great people and buy it there instead of online)  I think it will cost you about $15-20 but is better than the guide that I had.  For COR, good luck.  I have used multiple guides and they are both pretty hard to navigate.  Everyone we talked to got pretty confused of what rock was what, and what routes were what.  I would suggest though, Dave Bingham's version of the City of Rocks.  I thought it was slightly better when navigating the Emery Canyon Road over Tony Calderone's.


For amenities...
In the City of Rocks area you got Rock City (who makes awesome pizza), the Outpost Steakhouse (restaurant), and Tracy's General Store.  THAT is it.  There are not any Walmart's or Smith's or Walgreen's or Fast food chains of any kind.  It is a SMALL town.  In all honesty though, why would you want that crap in a climbing area?

Camping...
Pay for camping spots litter the entire City of Rocks Reserve but beware, the spots go quick and some/most are reserved pre-weekend. We end up camping in the BLM land most of the time south of Almo. Again, there are not many spots here so claim early or shack up with strangers, who are typically generous when you offer free beer. To get to the BLM, drive from Almo and before you take that 90 degree right to COR go straight and keep right until you see a private camp spot with random fixings (you'll see what I mean). You will hit a cattle guard and immediately after that take a right down a dirt road. There are a few BLM spots down that way.


Things to know...
Traveling around these Idaho "roads" can be rough on a low profile car.  I would suggest, if possible, having the friend who has the more raised car drive to Idaho.  Any sedans can get a little torn up because of the rocks and the dips in the roads.

I would also make sure to have all of the food that you are going to eat.  Meaning buying things in the city, though I do support it, can get expensive since there really is nothing around.

Weather...
Can get very hot because you are in the desert.  Also, though it can get very windy because you are in the desert.  I would suggest that the best time to climb is either in the Fall or late in the Summer.





Recommendation...
For anyone who is looking to get some good trad climbing in, definitely go to City of Rocks.  For sport, go to Castle Rocks.  I love both of these areas and LOVE the granite here.  You can find a good combination of pump and technical climbing, you just have to look a little harder for it.

Ticklist...
Sloppy Seconds (5.10a)
Snack Break Right (5.9+)
Snack Break Left (5.8+)
Colossus (5.10c)
The Pygmies Got Stoned (5.10a)
Rain Dance (5.7) - pitch 1 (5.6) pitch 2 (5.7)
Bora Bora (5.9)
Bikini Candy (5.8)

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