Where Are We Going / How Do I Get There?

We’ll be climbing at Calico Basin to the west of town. If you’re driving, you’ll take West Charleston Boulevard to the west out of town and it will become Highway 159 / Red Rock Canyon Road. Keep going out to Calico Basin Road and take a right; if you see the entrance to the Scenic Loop you’ve gone too far. Take Calico Basin Road all the way down until it bends and turns into Calico Drive. There is a parking area there called the Red Spring parking lot (here it is on the map). We’ll be meeting up there with our Barrio Boulders sign, but depending on what kind of climbing we decide to do we might move to the next parking lot up the road (this one). From there, we’ll hike out to the crag together.

What Should I Bring?

Safety is always first at Barrio Boulders, so make sure you have everything you need to stay alive and happy in the desert in the late springtime. That definitely includes at least one liter of water or your favorite sport drink, probably two. We’ll have some just in case, but plan on bring some. Snacks and/or lunch to keep your energy up are a good idea, and sunscreen is probably a good plan as well.

Wear clothes you can move in, and generally it’s smart to dress in layers. It might be chilly in the morning when we get started, but by the time we finish the sun might be roasting us a bit. We’ll also have a short hike up to the rock, so closed-toe shoes are encouraged.

Finally, climbing gear! If you have your own shoes or harness bring them; if you don’t, let us know (BarrioBoulders@gmail.com)! We’ve got you covered. We’ll have ropes and helmets and belay equipment, but if you have your own feel free to bring those as well.

What Will it Be Like?

We’ll be meeting up at the parking lot in the morning, and it’s going to be a game-time decision about what kind of climbing we want to do. There are some fun ropes routes and also some good bouldering, so depending on the group’s mood we’ll pick a spot and hike out to it. None of the places we’ll be considering are difficult hikes, but a few of them have some steeper bits so we’ll take it slow and stay together. Once we get to the rocks, we’ll climb until we get tired or the sun tells us to stop. The rock out there is mostly sandstone, a favorite of many climbers because it’s soft and feels nice in your hands. It’s going to be a great time, we can’t wait to see you there!