Honeymoon in Moab

Hello Steph, i am a huge admiror of yours. I read your book in only few days. What a inspiration. I am impress by your charisma and your talent as a women climber. I am always amazed to read about you and how strong mentally you are, i envy that. I have to say, i am a very junior climber, my boyfriend climbed for years but i only started 3 years ago and i love it. We do rock and ice, as we are from Montreal we have alot of ice…I am taking this opportunity ask you what is a good place to get info on a trip to Utah. We are planning a month long rock trip in the area of Moab in september and i am gathering information.

It would be very helpfull if you give me few little tips like website or books that can help me organizing our trip, because after all, its our honeymoon!

I keep reading you every time i get a chance,
Sending smiles
Cynthia Donovan

Chere Cynthia,
Que tu es gentille! Merci beaucoup, et surtout pour m’ecrire en anglais! So, first of all, congratulations! I think Moab will be the perfect place for your honeymoon I wonder if you are driving from Montreal, or if you will fly? If you happen to fly into Salt Lake City, there is a great hot spring to stop by, about halfway between Salt Lake and Moab, called the Diamond Fork Hot Spring. There is a sign for it, right off the road, just after you get onto Highway 5 from Provo towards Moab. I definitely recommend stopping there–it is a short walk, and a really beautiful natural hot spring. When you drive into Moab, you will pass right by Arches National Park. There is an incredibly fun tower to climb inside there, called Owl Rock. It is short, and right beside the parking lot, and has to be one of the cutest, nicest towers in the world. It has one pitch of steep, fun 5.8 climbing, a massive anchor with a ledge, and then a little ten foot slab scramble to the round summit. You could drive in and climb it in one hour, on your way into Moab. You also get beautiful views of the LaSal Mountains, and Arches. I love Owl Rock!

If you are flying into Grand Junction, you may want to consider driving to Moab in the River Road (rather than straight on I-70), because you will get to drive past the Fisher Towers, and see lots of beautiful scenery. The Fishers would be a great place to stop and camp as well, and possibly climb Ancient Art, which is a great desert tower adventure, and very memorable.

So you could stop for those towers, depending on which direction you come in, and then make your way down to Indian Creek. September is a great time to be there, as the weather is great for camping, and it’s starting to cool off enough for the climbing.

If you can buy the current Indian Creek guide book, that would be very helpful. Otherwise, doing general google searches will probably give you everything you need.

Just remember, borrow all of the cams they have, from all the people you know. Don’t forget to stop at Pagan Mountaineering in Moab to buy a few rolls of Eurotape, because it is the best and stickiest tape. And try to search for shade, if possible, in September. You can find shade early at Super Crack Buttress, and all day long at the Reservoir and 4×4 Wall. Don’t get tricked into climbing in the sun, though I know it will be tempting for Canadians!

Since you have such a long time, you might also consider a side trip to Rifle for steep limestone sport climbing (a good detour if you fly into Colorado), or Maple Canyon, which would be another possibility if you are flying into Salt Lake and driving to Moab.
Felicitations et bonne chance dans votre nouvelle vie commune!
Steph