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I'm taking a trip this summer to hit up some classic areas in Colorado, Utah, and maybe up to Wyoming. I've got 4-6 weeks. I'm looking for guidebooks for American Fork Canyon and for Mill Creek Canyon. All I've found are 3 books:

1) Rock Climbing the Wasatch Range (Falcon Guides by Stuart Ruckman)
2) Rock Climbing Utah (Falcon Guides by Stewart Green)
3) Climbers Guide to American Fork Canyon/Rock Canyon (Regional Rock Climbing Series by Stuart and Bret Ruckman)

I'm curious about beta of any other books for either American Fork or Mill Creek that I haven't listed. And I'm curious about which of the 3 guidebooks that I've listed here are best for the 2 areas that I'm interested in visiting. I primarily want to sport climb. I've already been to Indian Creek and a few other trad areas in UT, so this trip I really want to focus on sport climbing areas. I don't want guidebooks that focus on trad climbs.

Any beta would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Todd

I have used the first two and the Rock Climbing Utah one covers too big of an area and is really to vague for any one particular area. I remember rock climbing the wasatch range had a majority of the routes in American Fork.

I would post this question on the Utah Region section at mountainproject.com, you will get a much better response as there are probably not to many Utah climbers around these parts...

No guidebook for Mill Creek and asking about it in Moab will score you some serious disdain. I guess they don't like to pimp out their good bolted weenie climbing like we do here. there is good info at mountain project and a few other sites though, and if the guy working at the climbing shop isn't a douche he will give you directions. Killer climbing!!

You guys would dig Namaste wall up in Zion too... RRG-like but with scenery. American Fork is kind of a pile. You should go to Maple tho, it's pretty good with squishy soft ratings.

i'll throw you what i've got, i broke my arm biking about 3 a month after moving to SLC so didn't climb as much as i'd hoped. i doubt it's changed as much as the red since, but it wasn't a sport climbing destination then. my Wasatch Climbing North, Ruckman and Ruckman 1991 Chackstone has A PAGE for Mill Creek. As you know, the Ruckman's did American Fork separately, Chockstone, 1995. Someone must have told you that most of the canyons, Long Peak are trad? Though Mantels to Mazatlan was cool.

I have a 'guide' to Jackson and one to the Wind Rivers, but you should know better..?

Enjoy-

take a light rack of small-med pro, you'll be glad you did... some sport, some mixed, some trad. One of the best crags in the SW...

http://mountainproject.com/v/mill-creek/105716769

clif wrote:my Wasatch Climbing North, Ruckman and Ruckman 1991 Chackstone has A PAGE for Mill Creek.

Are you talking about the Mill Creek in the foothills of SLC? I think the poster is talking about Mill Creek outside of Moab... Mill Creek in Salt Lake looks like a horrible place to climb although there are a handful of routes.

right, though i'd forgotten about the Mill Creek you were thinking of. and i agree about American Fork, which could explain why going trad makes sense?

dustonian wrote:take a light rack of small-med pro, you'll be glad you did... some sport, some mixed, some trad. One of the best crags in the SW...

http://mountainproject.com/v/mill-creek/105716769

The main area of Mill Creek (Wicked Crag and the cliff just across the river from it) are easy to find, and there is no need for a guidebook; the lines are pretty self-explanatory. You also definitely don't need any trad gear for those lines, though a stick clip is nice.

Also, if you're going to be in Northern Utah, check out Logan Canyon for sure. There's a guidebook for Northern Utah limestone climbing called "Northern Utah Limestone" or something like that. And, DON'T miss City of Rocks, it's less than 3 hours from SLC.

I moved to SLC last summer and have been used all three guides. The are all pretty old and only kind of useful. You can borrow my Wasatch guide while you're out here. I don't have an AF guide yet. The Utah guide isn't that great. I also have an old Maple guide that at least gets you oriented to the area. If you need any local beta or someone to climb with let me know.

Maple is a pile! I would never go back. The grades are soft if you are into that.