Rock Climbing near Mt Hood

[MountainGirl_Boston]

We are coming to run Hood2Coast next week, and have one day kill before the race. We would like to enjoy some fun rock climbing while waiting to start near Mt Hood. Are there any nice route to climb with easy access? Where to find the guide info and route map?

 

We can trad or sports 5.7/5.8.

 

Thanks for any beta!

[phillygoat]

French's Dome is located "6.2 miles up the Lolo Pass Road from its junction with U.S. 26 at Zig Zag." Turn right into a dirt pullout and walk 100 yards down a trail until you run smack into an old volcanic plug. Can't miss it. Make sure you have the NW Forest Pass- They have been consistently ticketing vehicles without them.

 

The quote is from Tim Olson's 'Portland Rock Climbs' which has more info. There's a handful of easy, bolt-protected routes there. Have Fun.

[orion_sonya]

I'll second the recommendation for French's Dome. Other spots are:

 

Pete's Pile off highway 35 towards Hood River. This is a nice little basalt trad crag right off the road and is easy to find.

 

Bulo Point up Rd (44?) Lot's of moderates here both sport and trad and very pretty. This spot can be tricky to find.

 

If you run into any locals you might ask about Area 51 near Bulo Point, The Swine in Rhododendron, and the Trillium Lake Crag near Government Camp. These are all fun little crags, but you probably won't get much beta on the internet about them.

 

I bet you could get directions off of rockclimbing.com to some of these spots.

 

Orion

[dan_forester]

Last I heard, Highway 35 was closed between White River and Parkdale due to the forest fire, so Bulo and Pete's Pile might not be accessible (check here for updates on the road closure).

 

Salmon River Slab, south of Welches, has a handful of bolted routes in the 5.6-5.9 range.