Evening/Morning/Arvo (or whatever time it is over there!),

I’m finally making my way over the water for the first time (from Australia) in October, but unfortunately it’s for a work conference and don’t have a lot of spare time. The conference is in Anaheim, but I’ve told work they can go get stuffed if they think I’m going to the US without heading east into the mountains for a few days (must do’s are Death Valley, Monument Valley and Grand Canyon areas).

I’m looking for a 1 day climb (I can put in a very big day). I’ll be on my own (ditching the kids in Oz but coming with my wife who will stay put for the day), am an intermediate climber/mountaineer with a high level of fitness. I like big and high mountains (but it’s not essential), something where I can move relatively fast, isn’t highly technical (no rope), and has good views. Being from Australia I’ll never say no if I get to push through some snow (there is bugger all here)…….

I know it’s a fairly open ended question but any suggestions? Was thinking either CA, AZ or UT. I assume it may not be the best, but what’s October like weather-wise in the high mountains?

Cheers
mb

How long will you have from the time your conference ends in Anaheim until you need to be back? Grand Canyon and Monument Valley are pretty far to go if you only have a few days; you'll need to budget a full day of driving to get there and a full day to get back.

If you only have a couple days, definitely stay in CA, or perhaps southern NV; there are plenty of things that sound like they'd be right up your alley.

Fairly close to Anaheim you've got San Jacinto Peak (https://www.summitpost.org/san-jacinto-peak/150673), San Gorgonio (https://www.summitpost.org/san-gorgonio/150533), and Mount San Antonio (https://www.summitpost.org/mount-san-antonio-mount-baldy/150444. These are the crown peaks of Southern California, all have various trails of varying difficulty to their summits, all have grand views, but these will be relatively crowded. If you are short on time (1 or 2 days), these peaks are your best bet.

You mentioned you'd like to see Death Valley. You will not be disappointed with a hike up Telescope Peak (https://www.summitpost.org/telescope-peak/150584) if you venture out that way, and it's definitely do-able if you've got 2 spare days. You could possibly even tag on a hike up Charleston Peak, near Las Vegas (https://www.summitpost.org/charleston-peak/150959) as well. These will provide a lot more solitude than the SoCal peaks, and you'll get to see a lot of empty desert landscape, but you'll need 2 or 3 days to get those done.

If you do happen to get 4 or 5 days, you can be really gung-ho and head out to AZ. If you are intent on seeing the Grand Canyon, a must-do in the area is Humphreys Peak, the highest in AZ (https://www.summitpost.org/humphreys-peak/150241). And if you really want to get out to Monument Valley (which I highly recommend, if you've got the time) is to check out the hike up Navajo Mountain (https://www.summitpost.org/navajo-mountain-ut/397784). These will provide you a "true western America" landscape experience.

Coming from Australia I'm sure you are not stranger to very long and empty stretches of nothing in between destinations; it's the same case out there. If you are willing to do some marathon driving, you can fit in quite a lot. As for the time of year, it will probably be pretty good. It's possible some of these peaks may have their first dusting of snow at that time of year, but all the peaks I've linked are accessible by regular trails which should be no problem with a little snow.

Hope this provides of guidance. Have a great trip!

Thanks mate. Lots of good tips here (will have to do some Googling in the morning!).

I think the conference goes for 3 days so will try to swindle at least 1 week there (hopefully have 4 days or so to explore, with 1 of those days reserved for a decent peak)

With only 4 days you're going to have a hard time seeing death valley, the grand canyon, and monument valley while driving between all of them. Adding a full day climb or hike into that is going to be really tough, unless you don't plan on sleeping. According to google you have 24 hours worth of driving alone to do, which assumes you start in Anaheim and visit each location and then return to LAX.

My recommendation would be to scrap the idea of going to monument valley and go to Zion instead. This maybe gives you a little less driving and still gives you that western us feel. Also I feel like zion is a little better than monument valley in my opinion.

Norman Clyde Peak



Dragon Peak



University Peak

Mountaineers route on Whitney - mostly because it is the tallest and a good long day.
October is usually a good time to go - probably won't have to deal with any snow

Thanks for the responses. Stinkysox probably does have a good point about driving distances - I do usually tend to overdo things (I've been known to climb mountains if I'm in a new area instead of option for sleep and staying put). Those three 'must sees' may not all be ticked off on this trip (hope to go back your way some other time in my life!) and am always open to suggestions (like Zion).

Whitney has crossed my mind but I feel the elevation factor is more outweighed by the normality of the mountain and probable crowds (I enjoy climbing a hell of a lot more if there aren't many people). I do like the challenge of your suggested route though - as an ultra trail runner I always like to challenge the 'expected completion times' of routes......

Some of mrchad's suggestions looks awesome - definitely more my cup of tea and will look into them more closely. Just need to decide if I want to venture up to that part of Sierra Nevada

Appreciate the suggestions and please keep them coming!!

My recommendation would be to scrap the idea of going to monument valley and go to Zion instead. This maybe gives you a little less driving and still gives you that western us feel. Also I feel like zion is a little better than monument valley in my opinion.

This. Monument Valley is famous because of the movies filmed there, but there are better places (such as Zion).

If you want to stay as far south as you can and still do a great Sierra Peak there is Mount Russell east ridge. Might be more exciting that Whitney and you can link it up with Carillon.

I think it just comes down to priorities. If you really want to see Death Valley and the Grand Canyon you have 2 full days of driving scheduled. I know you want to pack as much into your trip as possible, but like they always say, if you try to see too much you end up not seeing anything at all. You could spend all 4 days in the Eastern Sierra/Death Valley and have a great time, or you could just go to the Grand Canyon and hike to the bottom and stay at the ranch and have a great time. Just depends on what you want to do.

If you picked one area with a lot to do (or two close ones, such as Death Valley and Whitney Portal or Onion Valley), you could visit a lot in four days while largely consolidating your driving to the 'there' and 'back' components, rather than spending many hours driving between each place.

I live in Anaheim and I don't think the drive to the Sierra, even as far north as Mammoth, is a particularly onerous tradeoff for a Saturday and Sunday of hiking, and you've got four days rather than two.