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
Located in west-central Utah, about 40 miles from the Nevada border off highway 50 (known as America’s Loneliest Highway), Ibex is a desert-climber’s haven. Ibex boasts a plethora of high quality moderate trad and sport routes on a unique sedimentary form of quartzite (more on that below).
Ibex is isolated, located about a 3.5-hour drive from Salt Lake City, UT and a 5-hour drive from Las Vegas, NV. The closest towns are over 40-miles away and small. Those towns include Delta, UT, Milford, UT, and Baker, NV. Ibex’s isolation has spawned entertaining Mountain Project comments about alien abductions and shifts in the space-time continuum. Although isolated, it is clean and well cared for - not trashy (i.e. it does not have bullet shells, glass, beer cans, graffiti, etc.). Let’s keep it beautiful!
NOTE: Do NOT try to drive across the hardpan lakebed if there has been recent rain. Even four-wheel drive vehicles will get stuck in the slick clay mud.
Directions
From the east on HWY 50 (Delta, UT):
From the west on HWY 50 (Nevada border): From the Nevada border travel about 40 miles through Kings Canyon, past the Barn Hills. Eventually you will be able to see bright white dried lakebeds on your right (south). Keep an eye out for a dirt road (Tule Valley Road) on your right. If you miss it, there is a second turn off about 4 miles up. If you get to Skull Rock Pass you have missed it. Turn right onto Tule Valley Road and follow it to a faint turn off to the right (west, towards the lakebeds and cliffs). It is visually easy to see where you need to go. This will take you through the dry lakebed. Follow the tracks to the large boulder (Red Monster Boulder), which marks the center point of the crag.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
The crag offers an excellent variety of traditional, mixed, and bolted climbs, as well as bouldering. The grading for roped climbs is variable, some climbs align well with today’s modern grading, others feel sandbagged. Most of the climbs were established after 2000, so it may be worth paying attention to the route developer/first ascent to try to get a feel for consistency in climbing grades (as opposed to looking at the first ascent date).
There is also variability in bolting quality. Many routes are nicely bolted and well protected, others are, quite frankly, dangerous with bolts spaced such that a fall from up high could hit the ground or a ledge.
Guidebooks for the area include:
Many new routes have been put up since the publication of the Garrett guidebook. You find information on Mountain Project at:
Camping
Camping is primitive. Bring your own water and plan to bury your waste at least 6 inches deep, or, better yet, go in a bag and pack it out (since the desert does not decompose things very quickly). If you plan to have a fire, use an existing fire ring, do not create new fire rings and burn spots. Ashes are unsightly and messy. Do not burn a fire when wind can pick up sparks and spread them onto the surrounding grassland. It is very dry here and things will burn fast. Please do not burn trash, glass, aluminum cans, etc. in the fire. It makes the place dumpy.
There are numerous flat spots for camping. Please use existing spots. The desert is sensitive and, once damaged, will remain so for a very long time.
Please clean up all of your trash. Ibex is beautiful and currently well cared for. Let’s keep it this way! One person’s thoughtless behavior invites more and propagates ugliness. As climbers we have pride and an ethic!
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
The rock at Ibex is not only beautiful in its colors and shapes, it is interesting in its textures and features. The majority of rock is a form of sedimentary quartzite, that in some places feels like sandstone with high friction and slabby, pocketed, and sloper features. Other places the rock is more dense and compressed, with less friction, and sharper crimpy edges.
This variability in rock results in a super fun variety of climbs. This is not a “if you’ve done one climb, you’ve done them all” kind of crag. There is a lot here to keep you entertained – from slab, to multi-pitch traditional crack, to overhung, to steep, technical, featured face.
Yeahs
Neahs
Opinion Rating
It Rocks!
Simply put, Ibex is isolated and incredible.
Photos and Beta: Ibex, Utah
Located in west-central Utah, about 40 miles from the Nevada border off highway 50 (known as America’s Loneliest Highway), Ibex is a desert-climber’s haven. Ibex boasts a plethora of high quality moderate trad and sport routes on a unique sedimentary form of quartzite (more on that below).
Ibex is isolated, located about a 3.5-hour drive from Salt Lake City, UT and a 5-hour drive from Las Vegas, NV. The closest towns are over 40-miles away and small. Those towns include Delta, UT, Milford, UT, and Baker, NV. Ibex’s isolation has spawned entertaining Mountain Project comments about alien abductions and shifts in the space-time continuum. Although isolated, it is clean and well cared for - not trashy (i.e. it does not have bullet shells, glass, beer cans, graffiti, etc.). Let’s keep it beautiful!
NOTE: Do NOT try to drive across the hardpan lakebed if there has been recent rain. Even four-wheel drive vehicles will get stuck in the slick clay mud.
Directions
From the east on HWY 50 (Delta, UT):
- Route 1 - The most direct route that goes through the lake bed - About 50 miles west of Delta, UT pass Skull Rock Pass and turn left (south) onto a dirt road near mile marker 40, there is also a stop sign off the side of the road (this is a shortcut to Tule Valley Road – if you miss the turn off you can turn around or there is another Tule Valley dirt road access about 4 miles past). You know you are heading in the right direction when you see the white dried up lakebeds and the red cliffs off in the distance to the west. Follow the dirt road for about 2 miles to a faint turn off to the right (west, towards the cliffs). This will take you through the dry lakebed. Follow it to the large boulder (Red Monster Boulder), which marks the center point of the crag.
- Route 2 - This route avoids the lakebed (which is advised if it has rained recently) - The turn off is near a sign that says "Blind Valley 10." If the gate is closed it can be opened (just be sure to close it again). At the first intersection go straight. At the second and third intersections go left. This route will take you along the cliff band.
From the west on HWY 50 (Nevada border): From the Nevada border travel about 40 miles through Kings Canyon, past the Barn Hills. Eventually you will be able to see bright white dried lakebeds on your right (south). Keep an eye out for a dirt road (Tule Valley Road) on your right. If you miss it, there is a second turn off about 4 miles up. If you get to Skull Rock Pass you have missed it. Turn right onto Tule Valley Road and follow it to a faint turn off to the right (west, towards the lakebeds and cliffs). It is visually easy to see where you need to go. This will take you through the dry lakebed. Follow the tracks to the large boulder (Red Monster Boulder), which marks the center point of the crag.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
The crag offers an excellent variety of traditional, mixed, and bolted climbs, as well as bouldering. The grading for roped climbs is variable, some climbs align well with today’s modern grading, others feel sandbagged. Most of the climbs were established after 2000, so it may be worth paying attention to the route developer/first ascent to try to get a feel for consistency in climbing grades (as opposed to looking at the first ascent date).
There is also variability in bolting quality. Many routes are nicely bolted and well protected, others are, quite frankly, dangerous with bolts spaced such that a fall from up high could hit the ground or a ledge.
Guidebooks for the area include:
- Utah’s West Desert, by James Garrett (2011): https://www.amazon.com/Utahs-West-Desert-James-Garrett/dp/1465393137
- A Bouldering Guide to Utah, pdf on UtahClimbers.com: http://www.utahclimbers.com/A_Bouldering_Guide_To_Utah_Index.pdf
Many new routes have been put up since the publication of the Garrett guidebook. You find information on Mountain Project at:
Camping
Camping is primitive. Bring your own water and plan to bury your waste at least 6 inches deep, or, better yet, go in a bag and pack it out (since the desert does not decompose things very quickly). If you plan to have a fire, use an existing fire ring, do not create new fire rings and burn spots. Ashes are unsightly and messy. Do not burn a fire when wind can pick up sparks and spread them onto the surrounding grassland. It is very dry here and things will burn fast. Please do not burn trash, glass, aluminum cans, etc. in the fire. It makes the place dumpy.
There are numerous flat spots for camping. Please use existing spots. The desert is sensitive and, once damaged, will remain so for a very long time.
Please clean up all of your trash. Ibex is beautiful and currently well cared for. Let’s keep it this way! One person’s thoughtless behavior invites more and propagates ugliness. As climbers we have pride and an ethic!
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
The rock at Ibex is not only beautiful in its colors and shapes, it is interesting in its textures and features. The majority of rock is a form of sedimentary quartzite, that in some places feels like sandstone with high friction and slabby, pocketed, and sloper features. Other places the rock is more dense and compressed, with less friction, and sharper crimpy edges.
This variability in rock results in a super fun variety of climbs. This is not a “if you’ve done one climb, you’ve done them all” kind of crag. There is a lot here to keep you entertained – from slab, to multi-pitch traditional crack, to overhung, to steep, technical, featured face.
Yeahs
- A large number of climbs to keep you busy for a while
- A good variety of easy to moderate climbs (there are hard climbs too)
- An incredible variety of climbs, trad and sport, slab, crack, and face.
- The approaches are short
- Camping is free and adjacent to the climbing area
- It is peaceful and quiet (if you go, please keep it that way!)
Neahs
- It is a long drive from almost anywhere
- Watch the weather! The hardpan lake bed becomes a sticky mess if it rains (that will even get the best of 4wd). It can get very hot or very cold.
- If it’s windy, which it often is since it’s in the desert, white powder covers everything.
Opinion Rating
It Rocks!
Simply put, Ibex is isolated and incredible.
Photos and Beta: Ibex, Utah
