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jelli
Sep 21, 2003, 5:18 PM
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Registered: May 4, 2003
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Hey all.
I'm going to be in Davenport, IA from Oct. 11 to Oct. 20. I can't stand the thought of not climbing that whole time. Can somebody suggest some good areas (preferably sport) near where I'll be? I'm willing to drive a couple hours if need be. I guess it's close to Quad Cities. (Obviously I've never been in Iowa before.) If there aren't any decent outside crags, maybe some suggestions for good indoor gyms,preferably with a lead area???
Thanks for your help and suggestions. :lol:
Jelli
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granitehalo
Sep 21, 2003, 8:00 PM
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Registered: Jul 18, 2003
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I don't know of any outdoor climbs, but there is a gym in nearby Bettendorf called Quad Cities Rock Gym. It's pretty small, but if you can't find anything else, it might be better than nothing.
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moss1956
Sep 21, 2003, 9:48 PM
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Registered: Sep 6, 2002
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Hi,
Mississippi Palisades is probably the closest good place.
In Iowa, Pictured Rocks has lots of Moderate sport climbs the biggest wad are 10's. Indian Bluffs has some really hard sport with most of the climbs 11'2 and twelves. There is good bouldering and top roping at Palisades-Kepler, and Backbone.
Hope that helps.
Moss
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sycamore
Sep 21, 2003, 11:28 PM
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Registered: Dec 26, 2002
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I'll just re-iterate what moss said. Wild Iowa/Pictured Rocks, and Indian Bluffs. Wild Iowa has easier access, as the crags basically start in the parking lot. Indian is more like a mile or two hike in, but you'll probably have the place to yourself, and there are a larger number of better, harder climbs. They're both a lot of fun, and better than you would expect for the middle of Iowa.
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sroehlk
Sep 22, 2003, 5:57 PM
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Registered: Oct 15, 2002
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I grew up there and when I looked around over Christmas I couldn't find any indoor gyms close. I think University of Iowa has one in Iowa City (about a 45 minute drive) but I don't know if non-students can access it.
PS - Quad Cities is a group of cities - Davenport being one of them.
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sancho
Sep 22, 2003, 6:22 PM
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Registered: Nov 20, 2002
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Climb the silos!
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thrashclimber
Sep 23, 2003, 3:37 AM
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Registered: Apr 10, 2002
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i live in the quadcities
the gym closed a year and a half ago the palasades is sweet i'm goin there this weekend its only about 45 min drive from the quadcities.
if u wanna email me my email is zachshot@juno.com and we can head out there i'm open anyweekend i havea guide book and know my way around there like the back of my hand soo i'm always willing to go my names zach
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lexmark
Sep 23, 2003, 3:30 PM
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Registered: Nov 23, 2002
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Jelli,
If you want good sport climbing in the 5.10-5.12 range you have three options within 2 hrs of the quad cities. Pictured Rocks of Monticello has the easiest access, but the least exciting climbs. Additionally, the local "Climbing Club" doesn't replace the myriad bad bolts on the popular hard climbs (Flash 11d, Virgin 10, Hope for 10, and frankly most of the climbs on Wild Iowa wall.)
Now, if you are willing to drive 10-15 minutes on gravel and hike for 15 minutes you will be very pleased w/ Indian Bluffs. The climbs are longer, harder, protected by solid bolts, and even have leaver biners on top for a quick decent (at least the good climbs have leavers). The majority of the climbs go 5.11 and easy 5.12.
The closest option is Hoot Bluff in Canton. Here, you're looking at a 1 mile drive down a mud road or a 1 mile hike after 5-10 minutes on gravel. The climbing all takes place on 1 very steep wall. The bluff is pretty much grid bolted, but there are numerous 5.10-5.12 variations so "bring big guns". This is the best cold weather crag as it is South Facing.
As a side note, I saw my first fellow climbing group in over a year at Indian Bluffs this weekend. Pretty sad.
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