UKH

Hi,

Heading to the States in April and was just after some info please.

Joshua Tree – We are going to be camping at Hidden Valley Campground. What will be the best guide book for routes & bouldering? I’m mainly going to be bouldering but will have harness & rack with me.

Bishop – I’ve never been here. I read the UKC article on Bishop. I’d just like to know the best place to camp and anywhere recommended as a hotel stay? Best places to eat? Also, the best guidebook for Bishop bouldering?

We’re doing a road trip so we’re only going to be in Bishop and J Tree for 3-4 days in each place so it’d be good to see the best things and know what I want to do before I go.

Thank you in advance.

I'm going to be in California in April too, and have asked the same question on a number of sites. Sounds like the kit shop in Joshua Tree is pretty good for renting guide books and other gear, not sure about Bishop as I'm not heading that way!

Conversely I'm struggling to find as much info about Yosemite, although I'm sure there's a gear shop in Yosemite village where I can rent a pad!

We did Yosemite & Joshua Tree last year. Yosemite is crazy expensive and one gear shop which is expensive and not that good imo.

Joshua Tree Outfitters hire pads and guidebooks. Really good knowledge and nice people.

I wouldn't say you need a pad in Yosemite. Just find other locals and boulder with them, they're super friendly.

If you're after camping in Yosemite, book now! We didn't book any camping for Yosemite last time and had to make a 40 min drive every morning & evening from edge of park border.

Also I don't know whether Tioga Road will be open in April so you may have to take a different route to JTree.

I used the bishop bouldering select guide, more than enough to go at from V0-V hard for a few days. The granite is awesome but I would recommend a day on the tuff aswell, some awesome rock architecture to climb round.

Bishop has a few campsites nearby, I stayed at pleasant valley pit campsite - it's a massive pit, has some longdrops, is really handy for the tuff bouldering and still pretty close to the granite stuff, costs $2 a night and is pleasant enough, I'd stay there again. There are some sites near a river which are a bit more expensive about 2 minutes drive from here, I think they have the same sort of set up but more popular, more grass and if i remember correctly more expensive.

There is a locally famous bakery in bishop, schats bakery that is worth a look, other than that I only ate out at Macdonalds...

There is a gear shop in town where you can rent pads for not much and had guides in stock as well as whatever else you might need. Apparently climbers often hang out in the coffee shop along the street from the gear shop (east side sports), where there is free wifi and you can eek out a smoothie for hours on rest days. Hot springs (and cold springs!) are worth checking out, theres one or 2 you can pay to go in and loads of free ones.

Thanks! That's a massive help, I can't wait to see it.

Is Buttermilks worth a visit while I'm close by?

Yeah, definitely. I'd do a day on the granite, a day at happy valley and see what you fancy the day after. Both are awesome. Look after your skin!

Cheers matey.

Thanks for that, we have booked all of our camping, you're right as soon as the booking sites had opened half the spots were gone!

I'd hoped that would be the case RE bouldering in Yosemite. 

We're heading up to Sierra Nevada and Yosemite from the west as I had heard the Tioga pass is normally closed until May, shame as we wanted to go up to Lake Tahoe, nevermind!

We wanted to do Sierra when we went but it's a fair drive out.

If you're travelling in a hire car, I would recommend buying a big cooler box and keep topping it up with ice and buy a boat load of food before going to Yosemite. Everything in Yosemite is expensive and it's also super busy!

Just done 10 days in Bishop and then over to Moe's and Joes Valleys in Utah.

Bishop is great, we stayed here which was great though there were 3 of us so we had a private room. Nice atmosphere, kitchen, lounge, loads of free food, free coffee every day. Central located.

http://www.thehostelcalifornia.com/

April might be warm....

mark

I'd highly recommend Joes valley, perfect timing in April if you are over there. I have a pdf of the guidebook if you want it

I second Joes, awesome place.

Bishop is brilliant. I only spent four days there but can't wait to go back. The scenery, the rock(s), the weather... Here's some random beta:

-We camped at Brown's Millpond campground. It's basically an RV park but it was very quiet in mid-May (1 tent in addition to us + a handful of RVs). They have (pay) showers. It's midway between the Buttermilks and the Tablelands and close to Bishop so it's handy. It's not really scenic but it's quiet. Can't remember the price, maybe 25$/night? There's cheaper options for sure: The Pit is 2$ I think but has no water. There's a water spigot outside the White Mountain Ranger District Station in Bishop town. There's also the Pleasant Valley pit a bit further down the same road, it's 14$/night and supposedly you get water but from what I read the spigots often don't work, plus you have to pay at some cash machine. The Horton Creek campground also has water, though it's a bit further from the bouldering areas.

-Foodwise, if you like burgers, I strongly suggest you stop by the Burger Barn. My friends and I loved both the veggie and non-veggie options. For breakfast, the Great Basin Bakery and Cafe is excellent, and this is coming from a Frenchman who grew up two doors down a bakery. The Mountain Rambler Brewery has a friendly and lively atmosphere and good food. The Mexican restaurant is OK.

-The Bishop Bouldering Select has about 600 problems which should be enough to entertain you for a while. It features the main areas: Happies, Sads, Buttermilks, Druid Stones and Rock Creek (the latter is supposed to be similar to Yosemite and is further down the road toward Mammoth Lakes, also higher so cooler).

-Eastside Sports and Mammoth Mountaineering rent pads. Prices are the same I believe, 10$/day.

-If you're unlucky and weather is crap, go check out Mono Lake after Mammoth Lakes (~1hr drive, maybe less?). Cool tufas, bubbling water in places, birds, great scenery (reminded me a bit of Iceland).

Have fun!