Top Ten Top Roping Places in WA

[tomtom]

Royal Columns on the Tieton is pretty fun. Can you walk around up to the top of The Bend?

[Off_White]

I'm sorry DC, but Woodson has both quality and quantity, one of the best TR areas I've ever seen anywhere. Lots of that stuff is too high and scary to boulder unless you've got it wired, but its the perfect height for TR's, and no place has a better concentration of cracks. Well, Deerhorn Valley, Mother Grundy, some other things in that same batholith in San Diego County will offer the same kind of thing, but not with the same volume as that winding switchback up Woodson offers.

 

That's a lot of rock on that hill

 

Wide! Tall too...

 

Thin...

 

Oooh, and just right!

[Off_White]

Royal Columns on the Tieton is pretty fun. Can you walk around up to the top of The Bend?

 

You can, but the anchor situation is a little sparse on the clip and go end of things, and like the Royal Columns, there's plenty of loose rubble that adds a lot of rock fall potential for the folks down on the ground.

[DCramer]

OW - You misunderstood. I was suggesting Woodson is great! Just a bit short on vertical quantity in places much like the "alpine" crag I posted.

 

 

[andyf]

So far the Wa top ten look pretty weak.....here's some inspiration!

 

 

 

Isn't that Be-Bop Tango? It has bolts now. At least it did when I climbed it.

 

I think Moon Rocks (Tieton) is underappreciated for toproping. Easy access to a nice top-out ledge with bolt anchors above nearly all the major crack lines (5.10 to 5.12-). Need a 60 meter.

[Serenity]

So far the Wa top ten look pretty weak.....here's some inspiration!

 

 

 

That's the crag above Emerald Bay in south lake Tahoe right? If so that is an awesome place to hang out. We used to camp there and have the place to ourselves in the winter.

[pindude]

Minnehaha is an amazing place....well worth the drive from Seattle.

Thanks for mentioning, Daryl.

 

Most people in my region don't know how good we have it. Especially compared to you poor folks in the Puget Sound area, we I-90 far east-siders have an abundance of crags in and just outside of town.

 

Minne is maligned by Spokane locals in greatest part because of its proximity to humanity and the result: graffiti, garbage (both of these get cleaned up), gunshots from the nearby LEO shooting range, and partiers, gumbies, and occasional thieves. Regardless, it's TR heaven. The Main Cliff, the largest and most popular, is 80' at its highest. There's several other TR-able shorter faces, and lots of bouldering.

 

Across the river to the south, and on very different granite, are the harder climbs of Dishman Hills.

 

Downriver, there's more granite at Tum Tum, and across from Tum Tum, the more recently developed (and developing) McLellan Rocks.

 

On the northwest side of Spokane is the sport-climbing area of Deep Creek. Many routes are TR-able, although this area is known as sport paradise. It's the only crag I'm listing here that isn't granite: rock is pillow basalt.

 

Upriver and outside the state, just a little further east on I-90, are all the TR-able rocks at Post Falls' Q'emiln (pronounced Ka-mee-lin) Park. This area has become more popular due to all the sport climbs that've been developed here in the past several years.

 

All the above have easy approaches to the tops in order to set up TR anchors, and are fairly easily accessible for weeknight after-work seshes. Almost all the TR-able climbs can be led as well, by trad or sport. We obviously need a new guidebook here on the east side.

[fredrogers]

Well, there is old Fun Rock in Mazama. Routes from "Mazama" 5.4-5.12 that are usually easy to set a TR on (certainly at the main climbing area, although you can set TR's elsewhere with some creativity or by leading 5.7-8).

[DCramer]

Isn't that Be-Bop Tango? It has bolts now. At least it did when I climbed it.

 

I think Moon Rocks (Tieton) is underappreciated for toproping. Easy access to a nice top-out ledge with bolt anchors above nearly all the major crack lines (5.10 to 5.12-). Need a 60 meter.

 

 

That's the route Andy. Isn't Moon kinda cold (ie in the shade) this time of year?

 

That's the crag above Emerald Bay in south lake Tahoe right? If so that is an awesome place to hang out. We used to camp there and have the place to ourselves in the winter.

 

That's the spot. I would love to find the 90' Wall of Washington!

Edited January 15, 2010 by DCramer

[Dirtyleaf]

I'd personally recommend Midnight Rock in the Tumwater canyon and Wildcat Wall in Tieton. Both provide out of the way ambiance and most of the routes are pretty easy and very top-rope accessible. A great place to take your girlfriend and/or are excellent places to learn how to lead on gear or just have an easy/mellow day at the crags.

[Off_White]

I think Moon Rocks (Tieton) is underappreciated for toproping. Easy access to a nice top-out ledge with bolt anchors above nearly all the major crack lines (5.10 to 5.12-). Need a 60 meter.

 

That's an excellent candidate.

[Rad]

I probably wouldn't put them in the great class, but there are a host of crags at X32 (e.g. Blackstone, RepoI, II) and X38 (Gritscone, Off Ramp, Interstate Park and others) where you can walk around the top to the anchor pretty easily and set up a toprope. The books list which climbs have accessible anchors.

 

I used to toprope a lot in the SF bay area and the Traprocks of CT back in the day. I have to say it was often a pain in the arse to set up anchors at those areas, we pretty much had to have miles of sling or an extra rope just for that purpose, and at least a third to half of one's time was spent setting up and breaking down the anchors, assuming you don't want to just do laps on one route. So I wouldn't get too nostalgic about the good old days of TRing.

[Serenity]

Those Woodson photos are classic.

[maxhasson]

Did I miss something or has no one mentioned the

?

[DCramer]

Max - I can't see Youtube at work, but I am assuming you are talking about the "Potholes" cliff that's in Smoot's guide (and others as well) It sure looks great but I've never walked over to check it out. What's the anchor situation like -just bring a standard rack and a few full length slings? Is the rock less friable than the nearby cliffs?

[lancegranite]

Great vid!

 

[JensHolsten]

Just a note...Potholes is awesome, by far the best basalt I have played on in Easter WA, even though the routes are short. Just wanted to let everyone know that we were being watched as we climbed by a vehicle with lights (I think the Potholes are a National Wildlife Preserve?) and had contact with another official looking person who wanted to "know if we were ok". Low profile spot for sure...

[Off_White]

Great vid, looks fun. I really liked the use of the tripod for the stop motion effect, and the weather rolling through was a nice bit as well.

 

Thanks for the etiquette heads up Jens.

[maxhasson]

DCramer- Yah, we climbed at the wall hi lighted in Smoot's guide, it's got 50 or so routes I think? The book also claims that the area sports 500+ routes so some of the other cliffs must be decent. Some high quality rock for sure, as well as some classic coulee choss. Many of the climbs just need more traffic, we spotted maybe one chalked hold but overall the climbing related impact was nil. Some of the anchors were simple but most were kind of involved. I used one end of the rope to equalize a couple really spread out anchors and still had enough rope left to set up a TR. So bring an old rope or lots of cord/webbing. It's kind of nice to set up several ropes at once so the more gear you bring the better. It seems like it would be a long drive from Seattle but it's not too bad for east siders as a good alternative to Vantage.

[DCramer]

Thanks for the info Max.....I've climbed a fair bit in the area - just not at the TR crag - and always found the rock less than stellar. The area you describe at least from afar seems to be lacking the bands of rotten rock that plague the nearby cliffs. These bands are easily seem in the pic below:

 

[andyf]

I've climbed at that video crag three or four times when I've had to spend a night in the Tri-Cities for work. Only about an hour drive from the TCs. Not a bad little crag--shaded on hot summer evenings, although lots of mosquitoes. I've always been alone so I've simply "bouldered" the easier cracks. Ratings in Smoot and LaBelle guides seem a little on the soft side; Can't Remember and Genetic Mutant Playbground both seemed far easier than given grades.

 

The only other people I've ever seen have been high school partiers from Othello.

[spotly]

Did I miss something or has no one mentioned the

?

 

Cool video. I like the music and the way you did the still sequenced photos! Wouldn't mind checking out Potholes sometime - where's the best beta for that area?

[jibby]

No one has mentioned Lake Coushman, it has a handfull of stuff all TRable. It was where I first went climbing outside, on TR.

[SEC]

Hey, I am a newby top roper coming to visit Seattle. Where is the closest top rope/sport climing area? Would the quarry be the best place? If so, how do I get there?

Edited March 12, 2010 by SEC

[genepires]

exit 32/38 and/or a rock gym.

 

vantage is a couple hour drive from seattle for "winter/rain on the west side" fun.

 

guidebooks easily available for either areas.