When we think of our favorite climbing destination, the top of our list is Maple Canyon.

Nestled in the San Pitch mountains, near the town of Fountain Green, Maple Canyon is mainly a sport climbing destination. The area saw the most development from the early 90’s through today, with areas that are still undeveloped.

The rock in the area is conglomerate rock. Stones were deposited into a sandy clay mixture that holds the walls together. The cobbles that make up the conglomerate vary in size from very small, mere millimeters, to quite large, with most of the rocks size range between a softball to a microwave. While these rocks are held firmly in place, though you do see voids where rocks have occasionally fallen out.

Kudos to the original developers for having had the foresight to bolt lines that are comfortable even to beginning leaders. We often see beginner routes where bolts are spaced so far apart that a ground-fall is likely from the second bolt. That is not the case in Maple Canyon: We were easily able to stick-clip the second bolt on nearly all of the climbs we did, making the lead climb much safer and removing potential injury from a fall.

The Campground

As far as accommodations, most climbers will find the campground at the base of the canyon to be more than suitable. The sites in the lower part of the canyon can accommodate smaller trailers and can be reserved at recreation.gov. There are three pit toilets in the campground, but you should know that there is no potable water available in the canyon. You can find a faucet to fill a water container in the park at Fountain Green or alternately, you can likely fill your RV water tank in Ephraim at the Sports Complex and Family Park.

Note that this is a popular campground and with the Salt Lake City region only 60 to 90 minutes away, sites are reserved pretty far in advance on some holidays. There are a few walk-up sites along the road as well, but these are not as large as those in the campground. I’d recommend reserving as soon as possible to guarantee a site, especially on weekends.

Weekends are busy, with families taking over many of the campsites and easier crags. The quietest evening for us was Wednesday night. You can find photos of the main campsites and a list of the sites we recommend for a small trailer on this post.

Seasons

As far as seasons are concerned, our experience has been in the springtime, right around Memorial Day, and we recommend that time of year. The days are generally mild and the nights are pleasantly cool. We have even had some snowstorms in the past. Most of the crags have some shade and for those cool days, there are some that have nice morning sun. I suspect that the heart of Summer may be hot for some climbers, but that early Fall would be similar to our experience at Memorial Day.

The nearby town of Fountain Green has a nice spot for burgers at Shep’s Grill. Allison’s favorite fries for the entire trip were at Sheps’s. There is not much cell service to speak of in the canyon itself, though Alley was able to send and receive a few texts while showing one bar on Verizon. My AT&T carrier had nothing until we left the canyon area. Just outside the mouth of the canyon, we both had decent coverage.

For groceries, the closest option can be found at Mt Pleasant or at the Wal Mart in Ephraim. The closest gym climbing and gear shop can be found in the Provo area more than an hour away, so plan accordingly as there is not much to be found in the immediate area.

If you are looking for a climbing destination that you may not have visited, Consider Maple Canyon as an option. With sport climbing routes from 5.5 up to 5.14c, and lengths ranging from 30 feet to 365-foot multi pitch lines, there is something for climbers of all abilities.

Campground Photos: