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City of Rocks & Castle Rocks, ID: Review - Yeahs & Neahs

Photo Credit: Rick Momsen
The ground rules for climbing location "yeahs" and "neahs"
  • Each location will receive an opinion rating - "It Rocks!", "Worth It," "Meh," or "Trash."
  • Each crag has its own personality with unique advantages and challenges, which are highlighted.
  • It is tempting to list “beautiful” as a “yeah,” but that is true for a lot of crags. I allude to beauty and scenery in the summary. You can also (sometimes) tell by the photo. If the place is a dump, then that will be listed in the “neahs” and rated as "Meh" or "Trash.
Summary
City of Rocks and Castle Rocks are located in southern Idaho near the tiny town of Almo. Composed of granite outcroppings, they have incredible other-worldly vistas. There are mazes of well-marked trails that meander in the tree-covered valleys between the rocks. The rock orientations allow for sunny or shaded climbing depending on the need. Yes, this place is very beautiful!

Grades, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
Castle Rocks was more recently developed so the climb grades tend to be more in line with modern (outdoor) grades. City of Rocks can have variable grades and some occasional hit-or-miss sandbagging (often this occurs with "easier" grade trad climbs), but it is not too bad. To be on the safe side, you can bump it up a grade (if it says 5.8, plan on 5.9).

Bolt distances can be run out in the City but less so in Castle.  Newer (after 2000) bolted routes in both locations tend to be less run out.

A single guidebook does not always provide the critical information you need for climbs here, so use multiple guidebooks AND supplementary resources (such as Mountain Project). Also use your head in the planning. Many climbs require two-rope rappels, but guidebooks do not always say so. If the climb is 200 feet, and your rope is 60 meters, you will need two ropes to rappel (not all climbs have an intermediate rappel anchor, and the guidebooks may not be clear about this).  In general, it is safer to use a 70 meter rope here (distances for slab climbing are visually deceptive. Slab climbing uses a lot of rope).

Guidebooks for the City and Castle are below (as mentioned above multiple guidebooks are recommended):
  • Climb-On Maps (2018) - A beautiful, easy-to-use fold-out map that shows you how to get to each wall, common walk-offs, and the difficulty of the approaches. It's also great for planning with at-a-glance Crag Summaries (no need to spend hours figuring out the wall you want). You can instantly see what wall is good for you (i.e. Looking for hard sport? Or easy trad multi-pitch? Find it fast) - A Climber's Map for City of Rocks/Castle Rocks, ID also on Amazon
  • Rakkup, a great new electronic guidebook app, has the following guidebooks available. These are updated regularly. Print versions of these guidebooks are also available at mountaindreamer.net
    • Castle Rocks Rock Climbing by Tony Calderone (2016): http://rakkup.com/guidebooks/castle-rocks-idaho-climbing/
    • City of Rocks Rock Climbing by Tony Calderone (2016): http://rakkup.com/guidebooks/city-of-rocks-climbing/ 
  • Castle Rocks Idaho: A Climber's Guide by Dave Bingham (2004, 2016 - Incorporated with the new City of Rocks guide): Amazon.com
  • City of Rocks Idaho: A Climber's Guide (Regional Rock Climbing Series) (2004, 2016) by Dave Bingham: Amazon.com
  • Classic Rock Climbs: City of Rocks Idaho by Laird Davis (1997) - Note: This book features a small number of the climbs at the City but does include some useful beta about the climb. Available at Back Country Gear
  • Mountain Project
    • Castle Rocks: https://www.mountainproject.com/v/castle-rocks/105739331
    • City of Rocks: https://www.mountainproject.com/v/city-of-rocks/105739322

Camping
Multiple camping options are nearby. Camping in the park itself does not have running water at the sites (you have to get it from a couple different spots and haul it to your site. Be aware that water gets turned off for the winter!). There are pit-style bathrooms in the park. Some in-park sites offer shade and neat ambience with rocks. Others are hot and sun-exposed on warmer days.

The nearby Smoky Mountain campground has all the amenities (water, electricity, bathrooms, showers, and cell reception. Also be aware that water and bathrooms are shut down here in the winter.). You can pay for showers here (pay as a day pass for the facilities, using the deposit box on the road to the campground). Showers are also available a Tracy's General Store.

To reserve a site go to: http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/city-of-rock-national-reserve/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=ID&parkId=315044

There is walk-in, no-reservation camping near Castle Rocks.

There are primitive (free) camping options on BLM land past/above the Smokey Mountain Campground and outside of the park boundaries. A higher clearance vehicle is recommended to access these areas.
 
​Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
  • This isn’t the typical slabby-cracky granite. Yes, there are cracks (that are, fortunately, nicely protectable). Yes, there is plenty of slab. But, there are also great, interesting face climbs due to the unique history, minerology, and erosion of the rock. Apparently this granite is some of the oldest exposed granite in the nation, which has allowed it to weather in a way that makes it more featured than other granite climbing areas (hence the nice face climbing). There is an excellent variety of climbing styles here (crack, slab, face, flakes). 

Yeahs
  • Camping options are nearby and they have amenities (see camping above).
  • There is a nice, developed hot spring in Almo. The facility has several large pools with varying temperatures. There is an entrance fee.
  • The rock is high quality in most places (not crumbly). If a route hasn't been climbed in a while, there may be a thin layer of grime as the granite naturally decomposes, but it can be cleaned off as you go up (maybe not great to do on a hard climb!)
  • There are a large number of sport and trad climbs in various grades.
  • There are multi-pitch climbs (many are not more than 2 pitches), but a few 3+ pitch climbs do exist and they are fun (so can't really put it as a "neah").
  • Areas and trails are well-marked in both parks.
 
Neahs
  • Like most areas worth visiting, it can get busy on holidays and weekends. At busy times it can be hard to find camping in the designated areas. Parking near the crags can also be a challenge on busy days. Sometimes you have to park along the side of the road and walk.
  • Hmmm, having a hard time thinking of neahs – perhaps limited multi-pitch, but as described above, they do exist…
 

Opinion Rating
It Rocks!

Photos and beta

Resources: Areas closed to climbing - Access Fund: http://www.opengate.org/access-fund-blog/2016/08/navigating-access-at-city-rocks-and-castle-rocks-.html 

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  • Writing
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        • Adaptive Climbing Edition >
          • Adaptive Climbing Photo Feature: Paradox Sports
          • Advocating for Deaf Climbers: Sonya Wilson
          • Amputations: Leg Prosthesis for Climbing
          • Blind Ambition Builds a World Class Climber: The Story of Jesse Dufton
          • Climbing with Type 1 Diabetes
          • First Paralyzed Ascents: Rand Abbott
          • Mixed Climbing: My Answer to KT Syndrome
          • Paraclimbing Competitions: Althlete Interviews
          • Rock!
          • The Unreasonable Man
        • Belaytionships Edition >
          • Featured Photographer: Charlie OlGrady-Kessner
          • Belaytionships: Drew-and-Sarah
          • Belaytionships: Jeantique and Natalie
          • Belaytionships: Maggie and Charlie Odette
          • I Am My Father's Son: Layton Bridwell
          • Book Review: Uncoiling the Ropes
          • Zac the Interloper
        • Big Wall Edition >
          • Book Review: Paul Preuss: Lord of the Abyss
          • Featured Photographer: Matt Spohn
          • Grading Commitment
          • Hanging with the Monkeys, and Getting the Monkey Off My Back
          • It Was His Time: Brad Gobright Interview May 2019
          • John Middendorf : A Big Man for a Big Stone
          • Sébastien Berthe Free Climbs the Nose From the Ground Up
          • Shit Happens – Or, Why You Need a Walkie Talkie
        • Developers and Guidebook Authors >
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          • Andrew Penny - A Blue Mountaineer
          • Kevin Powell
          • Rock Star Groupie
          • Tony Calderone
        • Exploring Our World >
          • AUSTRALIA - Photographer - Diego Perez
          • AUSTRALIA - Profile - Julie Anderson
          • Book Review - Climbing Rock
          • CHINA - From Yangshuo, to Getu, to Liming
          • FRANCE - Verdon in Winter
          • GREECE - Meteora
          • ITALY - Dolomites
          • MEXICO - La Huasteca
          • SPAIN - Artist - Karmelo Onate
          • UTAH - Maple Canyon: This One Makes You Taller
        • Honoring Diversity >
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          • A Shift on Moonlight Buttress
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          • Profile - Favia Dubyk
          • The Lineage
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        • Trying to Send this Route
      • Equipment (writings) >
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        • A Rack Retrospective
        • Cam Ranges (+ Big Bros)
        • Carabiner Strength Ratings
        • Climbing Shoes Fit
        • Guide Book Follies
        • Rope Buying 101
        • Shit Happens – Or, Why You Need a Walkie Talkie
        • The One Item to Stockpile
        • Which Way Should I Carry My Trad Rack?
        • Why GriGris Suck
        • 8 Reasons I Carry a Full Rack on Every Trad Climb
      • Facebook Feature >
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        • FF: Butt Shots
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        • FF: Overcoming Boundaries
        • FF: Trees & Climbing
        • FF: Welcome New Climbers
      • Grades, Styles, & Types >
        • Bouldering-Falling
        • Bouldering Grade Advancements
        • Grading Climbs at the Gym
        • It's a F-ing Chimney
        • Onsight vs Flash vs Etc...
        • Top 10: Increase the Climbing Grade When...
        • Trad Climbing is for Chicken Sh*#s
        • WTF 5.7?
        • 18 Climber Types: Which Are You?
      • Kids >
        • Family Stages
        • The Guidebook
      • Legends >
        • B - Joe Brown
        • G - Brad Gobright
        • G - Todd Gordon
        • H - Hugh Herr
        • H - Thomas Huber - In Another World - A Personal Climbing Journey
        • J - Saxon Johns
        • M - Tim Macartney-Snape: ​A Legend from Sea to Summit
        • M - John Middendorf
      • Mental-Physical >
        • Climbing Training Series >
          • Improving Hip Mobility
          • Rock Climber Mobility
          • Train the Mind: Mental Toughness Tips for Quaratraining
        • A Climb Worth Fighting For
        • Achilles
        • Everyone Around Me Is Better Than I Am
        • Fear, Pride, and Exploration
        • How Auto-Immune Disease Affected My Climbing
        • Mastering Joy on Easy Street
        • Mind, Body, and Soul
        • My Demon Has a Name
        • New Year's Resolutions
        • Of Cartoons and Quickdraws
        • Push and Pull
        • Sorcerer and the Kidney Stone
        • Take Risks - You'll Remember Them Later
        • The Art of Climbing Without Rock
        • The Devil's Game
        • The Eye
        • The Taste of Climbing
        • 12-Weeks to Onsighting a 5.8
      • Other/Misc >
        • Assault on Schurman Rock
        • Book Club
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        • Climbing Drinking Games
        • Climbing Gyms: The Gateway Drug
        • Climbing Hands
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        • Climbing Resolutions
        • Demented Dirtbag
        • Don't Take Granite for Granite
        • Dorothy, We Aren't on Havana Anymore
        • Guatemalan Worry Dolls Go Climbing
        • No Health Insurance Changed How I Climb
        • Snakes and Ladders
        • Starting Over
        • The Adventure of A Lifetime - So Far
        • The Bane of Northwest Climbing
        • The Pink Tricam
        • Things of Stone and Wood
        • We Were Just Boys
        • Zac the Interloper
      • Places & Climbs >
        • Climbs >
          • Consolation Prize
          • Flakes and Shakes: Flake Crack Revisited
          • From Yorkshire to Eternity
          • Tiptoeing Through Some Bungles
          • Tombstone Territory
          • Yosemite - What We Came For
        • Location Reviews
        • My Home Crag >
          • Climbing in the Upper Cumberland Valley, Kentucky
          • Drytooling in the Rain - Wayne's World, WA
          • My Home Crag: Nowra, NSW, Australia
          • The Kenyan Climber
        • Travel Stories >
          • Blue Mountains - Bliss: Climbing in the Blueys
          • Buenos Aires, Argentina Crag
          • Colorado - Calling Pat Ament
          • Coolum Cave - Sendfest 8
          • Ecuador - A Nation of Four Worlds
          • Egypt: The Sinai Sampler
          • El Potrero Chico - Riding the Dirty Dog
          • Yosemite: Growing Up
          • Lover's Leap - Zone of Craptitude
          • Rio de Janeiro - Classic Climbs Sampler
          • Taghia, Morocco - Hardly Failing
          • Tasmania - Legend of the ‘Unclimbable Cliff’
          • Thailand - Lost and Found: A Mini-Epic in Paradise
          • Vedauwoo, WY
          • Yosemite - What We Came For
          • 20 World Destinations for Adventurous Climbing
        • 2020 U.S. Rock Climbing Festivals
      • Poetry/Prose >
        • Anti-Social Climbers
        • Sojourn at Dyuritte
        • Finding Poetry
        • Ice is Nice
        • The Space Between
      • Safety and Skills >
        • Bolting and Ground-Fall Potential
        • Euro-Death Knot is NOT
        • Multi-Pitch Tips: Two ATCs
        • Sketchy Anchor Bolts
        • Sliding-X Anchor
        • Three Ways to Use a Stick Clip
        • Top 10: Climbing Best Practices
      • Science Fiction >
        • Red Curtain: Prologue
      • Social, Social Media, & Social Issues >
        • Chossy Trio Renegades
        • Climbing into the Fold
        • Diversity in Climbing is Not a Bandwagon
        • Fuck "Gumbies" and "Noobs"
        • Montana, My Home: Claire Larson
        • My Husband Climbs Stronger than Me
        • Navajo Rising
        • Social Network Rescue
  • Marketplace
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    • Furnace Industries
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    • Rockytalkies
    • Tension Climbing
  • Reviews
    • Books >
      • Advanced Rock Climbing Book Review
      • Adventures at the Edge of the World
      • Climbing Rock: Vertical Explorations Across North America
      • Hangdog Days Book Review
      • HOOKING UP: The Ultimate Big Wall and Aid Climbing Manual
      • Paul Preuss: Lord of the Abyss
      • The Sharp End of Life: A Mother's Story - Book Review
    • Equipment/Gear Reviews >
      • Belay Device Review >
        • Edelrid Mega Jul
      • Harnesses >
        • ArcTeryx-FL-365
        • Misty Mountain Cadillac
      • Packs and Bags >
        • Sukoa Chalk Bag Review
        • Trango Crag Pack
      • Personal Anchor Systems >
        • Camp-Daisy-Twist
        • Petzl-Dual-Adjust
      • Other >
        • Dr. Piton's Review of the D4 Delta2P Portaledge
    • Location Reviews >
      • Australia >
        • Queensland, Australia >
          • Kangaroo Point Photos and Beta
          • Kangaroo Point Review
        • New South Wales Australia >
          • Blue Mountains >
            • Blue Mountains Photos and Beta
            • Blue Mountains Review
          • Nowra >
            • Nowra Review >
              • Nowra Photos and Beta
      • Mexico >
        • Potrero Chico Photos and Beta
        • Potrero Chico Review
      • United States >
        • Climbing Area Check List - U.S. >
          • Climbing Area Check List Part 1: Alabama to California
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 2: Colorado to Michigan
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 3: Minnesota to New Mexico
          • Climbing Area Checklist Part 4: New York to Wyoming
        • Arizona >
          • Queen Creek Canyon
        • California >
          • Joshua Tree >
            • Joshua Tree Tips
          • Mount Whitney >
            • Mount Whitney Photos and Beta
        • Idaho >
          • City of Rocks >
            • City of Rocks Photos and Beta
            • City of Rocks Review
        • Oregon >
          • Smith Rock >
            • Smith Rock - Photos and Beta
            • Smith Rock Review
          • Spring Mountain >
            • Spring Mountain Review
            • Spring Mountain - Photos and Beta
          • Trout Creek >
            • Trout Creek Photos and Beta
            • Trout Creek Review
        • Nevada >
          • Gun Club
          • Keyhole Canyon
          • Mt. Charleston, Nevada
          • Red Rock Canyon >
            • Red Rock Canyon Review - Yeahs and Neahs
            • Red Rocks Photos and Beta
        • New Hampshire >
          • North Conway, NH
          • Rumney, NH
        • New York >
          • Gunks Review
        • Utah >
          • Echo Canyon
          • Ferguson Canyon >
            • Ferguson Canyon Photos and Beta
            • Ferguson Canyon Review
          • Ibex >
            • Ibex Photos and Beta
            • Ibex Review
          • Maple Canyon >
            • Maple Canyon, Utah Photos and Beta
            • Maple Canyon Review
          • Moab >
            • Moab - Main - Photos and Beta
            • Moab -Main - Review
          • St. George >
            • St. George - Prophesy Wall- Photos and Beta
            • St. George - Prophesy Wall - Review
        • West Virginia >
          • Seneca Rocks
        • Wyoming >
          • Ten Sleep
  • Photographers & Artists
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