Maple Canyon: Road Kill Wall
Overall:
A short and easy approach with good routes makes this a must climb area for kids. The area has, in my opinion, the best climb for little kids in the canyon. The only drawbacks to this area are that it can get a lot of traffic, and the landing is only really good, not perfect.
Routes:
Road Kill Wall has the best 3-5 year old climb in the canyon and other climbs for beginners, plus a two solid, but short, intermediate routes. The route breakdown:
You can find information about this area at…
Maple Canyon Guide Book pg. 138-142 (The link is to a site where you can purchase the book. Really, if you are going to Maple, you should have it.)
Approach:
Time
The approach to The Road Kill wall is slightly past The Schoolroom which is right next to the main parking lot. The approach time is minimal. With the smallest of kids it should not take you more than a few minutes.
Difficulty
The approach is steepish so it will be slightly difficult. Though short, it is still uphill and slightly farther away than The Schoolroom.
Danger
Only danger on approach is a child falling on the trail and potentially slipping/rolling down the hill. Ok, so rolling probably isn’t possible but it is a funny image.
Landing:
Honestly, after being spoiled by other areas in Maple Canyon, I don’t love this landing. Really, it is workable. There is enough space that you can spread out and take care of everything you need. I have two problems with it. First it is not very flat. This makes me nervous for my littlest ones who I have to keep an extra eye on. Second, the routes are spread out up and down the hill, so if you are climbing one route, you may not be able to see everything that is going on in other places. Basically, it is easier for kids to get lost. I rated the landing 31/2 cheerios because it was workable, not dangerous, but slightly annoying. Here are some pictures to let you decide for yourself.
Traffic:
Every time I have been to this area, there are other people on the climbs. However, I have always been able to work around them. The traffic has never been irritating, just well travelled. The route Tomato Man (The 5.3 I continue to flaunt) has never been taken when I came here.
Extra Fun:
Mostly this area is pretty similar to other places in Maple Canyon. The only additional fun I can think of would be for older kids. There is room to hike around at the top of the hill. Most kids I have taken to this area have migrated towards these hikes.
Potential Dangers:
This area is mostly safe, but it is smart to keep an eye on your littlest children here. Any extra adventurous child could continue to hike up the canyon and get themselves to a unsavory cliff. The other issue is that the entire area is on a slight slope. So, those of your children that have terrible balance, i.e. all of them, will probably fall down at least once and scrape something.