Saint George Climbing

In and around the city of Saint George various small crags exist. This sunny, southwest corner of the state boasts a little of everything, which I have only sampled, but am writing up here to get the ball rolling.

The crags are mostly good, but slightly soft sandstone, sporting crimpers, slopers, pockets and nice corners and a splitter here and there. There are also limestone crags to the south and to the west. There are walls facing in every given direction which can get sun or shade at various times of day, depending on which crag you are at.

Crags such as Chuckawalla Wall, Turtle Wall and Prophesy Wall are almost exclusively sport climbs which may remind climbers of the popular sport areas at Red Rocks, NV. Bluff Street Cracks is noted for corners and cracks more reminiscent of Indian Creek. Cougar Cliffs, Black Rocks, Green Valley Gap are mostly sport with a few trad lines of note as well. Snow Canyon State Park has a good mixture of sport and trad.

Limestone areas include the Woodbury Road Crags, Utah Hills Crags, and the Virgin River Gorge.

The town of Saint George has plenty of services and hotels as well as nearby 'improved camping' at Snow Canyon State Park or free camping just outside town on BLM land. With the exception of Snow Canyon State Park and Crawdad Canyon the St. George crags are free access. While there may be relatively few classic lines on these cliffs compared to Zion, Red Rocks or the like, there are plenty of good routes in the area which could provide several days of climbing fun.

The sandstone here is easily damaged when wet. Please allow at least 24-48 hours before climbing after any precipitation. If the ground is at all damp, please do not climb on any local sandstone. Consider nearby options on basalt, limestone, granite, or plastic instead. For 24 hour rain totals use this site:  Rain Totals