Tumwater Canyon, and especially Castle Rock, is the historic heart of Washington rock climbing. The first ascent of Midway was made by Fred Beckey, Wes Grande, and Jack Schewbland in 1948. While it may not have been the first modern crag climb in Washington, it probably comes close. Later, in the 1970s, Midnight Rock [...]
Although technical rock climbing in Icicle Creek Canyon dates to the 1940s, for years it was slower to develop than in Tumwater Canyon. Outside of Snow Creek Wall, very little history was recorded until the first full guide was published in 1989. Many routes (and even entire crags) were known by different names [...]
Leavenworth is perhaps the densest climbing area in Washington State, with a wide range of bouldering, sport and trad cragging, and access to some of the state’s best alpine rock. Leavenworth is also the birthplace of Washington’s technical rock climbing in the state, and was the focal point of rock climbing in the state [...]
