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niuoc
Feb 20, 2007, 10:21 PM
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Myself and a group of people are going climbing at Jackson Falls in southern Illinois in mid march. I figured that this would be the best place to get some info on the area. Which area has the widest variety of routes. I know that there are some good climbers in the group but i am not sure about the others. Any help I can get would be much appreciated.
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dlintz
Feb 20, 2007, 10:54 PM
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I suggest picking up a copy of Vertical Heartland. It's the most complete but there's still new routes going up mostly in the 5.12ish range.
Have you been there before? The main area isn't that big, it's easy to just walk the cliff line and look for the cool lines. For areas with a more concentrated collection of routes try Spleaf Peak, Beaver Wall, Hidden Peaks/Monument, and The Ranch.
Mostly moderate must dos IMO are Fine Nine, Cheerio Bowl, Unclaimed 5.9 on the Monument, Essence of Manky, and 3 Hour Cruise, Lovely Arete, Naked Blade, and Stubborn Swede. Enjoy.
d.
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backpackmonkey
Feb 20, 2007, 11:12 PM
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To add to the previous reply, if you're looking for nice clean trad or easier sport routes for beginners going into 10/11's, check out Drapers Bluff. might also be a little warmer and drier than the falls that time of year.
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niuoc
Feb 20, 2007, 11:23 PM
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I have the book. I have never been there before but am looking for mostly trad routes. I will read over the book again. thanks for the info
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dlintz
Feb 21, 2007, 4:45 AM
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Sorry, most of my experiences at JF have been bouldering and sport due to my desire to climb as much as possible on roadtrips. That said there's plenty of great tradding there and quite a few mixed routes.
d.
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jds100
Feb 21, 2007, 8:11 PM
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Since you're already here at RC.com, you would benefit greatly by going to the Routes database, and looking up Illinois. The South region has the areas that you should peruse.
If you're looking for trad routes, Jackson Falls will not be the best choice. There are, as you know from Eric Ulner's book, hundreds of routes (with a good variety of moderate to hard ratings), but far fewer trad-protected routes than you'll find at Draper's Bluff. There are more-than-enough moderately rated routes for climbers to be able to have a full day, or more, of enjoyable climbing at Jackson Falls. But, the VAST majority of routes are bolt-protected. And, Jackson Falls would be the best choice for those climbing 'harder' routes.
The book is the best source for information, but if you want to get a quick idea of the differences between the areas, I suggest you review the information here in Routes database. And, depending on the level of difficulty that you're looking for, I've arranged the routes in Recommended Routes by area AND by difficultly.
Most, if not all, the Draper's Bluff routes have bolt-and-chain anchors at the top, and some of the multi-pitch routes have bolts for the mid-route belay. Chances are, you'll get more climbing in at Draper's, too, since it will involve a bit less walking around blindly looking for routes. And, as Dru said, Draper's will probably be less of a wet bog than Jackson. Drainage for most of Draper's slopes away from the cliffline, though the parking lot may be more of a mess.
Take a look here: http://www.rockclimbing.com/...ates/Illinois/South/
and here: http://www.rockclimbing.com/...South/Drapers_Bluff/
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niuoc
Feb 21, 2007, 10:33 PM
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After reading Vertical Heartland, i was looking at the snakes roof area. Has anyone climbed this area before?
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jds100
Feb 23, 2007, 4:44 AM
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Plenty of people have. Are you looking for trad, though?
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niuoc
Feb 23, 2007, 1:00 PM
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I am looking for mostly TR. The book said there was some in this area and it seemed to have a diverse selection of routes. Would there be a better place for TR climbing?
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dlintz
Feb 23, 2007, 1:57 PM
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niuoc wrote: I am looking for mostly TR. The book said there was some in this area and it seemed to have a diverse selection of routes. Would there be a better place for TR climbing?
I thought you were looking for mostly trad routes. With all the sport routes there you could toprope just about anything.....keep in mind though that many of the fixed anchors are difficult to access from above, the towers for obvious reasons. Toproping many of the trad routes will require some lengthy pieces of webbing.
d.
(This post was edited by dlintz on Feb 23, 2007, 1:57 PM)
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jds100
Feb 23, 2007, 2:32 PM
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So, if you are looking for TR, instead of trad, then Jackson could be a good place, but depending on how much climbing you hope to get in, I'd probably suggest Cedar Bluff. Unless you specifically know which routes, and how to get to the top anchors, you're going to be spending more time looking for those than climbing. The same is going to be true anywhere you go, which is why I suggest Cedar Bluff. It's more concentrated, with EXCELLENT routes, easier access to top anchors, easy to identify the routes you're looking for, and a very good range of difficulty. This is the same rock, and the same kind of routes you'll find at Jackson and Draper's. It's just easier to get around at Cedar, and, for some reason, people don't seem to go there as much as they used to.
Wherever you go, let us know how it goes.
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cornstateclimber
Mar 8, 2007, 4:33 AM
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J falls is a great place to climb. Too many sport climbs to count. The trad is great too, but if you are looking for quality trad with highth you should check drapers and cedar bluffs. about 120' or so for alot of the climbs. Word to the wise jackson falls is very wet most of the year. Out of all the times ive been there it has been wet or rained, and when it does, they stay wet, especially in the spring and fall.
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niuoc
Mar 8, 2007, 4:56 AM
Post #13 of 13
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i think we are going to go with cedar bluff
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