Red Rocks, in Southern Nevada, is one of the premier desert climbing destinations. It is known for long routes and amazing views, but it’s not just the long multi-pitch routes that are amazing in Red Rocks. The area has some great bolted lines and even some good bouldering areas. With so much climbing so readily available, it’s no surprise that people tend to flock to Red Rocks as an ideal climbing vacation site.
Red Rocks is best visited in fall or spring since the high canyon walls limit the amount of warmth the ground gets in the winter, and it can get quite cold. It also gets close to 100 in the summer, making summer climbing a little miserable in the heat of the desert sun. The park sees most of its climbing visitors around March and November, so plan accordingly.
The area is known for its long classic multi-pitch routes, such as Epinephrine and Dark Shadows, both trad multi-pitch climbs. If you’re looking for more bolted sport routes, you should think about checking out Divine Comedy or Running Man. There’s so many routes available in Red Rocks though that you shouldn’t worry too much about hitting certain routes; most routes are amazing and offer gorgeous lines and great views.
If you want to get back to climbing, get our top choice for Red Rocks climbing guide books here.
Last update: 2024-04-25 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Our Favorites for the Best Red Rocks Climbing Guide Book
Red Rocks: A Climbers Guide II by Jerry Handren (Our top pick for an all-around Red Rocks climbing guide book)
This book is super helpful in describing everything you need to have an enjoyable climbing trip to Red Rocks. It’s easy to use and very thorough, making it an exceptional tool to have in your back pocket for your next Red Rocks adventure. This book is great if this is your first trip to Red Rocks, as it leaves no stone unturned. This book does tend to be more on the pricey end, but if you find a good used copy for not too much, it’s going to be hard to beat.
Why should you buy this book:
- This is a well-respected, great all-around guide book that will give you a good overview of all the climbs in Red Rocks. It’s also super easy to understand and use.
What makes this climbing guide book unique:
- The draw of this guide book comes from its ease of use. The book is very simple but covers all its bases well. It is often utilized by climbers over other guide books, simply because its so convenient to have all the information you need in one place.
- JERRY HANDREN (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 01/01/2016 (Publication Date) - DrinkGood (Publisher)
Last update: 2024-04-25 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Climbs Red Rocks by Jason Martin; Falcon Guides (Our top pick for a specialized Red Rocks climbing guide book)
This book is part of Falcon Guides’ “best climbs” series. They have a variety of books, all structured the same that highlight a variety of the best climbs in an area, in this case, Red Rocks. Falcon Guides is known for having exceptional quality guide books that are updated regularly and feature fresh information with each new edition. They also cover a variety of regions, meaning that once you understand how their books are set up, they’re super easy and convenient to use.
Why should you buy this guide book:
- If you already own any of Falcon Guides book, then you know the amazing quality that you’re getting. What’s even better is that you already know how to read and interpret their books, making understanding the maps and symbols a breeze.
What makes this climbing guide book unique:
- This book focuses on telling you the best climbs for any given category, as opposed to just telling you all the climbs that are available. This is a great option for someone with a shorter trip planned, who still wants to get the most out of their climbing vacation to Red Rocks.
- Best Climbs Red Rocks
- Martin, Jason D. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Last update: 2024-04-25 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Our Runner Up for the Best Red Rocks Climbing Guide Book
The Red Rocks of Southern Nevada by Joan Urioste (Our runner up pick for classic Red Rocks climbing guide book)
This is the classic Red Rocks climbing guide book. The book covers the climbs in the area well and gives you great detail on the routes and the area in general. This is one of the most respected guide books there is for Red Rocks, and it has truly stood the test of time. We’ve only listed it as the runner up since it is quite pricey if you buy it new, but older guide books like this one can often be found at a better price if you buy them used.
Many climbing areas have a guide book that is known to old-timers of the area as the guide book, and for Red Rocks, this is that book. Although the book was first published in 1985 and that may make it seem a little outdated, desert climbs change very little over time for the most part. The long clean lines that were climbed then are still being climbed now. This book is truly a classic.
Why should you choose this guide book:
- If you are looking for the classic Red Rocks guide book, this is the book for you. No other guide book has stood the test of time quite as well as this book.
What makes this guide book unique:
- Part of the charm of this book is the detailed information that it gives you on the routes. This guide book does a great job of describing all the climbs in the area.
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Joanne Urioste (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Last update: 2024-04-25 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Our Value Pick for the Best Red Rocks Climbing Guide Book
Red Rock Canyon: A Climbing Guide by Roxanna Brock (Our value pick for best all-around Red Rocks climbing guide book)
This book won’t cost you an arm and a leg but will get you all around Red Rocks. The book includes over 1500 routes and features amazing photos of many of the climbs. It includes many routes that aren’t published anywhere else, so if you want to know all the local climbs, including the ones that might not be very crowded, this is the book for you.
Why should you buy this book:
- This book is an amazing book written by an amazing climber. Roxanna Brock is a well respected big wall climber who has completed a number of first ascents, first female ascents, and first free ascents all over Red Rocks, as well as in many other places across the US and the world. She has climbed El Cap in Yosemite over ten times and has been featured in Rock & Ice Magazine multiple times. If there’s anyone to trust on Red Rocks, it’s Roxanna.
What makes this climbing guide book unique:
- The amazing photos make this book stand out from its competitors. Photos make it super easy to correctly identify routes, making this book very user friendly.
Last update: 2024-04-25 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Why You Should Invest in a Guide Book for Your Red Rocks Trip
To Mountain Project or to guide book, that seems to be the prevailing question that many climbers find themselves discussing when planning their next rock climbing vacation. This may seem like an easy question if you already have Mountain Project downloaded on your phone, but there are more levels to this question than you may see at first.
Mountain Project is a great resource for climbers, and if you don’t already use it, you should highly consider starting. Run by REI, Mountain Project is a community based online forum of climbs. It’s a great place for you to record the climbs that you have done, communicate with climbers from all over, and to find new routes. The one major drawback of Mountain Project is that it is community-run, meaning that the comments on the climbs and how highly rated a climb is, are all based upon community engagement in that region.
The main benefit of utilizing a guidebook is that it offers you a much less biased view of every route, which can be really nice when you’re starting to climb in a new place. A guide book is put together and curated by an expert from the area, someone who knows all the climbs and won’t leave a climb blank because they don’t like it. The major drawback of guide books is that they do cost money to buy, but will serve as a long-term investment.
A great strategy, especially when you’re visiting a rock climbing area that you have never been to before, is to use both a guide book and Mountain Project. Combined together, the two give you details on every route as well as more up-to-date thoughts on the route. A guide book is more likely to give you the history of an area and include all routes, while Mountain Project is more likely to give you people’s opinions on the routes they like. Together, they work amazing.
How to Choose the Red Rocks Climbing Guide Book for You
As with any large climbing area, there’s a multitude of bouldering, sport and trad options in Red Rocks, so if you plan on only practicing one of these styles of climbing, then it might be in your best interest to find a guide book that specializes in that style of climbing. If you want a more all-around view of the climbs offered by Red Rocks, you can find a more all-around guide book.
Another thing to think about when buying a guide book is the cost. While most guide books won’t break the bank, some older guide books that are no longer in print will cost quite a bit to buy new. That being said, you can often find used guide books on online forums such as Mountain Project or even for sale in some gear stores. As long as you are aware of the year that your guide book was published and make sure to check the local agencies for the most up-to-date rules and restrictions, a used guide book is a great way to get a good quality book for cheap.
Red Rocks is a huge area with tons of routes, so taking the time before your trip to find the best guide book will help you cut down on your wandering time and increase your climbing time once you’re there. An easy to use and easy to understand guide book can be a lifesaver in a new climbing destination! Even if you just pick up a used guide book from online or from your local gear shop, it’ll help you become familiar with the area before you go and allow you to tailor your climbing trip to your interests.
Wrapping Things Up: The Best Red Rocks Climbing Guide Book
To sum up, here are the best red rocks climbing guide books we looked at today:
Last update: 2024-04-25 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you’re looking for a great place with loads of climbs of all different levels, then Red Rocks is an amazing place to go for your next climbing vacation. With so many guide books available for Red Rocks, if you take some time to look for the perfect guide book for you, we know it’s out there. Red Rocks has gorgeous long desert lines to climb as well as fun and quirky boulder problems to explore, making it the perfect climbing destination.
Because you read this post, you’ll definitely like our review on the best Joshua Tree climbing guide book here.
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