Mount Saint Helena is located on the boundaries of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties and from its summit offers awe-inspiring views of the famous wine producing valleys of Northern CA. On very clear days, one can see all the way to the San Francisco city skyline. Mt. St. Helena is just north of Calistoga, approximately 90 miles from the heart of San Francisco.
The rock is volcanic in origin and the routes here include a wide array of protection styles and feels. Some areas here include both bolts and also require some trad placements (gear such as caming devices and chocks). In other areas, such as The Bubble (pictured below) top roping is accessible and fun.
The Bubble offers routes ranging from 5.7 - 5.11+. To set top ropes, use a faint climbers trail on the left side of the face which is low third class to the summit. Please note that the bolt hangars appear to be possibly homemade and therefore of more suspect quality than the beefier branded kind and in places we felt the need to anchor ourselves to nearby trees in order to safely reach the anchor bolts. If you have any question about your ability to safely overcome these obstacles and make well informed decisions regarding your own safety, wait to make this approach hike until you are with more experienced climbers.
Most (if not all) routes on the Bubble can be done on lead as sport routes.
Once on the rock, make sure to look back and out over the verdant valleys that surround MSH. Views from the Bubble provide quite a bit of exposure for a crag that stands only 40 feet (or so) tall.
Directions: Take Hwy 29 north from Calistoga and follow signs for "Robert Louis Stevenson State Park," named after the famous author of 'Treasure Island' and 'Shipwrecked.' The author spent his honeymoon here and the park includes interesting memorials to his work. When you reach the prominent hikers' trail head, park on the right and cross the street to begin up the one mile long trail that leads to a fire road. Make a left on the dirt fire road and the Bubble will be on your right in a manner of minutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment