Ice Cream Parlor Technical Rock Climbs

Lat/Lon: 38.53259°N / 109.59618°W CLICK FOR TOPO MAP
Ice Cream Parlor is a fantastic crag for sport/trad climbing in the quiet confines of the
Kane Valley versus climbing on Wallstreet across the Colorado River. It is part of the
Colorado Riverway Recreation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) Moab field office (which oversees almost six million acres) . At first the dirt
road through the Kane Valley parallels the Wallstreet climbing area on the east side
of the Colorado. But eventually the narrow dirt extension of Kane Creek Blvd
meanders west away from the river to the quite mesa beyond Hunter Canyon. A left
bend in the road directly across from the Echo Camp Site is where you will find the
quiet climbing section known as Ice Cream Parlor. (8 miles from Hwy 191)

The routes are varied, offering typical Moab solid crack climbing on Wingate
sandstone. Its cracks are much more dependable than most of the rock I have
climbed on in Utah National Parks. They are coated with the “desert varnish” (thick
coating of iron and manganese) I have mentioned with Island in the Sky in Snow
Canyon State Park north of St. George, UT. There are more routes than are listed in
Stewart Green’s first edition of “Rock Climbing in Utah”. The Ice Cream Parlor walls
break down into two sections, a right and left.

I have listed just a sampling of the routes below:

Right Section, Right to Left
Knee Grinder- 5.9- Mixture of Bolts and Gear
The Possessed- 5.11a
The Coffin- 5.9- Gear
Pulp Fiction- 5.11- Mixture of Bolts and Gear
Ice Cream Parlor Crack- 5.11a- Gear
Good Day to Die- 5.9- Mixture of Bolts and Gear

Left Section, Right to Left
RP City- 5.10- Gear
Crack 1- 5.8- Gear
Crack 2- 5.8+- Gear
Crack 3- 5.8- Gear
Wolverine- 5.11- Gear/Three Pitch route that uses Crack 1 as its first pitch.

I have done most of these routes including quite a few left of Crack 3 which were not
published in the first edition guidebook I have. This area gets good afternoon sun, a
compliment in winter and of course a detriment in summer. I first climbed the area
in March and conditions were prime on this wall. The primitive campsites are quite
nice and there are tons of them along the road. Kane Springs Canyon has many
more objectives than Ice Cream Parlor.

Getting There
Ice Cream Parlor is 15 minutes west of Moab. Follow Kane Creek Blvd (by the
brewery) west of town until it turns into a dirt road. From the cattle guard continue
another 3.6 miles to Echo Camp Site, 8 miles from Hwy 191. There is an area where
you can park here that does not interfere with the camping or you can turn around
and pull off on the east side of the road right below Ice Cream Parlor. There are two
climber paths that head up to the base of the climbs, one to the far left and one
directly above the pullout.

Red Tape
There are no climbing restrictions or permit requirements for the Kane Spring
Canyon area. Rappel versus lowering whenever you get a chance to avoid
producing rope grooves in the delicate sandstone. Like all southern Utah climbing,
sandstone colored chalk is preferred if not required. There is a tendency for poison
ivy growth at the base of the walls.

Best eats and coffee, hands down, is the organic EklectiCafe at 352 North Main,
Moab and they have reliable wireless internet.

The average high in July is 98F. The average high in January is 41F. Moab is at 4000’
+/- therefore the winter rock climbing can be a touch on the cold side compared to
southwestern Utah. Climbing in the middle of the day during the summer in southern
Utah is not recommended. Carry plenty of water regardless. Afternoon
thunderstorms are common from mid-July through mid-September. Storms may
produce waterfalls as well as flash floods. Sandstone is weak when wet, so avoid
climbing in damp areas or right after a rain.

Camping
Campgrounds are maintained by BLM’s Moab field office and cost $5 per vehicle.
They have high end (by Canadian standards) pit toilets, are open all year and have
fire rings. Individual Campsites are available on a first-come/first-served basis. No
reservations are accepted.

Kings Bottom Camping Area= Kane Creek Rd, 2.8 miles from Hwy 191
Moonflower Camping Area=Kane Creek Rd, 3.0 miles from Hwy 191
Hunters Canyon Camping Area=Kane Creek Rd (dirt road access), 7.8 miles from
Hwy 191
Echo Camping Area=Kane Creek Rd (dirt road access), 8.0 miles from Hwy 191

Primitive
Kane Creek Crossing - there are approximately 28 sites located along Kane Creek
where the Kane Creek Road crosses the water. These sites are free, but campers
are required to carry out all garbage, including solid human waste. No wood cutting
is allowed.