Traverse the front of the cave. Start by sliding down into the left hand opening as far as you can, then go up and right, finishing by mantling onto the rock pedestal on the climbers right of the right entrance.

 Avoid the rail marked on the main photo (use the lip of the cave above it), its pretty hollow sounding!

Pandemic

The Great Escape

Dabalicious

Work your way out through the entrance of the cave, mantle and finish on top of the rock. There are at least three jugs, and a majority of the route is a large rail. Any and all rock inside the cave is on. Don't use the rail marked in the main page's photo, it's chossy and let's not break it. There is a pretty solid heel hook near the end of the route, kind of fun.

The crux is attempting not to dab. I had to use a lot of heel hooks to accomplish this. The route would be pretty nice if the dirt mounds weren't in the cave. It is a scrunched up route with some awkward moves. Any and all rock inside the cave is on. Route starts further back in the cave, and then follows the same line as The Great Escape. Traverse the side of the cave to the left and out, the rails toward the back of the cave seem to be constantly moist so chalk is nice. 

  If you are climbing this route, you must be desperate for a climb!

In the suburbs? Desperate to climb some rock outside? It's not much, but this cave offers a little bit of fun. The ground stays fairly dry after rain, just make sure the fox river isn't flooded/high. There is a fair amount of choss, but it's easily identifiable and avoidable. 

  The cave has a main room that is approximately 7 feet wide at the largest part and 10 feet long. There is a small crawl that loops from the left side to the back, and a tiny room just off the left of the crawl. Not really caving, but this is as good as it gets this close to Chicago.

Description

Routes in Red Oak Cave