Located south of Bellingham on the slopes of Blanchard Mountain, the Bat Caves have more than 30 sport (and a few trad) routes ranging from 5.4 to 5.12c. The area’s name is a misnomer: there aren’t any real caves, only holes in an impressive talus field below a series of cliffs. The cliffs, which include the Samish Wall and San Juan Wall, are up to 200 feet high. The metamorphic rock is sometimes brittle, with an emphasis on crimpy moves.
The view alone is worth a visit to this spot: you look out to the San Juan Islands, over to the Olympic Mountains, and down on the Skagit Valley. The cliffs tend to seep until after the weather dries out each year.
Ownership/Management:
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Current status:
Closed due to bat disease.
Read about the closure in the:
Bellingham Herald
Access considerations:
Closed. See above.
Other resources:
Weather forecast
Weather cam
Samish Wall at the Bat Caves, showing the line of Meltdown, 5.12c.
Photo taken from rockclimbing.com.