In March 2024, we went back to Joshua Tree, California.
One of the appealing things in Joshua Tree is all the moderate trad climbing. If you would like to learn more about what trad climbing is, click here.
There aren’t a lot of cracks to climb at home in the Canadian Rockies. Most climbing areas are bolted, no need to place your own gear. But if you want to climb a longer, more remote route on a mountain, perhaps to the summit, you need to be good at placing gear and building anchors.
This is where Joshua Tree is a fantastic climbing destination. It’s got many moderate trad routes. Some have bolted anchors and some require you to build anchors out of natural features or gear.
This is such a great place to learn and refine the skills that we need at home to undertake some big multi-pitch climbs and alpine routes. Our learning started on our first trip, in 2023.
2023 Trip Summary
In 2023, we came to Joshua Tree to learn to climb trad so we’d be ready to tackle some big fun routes at home.
Our plan was good. Start by hiring a local guide to help us:
- Get a refresher on how to place gear. We learned a few years ago but it had been a while since we’d done it.
- Practice leading.
- Learn how to build anchors using gear and natural features such as boulders.
- Find the best places in Joshua Tree for beginners to practice new skills.
The guide was great. He obviously enjoyed teaching and he was good it at. We learned the skills we needed to climb by ourselves. He told us which areas had walk-ups for setting up top ropes and that would allow us to practice a climb before we led it.
The next step in our plan was to find some easy climbs and spend two weeks practicing trad climbing.
We planned to set top ropes so we could safely practice going up without risking a fall. We would find good spots for gear and take our time, getting the placements just right, while on the safety of a top rope. Then, we would come down, pull the rope and lead the route.
This worked well for Dan. However, I struggled mightily with this. I couldn’t get up the courage to lead. No matter how many times I tried a route on top rope, I never felt comfortable enough to climb it on my own gear.
My climbing journal describes my challenges.
Our 2024 Trip
Having learned how to place gear and how to build anchors in 2023, we were back for more practice in 2024. I was ready to lead my first trad route.
I wrote a trip report for each day we climbed with photos, detailed beta and my personal experiences with the climbs. Click the photos to read the full reports or scroll down for a summary list of the routes we climbed.
2024 Climbing Day Trip Reports:
2024 Routes – Moderate Trad Climbs
| Climb | Area | Descent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastering 5.2 | 5.2 | Outward Bound Slab | Rappel from bolts at the top of the climb |
| Look Mom, No Sweat | 5.4 | Outward Bound Slab | Rappel from bolts at the top above a slab |
| Look Mom, No Hands | 5.6 | Outward Bound Slab | Rappel from same bolts as Look Mom, No Sweat |
| Trench Connection | 5.5 | Crow’s Nest, Towers of Uncertainty | Scramble down the right side or build an anchor from a boulder |
| Shardik | 5.3 | Bear Island | Rappel from bolts at the top |
| Kodiak | 5.5 | Bear Island | Rappel from bolts at the top and to the left |
| Lava Lamp | 5.4 | Lava Dome, Towers of Uncertainty | Build an anchor using a boulder or gear or scramble off to the left |
| Chicken Ranch | 5.6 | Mustang Ranch | Build an anchor using a boulder or scramble off to the left |
| Me Love You Long Time | 5.4 | Asian Fever Buttress | Spicy downclimb to rappel rings on the left1 |
| Yellow Peril | 5.5 | Asian Fever Buttress | Spicy downclimb to rappel rings on the left1 |
| Hillside Strangler | 5.4 | Morbid Mound | Build an anchor using a boulder or walk-off down the back |
| Be Wary | 5.3 | Morbid Mound | Build an anchor using a boulder or walk-off down the back |
| Flies on the Wound | 5.7 | Morbid Mound | Build an anchor using a boulder or walk-off down the back |
| Toe Jam Express | 5.3 | Short Wall, Right Side | Build an anchor using a boulder or walk-off down the back |
| Double Crack | 5.3 | Short Wall, Right Side | Build an anchor using a boulder or walk-off down the back |
| S.O.B. | 5.6 | Short Wall, Right Side | Build an anchor using a boulder or walk-off down the back |
| Mad Race | 5.4 | Short Wall, Left Side | Rappel rings are on the top to the right of the climb |
| Donna T’s Route | 5.8 | Short Wall, Right Side | Build a gear anchor or walk off the back |
| Picnic | 5.6 | Campfire Crags | Rappel rings at the top |
| Diabetics | 5.4 | Castle Rock, Belle Campground | Build a gear anchor or walk off to the right |
| Diagnostics | 5.6 | Castle Rock, Belle Campground | Build a gear anchor or walk off to the right |
7 Surprising Things About Climbing in Joshua Tree
- The Grades. The grades are a lot harder in Joshua Tree. Add to that, I didn’t have much experience with crack climbing when we got here and I wasn’t too comfortable on slab. At home, a 5.5 is straightforward and easy. Here it’s a challenge.
- The Grades. This merits two spots on the list. A 5.5 in one location might be a straightforward face and crack climb. In another location, a 5.5 might have a long featureless crack followed by a terrifyingly smooth slab followed by a chimney too narrow to squeeze into but too wide to hold a foot. Don’t assume a 5.5 in one area is the same difficulty as a 5.5 in a different area.
- It can be cold here in March. The first trip, I expected to climb in a t-shirt most days. The second trip, I packed a puffy jacket, a toque and a buff along with flannel shirts, wool shirts and a headband for under my helmet. Somedays I wore all of it to belay.
- The Walk-Offs. People told us we’d be able to walk up and set up top ropes. The word “walk” is not accurately used here. These walk-offs are typically scrambles, some with exposed climbing moves.
- Crack climbing is very different from the style of climbing I know. At home in the Canadian Rockies, there are not a lot of cracks to climb. I’m pretty comfortable with face climbing. Joshua Tree has a lot of crack climbing and the cracks come in many different shapes and sizes. I’ve found that crack climbing is not intuitive and it’s something I need to learn and practice.
- Sharp rock. Some of the rock is pretty abrasive and can rip clothes and skin. Some guides are wearing Carhartt work pants for scrambling through the boulders. Sometimes a downclimb involves a butt-slide which could destroy ordinary pants. Goes without saying you do not want to wear shorts for these climbs. My hands got beat up too from placing and removing gear in deep cracks. Bring tape. Lots of tape.
- Bring up your belayer, multi-pitch style, even on single-pitch routes. At home we lead a climb, clip the bolts at the top and rappel or lower. Here, after the leader reaches the top and builds an anchor, they often bring the belayer up to the top. This works because the belayer cleans the gear from the route and then both climbers clean the anchor and either rappel or downclimb together. Sometimes there is one rappel station for multiple routes and it is not direclty above the route you climbed.
Trip Planning Beta
If you’re going to J-Tree, here are a few links that might be useful:
Our fun and knowledgable guide Joey is with Cliffhanger Guides in Joshua Tree. It’s easy to book with them on their website here: Cliffhanger Guides
This guidebook helped us find great areas and fun routes. The publisher has a great selection of guidebooks on their website: Wolverine Publishing
I lost track of the number of times we headed to Nomad’s for some gear we discovered we needed. The staff are very helpful and knowledgable about the area. Drop in for any gear you need, to chat about routes and climbing areas and to pick up a souvenir water bottle. Check out their website.
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