Elkhorn Range beta?

[TBay]

While fillin' up the rig in Baker City OR, i couldnt stop starring at the ruggedness ('cragginess') of the Elkhorn Range. the Rand-McNal road altas indicated a town called Granite located up in the Elkhorn Range. With little more than an hour of daylight left we headed out of Baker toward Granite on the Elkhorn Scenic Drive. While on the road to Granite it became evident that the town was named such for good reason. Didn't quite make it to Granite, but spent the alpenglow bouldering on some choice granite boulders just off the road. Sweet Country. I'm stoked to drive the full 100+ mile loop next time i'm out.

this is a call out to anyone regarding beta on rock climbing, bouldering, alpine climbing/scrambling, ice, etc., in the Elkhorn Range.

 

Are there any established routes, crags, etc., in the Elkhorn Range?

[sobo]

Try this.

[jonthomp]

There are some andesite cliffs near La Grande that have both trad cracks and bolted sport climbs. I will look up the info when I get home (I have the access info in the back of another guidebook). I've heard good things about some of the routes. Not exactly the Elkhorns, but generally the same area. I do know that the Elkhorns have some of the best snow in west with up to 300" some years. Great skiing if you're into that. Don't know much about the climbing though.

[billcoe]

I'm sure theres shitloads, but I know little.

 

Lute Jerstad, one of the Everest climbers of 63, established a climbing/rafting/adventure service. He bolted some great little lines for toproping for noobs not far from Anthony lakes outside of the ski area in Angel basin. Standing in the basin will give you an idea of some other sweet longish granite routes, bring some large nuts too, in addition to the usual for those wide easy 5.6 cracks you're spying. Many of those routes were FAed before I was there in the 70's by all kinds of people, but like many of the locals, (and unlike us PDX climbers), they climb a hell of a lot better than they talk about it, prefering to climb and not spray - so you get the thrill of discovery all to yourself generally.

 

Lute died @ 96 or 97 from a heart attach while climbing Kalipatar in Nepal, obstensibley to get one last look at the SW col on Everest. He was cremated on the banks of the ganges and his ashes spread in Nepal.

 

His old 1/4 bolts, now surely over 40 years old may still remain if locals haven't updated them so be wary.

 

The nearest Andesite to Lagrande may be Cathrine Creek, good but not worth going out of your way for.

 

Bill

[shapp]

Wanky Spanky, Bill is smoking cranky. There is rock in the Elkhorns, but it is mostly no good. There are a few fun routes, but not worthe the drive from far away. Best there in the winter for skiing, it aint no climbing destination, but if you are set on it climb the coulier on the NW side of lees peack (5.5 or 5.6, 2-3 pitches) there is some short routes up above angel basin, hike up and look around. Also to the left of the coulier on Lees are a few mostly natural lines. I have heard tell of some hard mixed routes on the south side of Lakes lookout, but never been on them. There is some multipitch loosish shizzle up on some walls at the head of dutch flat (look it up on the Anthony Lakes quad and hike in there the best way you can, it is southwest of Anthony Lakes and the Antone Creek drainage. It aint that good though, but may be some of the loose holds are gone now, it was several years ago when I was there last. We climbed a dirty hand crack to a ledge, up a mostly bolted pitch and then another pitch to the tope. The next crag over had a bunch of cracks, looked good for aid. This wall is the first wall to the South west of Van Patten Butte and the wall faces southeast. The wall we did the climbing on was next wall to the south west of the aid wall. This link may help if it works. If you want to poach some shizzle not, look up dunns bluff which faces east and overlooks the Minam/little minam drainage and is north of the moss springs trailhead area. Look it up on a topo. THe bush wack is less than 15 minutes to the top of the wall. There are some sweet hand cracks that have not been poached yet I bet. I did a couple routes there about 6 years ago. Also steve house and Mark H? I am not sure how all other than House was involved but they put up a several pitch 5.10 on a fairly large wall outside of Enterprise. It has a write up in a old issue of Climbing. I always wanted to go back and do it, but never did. If you really want the beta on this route you should troll for some info from Steve House. Good luck. Bottom line is Elkorns = Sweet skiing, but poor rock, although the bouldering aint too bad.

 

Cheers,

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=11&n=4976700&e=405191&s=100&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

[shapp]

One more not on the House route, I think it is up the scratch creek drainage on a wall that faces northeast and tops out on traverse ridge. I remember the roue being called something like the polish route or some other country around there cause House did some climbs with these guys like a year our two earlier. Hell I can't remember. All I know is you can see the wall from the right angle when you are in enterprise and when you are diving up Hurricane creek before you get into the canyon, but the approach looks fairly difficult. I would say in the range of the approach to squire creek wall out by Darrington, maybe longer or the approach to Hozameen.

[shapp]

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=11&n=5019539&e=446097&s=50&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

Here is a link to Duns Bluff. I would advise having a high clearance vehicle to get to there from the Moss Springs trail head. Park on the dirt road that is to the est of the cliff. Hike straight for the small wetland pond, cross the wetland/pond on the south and head up through the small rise then down to the edge of the cliff. This should take less than 10 minutes. Set and anchor and rapp off the short cliff. The main cliff is to the south and holds several 2 to 3 pitch routes. Good cracks. On the shorter cliff where you rap is an excellent hand crack about 50-ft tall. There are no anchors on the wall that I know off, but I would not discount the possibility. Also good grouse hunting territory!

[TBay]

sounds like i got some explorin' to do next time i pass thru.

definitely on the tick list for ski-touring.

thanks to all who contributed so far.

(feel free to add more.)