Tom Richardson takes on Loser, a 5.13a, in the Cobble Roof wall of Maple Canyon.

Utah

MAPLE CANYON

RECOMMENDED BY Chuck Odette

Not everyone can keep climbing into their sixties. Fewer still can conquer new climbing challenges at that age. Chuck Odette, however, is one of those climbers. And he finds that as he enters a new phase of climbing, the overhanging rocks of Maple Canyon are especially beguiling.

“Maple Canyon lends itself to a style of climbing that I can do at age sixty-three, and still do at an elite level,” Chuck began. “My fingers aren’t as strong, and I’ve lost some muscle mass, so can’t climb as powerfully as I once did. But I’m still good at hanging on for a long time, and have good overhanging climbing technique. And my knees and core are still strong. Maple Canyon allows for full body climbing; my fingers aren’t isolated. You have to do many moves, which makes it gymnastic. All of my climbing experience can be put to good use here. This aspect of Maple Canyon makes it attractive to older climbers.”

Maple Canyon is an oasis in the arid landscape that characterizes much of central and southern Utah. Roughly two hours south of Salt Lake City, the tree-bedecked canyon—maples and scrub oak giving way to spruce and Douglas firs as you climb up—is largely situated within the Manti–La Sal National Forest. The canyon is marked by a preponderance of conglomerate—sedimentary rock that’s embedded with rounded cobbles that range in size from pebbles to basketballs. Many of the sport climbs here are available right off the dirt road that bifurcates the canyon. Overall, there are some seven hundred bolted routes, ranging from beginner-friendly 5.0s to stomach-churning 5.14s. “It’s a beautiful setting, light-colored tan cobblestone, granite, quartzite, and basalt,” Chuck described. “In the fall when the leaves start changing colors, the contrasts between the greens, reds, and oranges, along with a little snow at the top of the surrounding peaks, are amazing. There are various drainages that have come down through the mountains to form the canyon,” Chuck continued. “It’s kind of like the Red River Gorge [in Kentucky] in that respect. I like that the climbing is generally on fairly large holds, even on the harder routes. You can get on difficult routes—even routes above your ability—and do a large portion of them. That’s always gratifying.” (Fall is considered the best time to climb Maple Canyon, though given the many north-facing overhangs, it can be cool enough to climb in the summer, and overhangs provide some protection from the rain in the spring.)

Chuck discovered Maple Canyon after an injury temporarily took his local haunt out of play. “I knew some guys who were developing some of the routes at Maple in the late ’90s,” he recalled. “There were some questions about whether the rock would be durable enough and if expansion bolts would work. The rock did hold up. I put visiting on the backburner, as I was focusing on Logan Canyon near my home. Then I tore a biceps connection to my forearm. I had to take two months off, though I was in really good shape otherwise. I rehabbed and trained, but didn’t think I’d climb again at the level I wanted. Around 2000, I made a trip down to Maple. Not too much was developed yet, but I knew it would be good. As I recovered, I began climbing there more often and fell in love with it. I never imagined I would still be climbing at sixty, though this past year [2018], I did one of my hardest routes.”

When visiting Maple Canyon, Chuck predominantly finds himself in the vicinity of Pipe Dream, a large cave that sits at the top of the canyon’s Right Hand Fork. “Just about every route in Pipe Dream is amazing,” Chuck said. “Most are 100 to 120 feet long; some are horizontal, some upside down. For part of my warm-up process, I like a 5.12a called Dry Times. There’s a lot of movement, which makes it fun for a route of that grade. La Confienza, a 5.13a, is another part of my warm-up for harder stuff. It’s very popular for those looking to tackle their first 5.13a. I’ve heard many people who get on it say, ‘Oh, it’s not a 13a—but two months later they’re still trying to complete it! Don’t Mess with Texas is one of the best 5.13c’s I’ve ever been on. There’s a 5.14a called Millennium. I first did it when I was fifty-one; it was an age record at the time. I did it again this year, with an extension called Eulogy.” As noted in Rock and Ice magazine, Odette “barely stuck the lower V7/8 crux of Millennium and continued onward to a higher V6 crux move, again just barely holding on, two-thirds up the Pipe Dream wall. Odette kept fighting until he managed ‘the famous Pipe Dream inverted double knee-bar rest,’ where he fried his core but gave his upper body a much-needed reprieve before the final moves. After a lengthy ten minute pause, Odette continued on and ‘somehow stuck the final dynamic crux . . . barely . . . two bolts from the top.’”

“You see large groups come up to Pipe Dream, as there are lots of options there,” Chuck added. “Many people come up to watch and be inspired, to see what climbing a 5.13+ is all about.”

One of Chuck’s fondest memories concerns his youngest daughter and a different sort of climbing. “It was around 2001, and my daughter came along with me for the summer as I was doing a year-long road trip,” he recalled. “We spent a month and a half in Maple, and she was climbing hard routes for an eleven-year old. She’d climb for a while, then do art stuff. On one occasion, I was climbing and she found a willowy maple nearby. She figured that if she climbed to the top and shimmied out on a limb, she’d have just enough weight to bend the limb and jump to the ground. She was twenty-five feet off the ground and the limb bent until she was only four or five feet off the ground. People were freaking out about the little girl and her dad who wasn’t paying attention. I was saying, ‘If she gets hurt, she won’t do it again.’ She didn’t. And she did it a few more times.

“I guess this shows that Maple Canyon is a great place for climbers of all ages.”

CHUCK ODETTE began climbing in the Tetons in 1979 and has never looked back. An accomplished mountaineer, he turned his interest to sport climbing in the early ’90s and has gone on to climb more than one thousand lines at or above 5.12, including more than 240 5.13s and nine 5.14s. Some of his most memorable sport climbs include Beyond the Box (5.14a/b), Logan Canyon, Utah; Afterlife (5.14a/b), near Twin Falls, Idaho; Millennium (5.14a), Maple Canyon, Utah; Freak Out (5.14a), Logan Canyon; and Mexican Rodeo (5.13d), Maple Canyon. Since retiring as Petzl’s event and athlete-sponsorship coordinator in 2015, Chuck and his wife, Maggie, have traveled America in their thirteen-foot Scamp trailer home, climbing along the way. He is sponsored by Petzl, Five Ten, and Goal Zero.

If You Go

▶ Getting There: Maple Canyon is roughly two hours south of Salt Lake City, which is served by most major carriers.

▶ Best Time to Visit: Fall is prime time to visit, though ample shade (from overhangs) on many routes makes summers bearable and provides respite from spring rains.

▶ Level of Difficulty: Maple Canyon offers sport climbs appropriate for a range of climbing skills.

▶ Guides: Several outfitters offer guided climbs at Maple Canyon, including Red River Adventures (877-259-4046; www.redriveradventures.com).

▶ Accommodations: There is limited improved camping in the canyon, and dispersed primitive camping in the adjacent national forest. There are several lodging options in the nearby towns of Ephraim, Mount Pleasant, and Springdale.