Located a long way from anywhere (except Electric City), the granite domes and boulders at the north end of Banks Lake have long flown under the radar. Perhaps inevitably, the area is now becoming discovered. In 2001, the first guidebook information to the area appeared, documenting nearly 50 routes. Two guides published in 2006 (Rock Climbs [...]
Peshastin Pinnacles is a sandstone area known for slabs and oddly rounded cracks. Before Frenchman Coulee, Peshastin was the most popular "off season" climbing area in Washington. It is often dry when rains drench Western Washington, or even Leavenworth 15 miles west. Peshastin climbs range from one to four pitches, with many ending on narrow [...]
Climbing in the Mazama/Upper Methow Valley area is often thought of as a rainy-day alternative to climbing at nearby Washington Pass. As its climbing continues to develop, however, Mazama has become a destination in its own right. The traditional hub of Mazama climbing is the Fun Rock area, which is made up of several small crags [...]
Tieton rock climbs are mostly on andesite, a volcanic rock similar to basalt. The climbing is spread out along a 20-mile stretch of Highway 12 that ranges from near-desert to subalpine. A number of crags are located in scenic groves of Oregon white oak and ponderosa pine. There are nearly 400 routes in the [...]
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 [...]
