SInks Canyon & Wild Iris CLIMBING

Category: Wyoming Elev: Sinks Canyon: ~6,500 ft; Wild Iris: ~8,700 ftRock Type: Sinks Canyon: Limestone, Sandstone, Granite; Wild Iris: Limestone
Dates: November 2022(x2 days)Partner: Nate Arganbright
Trip Report #: 595(this trip report number corresponds to the first time I climbed at Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris and established this page on my website)

List of Climbs I've Done and 1 Trip Report

Photo Trip Report for

November 2022

Sinks Canyon is a premier climbing destination near Lander, Wyoming. Within a few miles, the rock changes from sandstone to limestone, and then to granite as you get closer to The Wind River Range. There are fantastic trad climbs on the sandstone and granite and superb sport climbing on the limestone. The rock quality is generally excellent, and the climbing ranges from 5.6-5.14. You can climb at Sinks year-round, seeking shade in the summer and south-facing walls in the winter. 

The nearby Wild Iris is one of the most sublime sport climbing areas in the United States. It is a couple of thousand feet higher elevation than Sinks Canyon, so less of a winter climbing spot (but still can be quite warm on a cold sunny day). The rock here is limestone. The climbs are mostly short and steep, occasionally sharp, and with great movement. There are plenty of routes from 5.9 on up to 5.14.

The first time I climbed at both Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris was over Thanksgiving Weekend 2022. I had never been there before (Nate had climbed at Wild Iris only one day about 16 years previous, and never at Sinks) and it sounded like a great place to climb in the sun on superb rock and avoid the Thanksgiving crowds elsewhere. We stayed at a cozy airbnb near Lander. Unfortunately chilly temperatures and lack of sun caused us to shorten our trip by a day but it was still a great trip. We will be back!

On this page, I keep a list of the climbs I've done at both Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris. Below the list, I've included a trip report for my one (so far!) trip to the area.

Table of Contents for this page

List of Climbs I've Done at Sinks Canyon

Sinks Canyon

List of Climbs I've Done at Wild iris

Wild Iris

One trip report

Trip report for 1st visit to Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris Canyon.

Color coded by area:
Sinks Canyon:      Main Wall       Sandstone ButtressWild Iris:      Main Wall

Trip Report #1 for Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris: 1st trip to Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris: Thanksgiving 2022: 2 days of climbing, 20 pitches

Dates: November 24&25, 2022 (Thu&Fri)    Partner: Nate Arganbright      Climbed at: Sinks Canyon: Sandstone Buttress, Main Wall; Wild Iris: Main Wall

Intro

For Thanksgiving 2022 weekend, it can be a challenge to find a climbing area that is comfortable, has great climbing, and is not crowded. Nate and I pondered our options and decided that Sinks Canyon near Lander, Wyoming sounded like a good plan. Neither one of us had been there, so we were excited to check it out. When Nate found an affordable airbnb located just a couple of miles outside of Lander and about 7 minutes from Sinks Canyon State Park, it sealed the deal. 

We left Boulder/Estes Park on Wednesday after work to drive to Lander (5.5 hours from Boulder). We had booked the airbnb for four nights (Wed-Thu-Fri-Sat) and planned to climb for three days (Thu-Fri-Sat) before driving home on Sunday. The weather looked great for the first two days of our trip but looked pretty darn cold and cloudy for the weekend. So we decided the best plan was to get in as many pitches as we could on Thursday and Friday, and hope for the best for Saturday.

On Thanksgiving Day, we climbed 12 pitches in Sinks Canyon, climbing both on sandstone (at Sandstone Buttress) and limestone (at Main Wall). The high was in the low 40's but we were comfortable in t-shirts. We quite enjoyed the climbing and ambiance. On Friday we checked out Wild Iris, where we climbed 8 pitches of excellent limestone at the Main Wall. Again, thought that the climbing and ambiance was superb, and we relished having the place to ourselves on a perfect t-shirt day. On Saturday, we woke up to forecasted cold and cloudy skies (28°F, 74% humidity, cloudy, and a tad breezy...brr...)  with a threat of snow in the air. Upon checking the forecast and seeing it would be sunny on Sunday in Estes Park, we decided to drive back home and get in a day of climbing locally. It was disappointing to cut our trip to Sinks/Wild Iris short, but it was still a great couple of days of climbing and hanging out at the cozy airbnb.

Below are some photos from our Thanksgiving 2022 climbing trip to Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris. Enjoy!

Climbs / Photos

Day 0: Drive from Estes Park / Boulder to Airbnb just outside Lander (5.5 hours)


Date: November 23, 2022 (Wed)
1. Nate got some Wendy's for sustenance on the drive to Sinks Canyon.

Day 1: Two different rock types at Sinks Canyon (5.8-5.12a, 12 pitches)


Date: November 24, 2022 (Thu)    Climbed at: Sinks Canyon: Sandstone Buttress, Main Wall     Rock Type: Sandstone, Limestone

A great day of climbing in the sun. After 12 challenging pitches (11 of the led by Nate-the-climbing-machine), we felt we earned our Thanksgiving dinner!

2. Morning temperatures were in the mid-20's, but it was comfortable climbing in the sun.
3. Our first route of the day was called Gunky, a 2-3 pitch 5.8 on Sandstone Buttress at the entrance to Sinks Canyon. This was our taste of Sinks sandstone for the trip.
4. Nate starting up Pitch 1 of Gunky (2-3p, 5.8) on Sandstone Buttress.
5. Pitch 1 of Gunky (2-3p, 5.8) on Sandstone Buttress. Sustained at the grade and fun climbing.
6. Pitch 2 of Gunky (2-3p, 5.8) on Sandstone Buttress. A fun splitter in the corner.
7. Parking for Sandstone Buttress. We had the place to ourselves!
8. View of my car below from midway up Sandstone Buttress.
9. On top of Sandstone Buttress. You can rappel the route or walk down a trail. We chose to walk back down to the base of the route.
10. A dead deer in the grass below Sandstone Buttress. There was no obvious injury, so perhaps this guy died naturally.
11. Approaching Main Wall.
12. Parking area for Main Wall. The local climbers are out on Thanksgiving Day. But there is a lot of rock here so it never felt crowded.
13. Walking below Moss Cave at Main Wall.
14. The steep limestone cliffs of the Main Wall.
15. Diamonds in the Moonlight (5.10a) at Main Wall: Purple Galaxy Area.
16. Sandman (5.10c) at Main Wall: The Wilds Area.
17. Tooth Fairy (5.10d) at Main Wall: The Wilds Area.
18. Candyman (5.11a) at Main Wall: The Wilds Area.
19. Lunchtime!
20. The Wilds (5.12a) at Main Wall: The Wilds Area.
21. Bust a Nut (5.11c) at Main Wall: Achin for Beauty Area.
22. Mumble Pants (5.11c) at Main Wall: Achin for Beauty Area.
23. Combustification (5.10c) at Main Wall: The Wilds Area.
24. Blammo (5.10c) at Main Wall: The Wilds Area.
25. Our cute airbnb. It was located about 10 minutes from Sinks Canyon State Park. 
26. Our cute airbnb. It was located about 10 minutes from Sinks Canyon State Park.
27. A cozy wood fire at the airbnb.
28. A nice kitchen at the airbnb.
29. One of my guilty pleasures in the cold dark months of the year is puzzles.
30. Thanksgiving dinner. Yum. (After seeing this photo, my dad called this meal a "turkey shit on.")
31. A flashback to Thanksgiving 2021 in Paradox Valley, CO. I think Nate did better this year, but I do notice a distinct lack of color.....
32. Finished! (The entire 1000-piece puzzle took somewhere around 7 hours, and was quite a fun one.)

Day 2: Climbing at Wild Iris and having the whole place to ourselves on a perfect wintery day (5.10b-5.11b, 8 pitches)


Date: November 25, 2022 (Fri)    Climbed at: Wild Iris: Main Wall     Rock Type: Limestone

Another great day of climbing in the sun. The temperatures were a tad bit warmer so we snatched the opportunity to check out Wild Iris. Despite the perfect t-shirt conditions, we had the entire place to ourselves. Eight pitches of excellent limestone cragging, all led by Nate-the-climbing-machine. We found the rock a bit sharper here than at Sinks, so our fingertips were feeling a bit raw by the end of the day.

33. Enjoying the cozy warm airbnb in the morning before a day of climbing. So much nicer than waking up in a tent to temperatures in the 20's.
34. Nate's breakfast. Keto. Yum.
35. Ice crystals on car window.
36. Parking area at Wild Iris. Elevation here is almost 9000 feet, so some late-fall snow was already on the ground. We were the only car in the lot.
37. Trailhead for Wild Iris.
38. Approach. The two pairs of gaiters I always have in my roofbox were nice to have to keep the feet dry on the approach.
39. Grass shadows.
40. Mouse tracks perhaps?
41. A mouse party.
42. Tracks from another small rodent. 
43. Bear tracks perhaps?
44. Snow fleas.
45. Our first route of the day was Cowboy Gibberish (5.11b) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. We had thought we were starting on Take Your Hat Off (5.10b), so this was a stout warm-up. It had definitely felt a bit hard and humbling for 5.10b.
46. Nate starting up Take Your Hat Off (5.10b) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. A three-star classic with a hard first couple of moves and juggy pockets above. This would be a great warm-up.
47. Looking up The Devil Wears Latex (5.10c) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. Our third route of the day.
48. Nate starting up Buffalo Soldier (5.10b) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. Our fourth route of the day.
49. Looking up Cowboys Don't Shoot Straight (5.11a) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. Our fifth route of the day.
50. Glue in bolts are the standard here.
51. Crackers and cat food lunchtime snack.
52. Nate starting up Ambush in the Night (5.11a) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. Our sixth route of the day. (Notice the hanging rope: our rope had pigtailed at the anchor of Cowboys Don't Shoot Straight and gotten stuck—fortunately we were able to free it by climbing back up to the anchor via Ambush in the Night (5.11a).
53. Looking up Princess and the Playmate (5.10c) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. Our seventh route of the day.
54. Nate leading Cherokee with a Crew Cut (5.11a) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. Our eighth and final route of the day.
55. Fun steep pocket climbing on Cherokee with a Crew Cut (5.11a) at Main Wall Cowboy Poetry Area. A nice way to finish the day.
56. A view back towards the Main Wall cliffs on the hike out after a great day of climbing.
57. Zoomed in on the Cowboy Poetry area at Main Wall where we had spent the day climbing 8 routes from 5.10b to 5.11b.
58. My dinner: a Trader Joes shrimp and veggie stir fry. Very tasty!
59. Nate's dinner: a chicken and cheese quesadilla.

Day 3: Drive from Airbnb just outside Lander to Boulder / Estes Park (5.5 hours)


Date: November 26, 2022 (Sat)
60. Two sausage McMuffins and a coffee for $3.27. One of the few things that is still a good bang for the buck.
61. I picked up a pack of M&M's as my guilty pleasure for the drive home.

previous and next adventures

(November 2022: First trip to Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris)