Best Climbs Moab Guidebook Review

I spend a lot of time in the area around Moab. Whether it’s for work or play, the desert is close enough that we can easily and often escape to its warmth, while the mountains back home are buried in snow deeper than the American financial crisis.

Of all the cliffs in the Moab region, Wall Street is easily the most popular, though it’s an area I have a love/hate relationship with. I spend a lot of time there for work, as it’s convenient and offers a wide variety of routes. However, the rock is pretty soft, and for me this heavily detracts from the experience. That being said, most folks have a good time when they visit, even though there are many other places close by that offer more aesthetically pleasing (and solid) climbs.

A problem in recent years for visiting climbers has been the number of new routes at the crag, as I often see newcomers walking the cliff, book in hand, trying to get oriented but hopelessly loss with all the new bolts and anchors. Enter Best Climbs Moab, the latest offering from Stewart Green and Falcon Guides, which presents a “best of “selection of routes from the region. Most of the included areas have been well covered in other books, but this is the first to offer full color photos, as well as up-to-date coverage of Wall Street. No more walking around scratching your head, as the color images will quickly get you where you want to be.

It’s also got good beta on many of the popular towers in the area, as well as a few other cragging spots like the Maverick Buttress and Ice Cream Parlor. The cliff photos are crisp and make getting oriented at the crag a breeze, and the many great action shots should get you inspired to check out some new lines.

I found it a bit strange that there isn’t any dedicated camping info in the book, as most people buying this will probably be visiting climbers, though the respective crag maps do show where established campgrounds lie. Aside from that, at $18.95 this book is a great bargain, offering a wealth of info at a very reasonable price. In fact, it’s almost comical to think that we used to pay that much for black and white books with significantly less info only a couple years ago. How far guidebooks have come.