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1639 Hits
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74.92% Score
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5 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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41.15117°N / 105.36758°W |
Activities:
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Trad Climbing, Sport Climbing, Toprope, Bouldering |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall |
Elevation:
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8260 ft / 2518 m |
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Overview
A bit southeast of the Nautilus is a large, isolated crag. It has a small but nice collection of trad, sport, and toprope routes, and there are bouldering problems as well. Here, you'll find hand cracks, off-widths, and slabs.
Please note that I am not sure if I have the coordinates or elevation correct, as it is difficult to tell the precise spot on a topo map. However, pictures and directions here should be more than sufficient to find the crag.
The Mountain Project page for East L.A. has good information. Some older comments on the page discuss a different name for the crag (Nat's Three Star) and some of the climbs there, but both are completely different formations. Perhaps an early version of the page had erroneous information and the comments section was never updated. East L.A. is also supposed to be in newer versions of Heel and Toe by Rob Kelman and Skip Harper, but mine is an older one and does not include it. On Vedauwoo.org, I have been unable to find the area at all, though maybe I am missing it.
Also, try the Forest Service site. Though it's not good for climbing information, it's decent for general information.
Getting There
From I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, leave the highway at Exit 329, marked for Vedauwoo. This is about 16 miles from Laramie. Take Vedauwoo Road east and drive 1.2 miles to a well-signed road for the Vedauwoo Recreation Area. Go straight instead. The road quickly turns to dirt and passes the Nautilus. Use the third prominent turnout on the right; you'll see a dirt road dropping a short distance to the crag. Park here, where there are great campsites, or contnue a short distance along the road to the east side, where there are more great campsites. Here, you are very close to some of the routes whose precise whereabouts I know.
High clearance is helpful.
Vedauwoo Road is usually clear of snow by May and sometimes as early as April.
East L.A. from the road
Routes
This page is going to focus on the climbing routes, not the bouldering problems. The MP page has some information, though not a whole lot, on bouldering there.
Having only been to the crag once, I do not know where every route is. What follows is an alphabetical listing and some beta in cases where I climbed the route or know something about its location. This will give readers an idea of what there is here; please see the MP page for more information. Note: the MP page also mentions two name-unknown 5.11 routes on the east end of the crag.
- Aretsky (5.10a; Sport/TR)-- On the SE face. Slab.
- Casual Corner (5.6, Trad)-- As you approach Casual Corner Junior, notice a corridor on your left. Follow it to a "hidden" spot where there are two obvious crack routes, one a diagonal; one going up and right (Screaming Ego) and the other to its right in a corner. I really wanted to climb this one, but the only natural anchor close to the climb was a thin tree in front of Screaming Ego, and using it for Casual Corner would have created rope drag and, of more concern, a potential unzipping of my pro. The bottom of the crack was too wide for any gear I had (largest piece was a #4 C4), so I had to pass and hope I could come back one day with bigger gear or a partner.
- Casual Corner Junior (5.3, Trad)-- From the second parking spot mentioned, you can see this route. The MP page says it is about 50', but it is really more like half that (I suppose you could extend the climb by scrambling up higher, but it would be Class 3 at most). Anyway, it is still a beautiful hand crack. I did a solo lead of it, placing a cam at the bottom of the crack for my anchor.
- Das Knabestreich (5.6, Trad, TR)-- Off-width close to Casual Corner Junior.
- H & S Chimney (5.8; Trad/TR)-- On the S face.
- Hang Five (5.8; Trad/TR)-- Big arching crack on the S face.
- Screaming Ego (5.8, Trad)-- See Casual Corner notes for locating this one. This is a beautiful crack left of Casual Corner, and it finishes on a blank face with a bolt on it. I started solo-leading this one without knowing the grade (and having never led 5.8 before) but after getting a couple pieces in, I felt a little spooked and bailed while I was still low enough to get back down without leaving any gear behind.
- Slotsky (5.8-, Trad/TR)-- SE face, just right of Aretsky. Chimney climb.
 Corridor |  Casual Corner |  Casual Corner Junior (5.3) |
Red Tape
None.When to Climb
May through October typically.Camping
There is a 28-site campground in the recreation area. It is first-come, first-served and fills quickly on weekends in good weather. Vault toilets and drinking water are available, though in July 2014 the water wasn't flowing or I was just at the wrong pump. The camping fee was $10 per night in July 2014. Closed during the winter, the campground is usually open by the beginning of June.
There is a lot of dispersed and free camping available right by the crag, though.