UKC

I'm travelling to Utah in late April early May. I'm meeting friend in Moab my second week but for the first week I was thinking of trying to get from Utah to Bishop. Has anybody ever done this treck? ... or has anybody caught the bus from Utah to Moab?

Was also wondering if anybody has any tips for the independent traveller arriving in Salt Lake City?

In reply to Muffin:

Moab to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas to Mojave (aka: Hell).

Mojave to Ridgecrest.

Ridgecrest to Bishop.

SIT AT THE FRONT OF THE BUS.......if you are brave....sit at the back.

From the Rockfax "Staying In Bishop" MiniGUIDE

Public Transport

If you are not travelling by car it is possible to get to Bishop by public transport using Carson Ridgecrest Eastern Sierra Transport (CREST) that links Bishop with Ridgecrest in the south and Carson City in the north.

Use the Grayhound bus service from Los Angeles or San Francisco to get to either Mojave or Reno. From Reno take Pride transit to Carson City then CREST to Bishop. From Mojave take a Kern Regional bus to Ridgecrest then CREST to Bishop.

http://www.countyofinyo.org/transit/CRESTpage.htm
http://www.nevadatransit.com
http://www.greyhound.com

Kern Regional Transit—1-800-323-2396

Getting Around

Once in Bishop you will find a car invaluable as the climbing areas are out of town (the Gorge 15 miles, the
Happy Boulders 6 miles, and the Buttermilk 10 miles, alpine areas 15 miles and up). If you are without a car it
is possible to hook up with partners at the one of the
campgrounds or a coffee bar or even purchase a bicycle at a thrift store. Hitch-hiking is possible and success should be guaranteed if you have a rope or bouldering pad attached to you and you position yourself on the way to the rocks.

Mick

In reply to Muffin:
You've got to hook up with us Muff! :-P Could do with another girly there amongst all these top-notch boy boulderers!

In reply to Muffin:

We'll have two cars between the four of us, so it'll be no problem meeting you at the bus station whenever you arrive. Just let us know where you need us to be!

In reply to Rowie B:

What about the punter boy boulderers who are also tagging along?

In reply to Mick - Rockfax USA: Thanx for that Mick. How long does that journey take approx to the bus station in Bishop??

In reply to Stuart S: Sounds like a plan depending on how long the road trip takes! The bus journey sounds like a laugh a min. Have to be back in Moab for the 2nd of May. I may check out the internal flights as you never know...

In reply to Muffin:

Years.

I'm guessing here.

Moab to Vegas: 8 hours+

Vegas to Mojave: 2 hours+

Mojave to Ridgecrest: 2 hours+

Ridgecrest to Bishop: 2 hours+

M

In reply to Muffin:
Hi, I stayed in a hostel in SLC, Oct '03 till I organised a hire car while on a short road trip.
The hostel was OK, pretty cheap and quiet. It's on 107 F street and can be contacted via e-mail hostel@sisna.com
It's within walking distance of the greyhound terminal ( about 1 mile)or you can take a cab. Also within walking distance of downtown.
Cheapest car hire I found was with Economy rent a car (801 487 2400). they're on 2810 South State Street but they delivered to the hostel for $10 extra. they don't like their cars going far away but I just smiled nicely. they do have a $500 insurance excess and a 700 mile weekly limit so it's best to be careful.
SLC is very quiet though I did find some night life in the form of an after party in a warehouse...but I might just have been lucky. Check flyers in random shop doorways.
Tourists definitely go to see the mormon stuff but I didn't and eventually ran out of time and weather to get pics of the LDS (latter day saints = mormons, but they prefer LDS) angels. The LDS is pretty much everywhere in SLC and Utah but doesn't have any impact on climbing...which is pretty good.
Check the Greyhound web site for travel info. Not sure about buses to Moab. Public transport isn't a major feature in the US outside major cities in the west. There are two buses a day to Vegas and it takes forever ( or so it seems as greyhound seats are not designed with comfort in mind)
Hope you have a good one.
Andy

ps if you have time check out Joe's Valley ( car a must though)

In reply to Mick - Rockfax USA:

Isn't Vegas - Bishop quicker via Death Valley?

In reply to Andy Kassyk: how much was the car hire? How far to Joe's from SLC?

In reply to tobyfk:

Yes , but no bus service.

M

In reply to Mick - Rockfax USA:

Mick, you seem to be the man in the know (!) Umm how long do you think it would take to get to Red Rocks from Bishop? I climbed in Red Rocks a couple of years ago and had a great time.. just wondering if it would be worth going back whilst in Bishop next month? Thanks v much

In reply to Rowie B:

4 hours drive at 60mph

3.5 if you go a tad faster.....via 169 and straight down Interstate 95. I used to do it Friday evenings when I climbed in Vegas a bit.

Next month...April. It will be getting hot at RR but the Canyon routes should be great. The sport climbs HOT.

However we are experiencing an unseasonal hot spell at the moment in Bishop.....high 70's, low 80's. Climb in the morning until 11 or after 3 and stay in the shade.

Hopefully it will cool down again and get chilly......I hope.

Mick

In reply to Mick - Rockfax USA:

I meant route 168 over Westgaurd Pass....rather than Death Valley....90's F in Death Valley at the moment, spring flowers kaleidoscopic......or do I mean psychodelic?

In reply to Ian Hill:
Hi, I had the car ( a ford focus) for 3 weeks and it cost me ~$549 including their insurance. I'd originally got the car for 1 month but returned it a week early. The hire co. even gave me some cash back, I can't remember how much but a monthly rate worked out cheaper than a weekly rate.
As for distance, it took me ~4 hours to drive from Joe's to SLC so I'm guessing about 150 miles or so.
Andy

In reply to Andy Kassyk: Thanks Andy - I will be sure to check out the hostel. How far was it from the airport? Was it dorms? What was the accommodation like?

I think I will also hire a car. Sounds like a plan Would you say it's safe to drive (daylight hours) in 'death valley' sounds a bit scary?

In reply to Muffin:

Hi,

I stayed in a dorm but had it to myself for two out of four days - you can also get private rooms but they're more expensive.Everyone was pretty much OK.

The airport is to the west of downtown about 3 - 4 miles. try www.rideuta.com for public transport info and trip planner. a single busfare valid for 2 hrs is (or was) $1.25


I never got to death valley but I almost run out of petrol in the mojave national preserve on my way to Joshua Tree - on fumes for the last 10 miles. Just make sure you're topped up. Easy as gas is dead cheap. Get info from the parks service on gas stations. I think you have to pay to get into death valley. It's a bit of a tourist attraction from Vegas so I don't think you'll have trouble.

Bishop is about 4.5 hrs from Vegas by car ( as Mick R said). people stay in what is known as the "pit" which is free. Ask locally. download free topos from www.drtopo.com. I used them extensively on my trip via the public library system for access info etc and I think they're the biz.

have a good one
andy