Six of Oregon's Best Rock Climbing Areas (Plus Routes Not to Miss)

There are small crags all over Oregon, but a handful of areas stand out for rock quality, route variety and setting. Here are six of our favorites, with the routes not to miss, what to bring and when to go. Always check current access rules and seasonal raptor closures before you head out.

1. Smith Rock

Routes not to miss: Phone Call from Satan (5.9), Moons of Pluto (5.10d), American Nirvana (5.11c), Bolt from the Blue (5.12a), The Quickening (5.12c), Darkness at Noon (5.13a).

Smith Rock put Oregon on the climbing map. It began as a humble crag with a few routes and fewer visitors until a young, motivated Alan Watts began bolting the blank faces between the cracks. The park quickly became America's first major sport climbing destination, drawing climbers from around the world, including for America's first 5.14, To Bolt or Not to Be. Today there are well over 2,500 routes from 5.6 to 5.14d, and plenty of people overlook the excellent trad climbing on the basalt columns of the lower gorge.

Expect somewhat "old school" grading: routes can feel stiff for the grade, bolts can be spaced, and high first bolts are common, so a stick clip is highly recommended. Few routes are truly unsafe, but the vertical faces demand technical footwork on small holds. Having climbed here for years, I think Smith shines from mid 5.12 to mid 5.13, but there's something inspiring for every level.

• Gear: about 14 quickdraws and a 70m rope cover most routes. A 60m is too short for many pitches; you only need an 80m for routes on Monkey Face.
• Camping: the Bivouac Area walk-in campground at the park (no sleeping in cars), Skull Hollow campground about 15 minutes away, and dispersed BLM land nearby.
• Season: good most of the year, even sunny winter days, but it can be brutally hot from July through August.

2. Trout Creek

Routes not to miss: JR Tolken (5.10), Dame el Oro (5.11), Winter Sustenance (5.12).

If trad climbing is your thing, make the trip to Trout Creek. Think Indian Creek-style splitters, but on basalt columns. The crag sits atop a hill looking up a valley toward Mt. Hood, with morning shade and afternoon sun. It's closed for much of the spring for raptor nesting. The roughly hour-long uphill approach keeps the crowds away, and you'll often have the wall to yourself.

Most climbing is 5.10 to 5.13+, with a few easier lines. It may be the best place in Oregon to learn to jam cracks of every size, and like the Creek, the cracks bite back, so tape up if you're climbing more than a day or two.

• Gear: a trad rack with four or more of each size is ideal (nuts not needed), so team up with friends to combine racks. A 70m rope lets you climb pitch extensions.
• Camping: a riverside campground sits at the start of the approach. Services are far away, so bring your own food and water.

3. Broughton Bluff

Routes not to miss: Sesame Street (5.9), Lost Boys (5.10d), Dark Arts (5.10d), Ecocide (5.11), Dracula (5.12a; many think it's the coolest 5.12a around), Oracle (5.12a, with a proper dyno near the top), Manson Family Reunion (5.12c, one of my all-time favorites at the grade).

Only have half a day in Portland? Broughton Bluff is about 15 minutes from the city, with routes from 5.8 to open 5.14 projects. This basalt crag is mostly sport climbing with a few trad routes. Some routes are easy to reach from the top, making it a good spot for top ropes and rope soloing, and a great place to learn outdoor climbing or push into harder grades. The Bat Wall has steeper, tricky sport routes from 5.10 to 5.13+.

A little-known fact: the Jungle Cliff stays dry in a downpour. I dragged many skeptical friends out there in wet winters, and it totally goes.

• Gear: 12 quickdraws, a stick clip and a 70m rope for a day out.
• Season: fall is best; winter is wet and summer can be hot, though you'll find morning shade if you get up early.

4. Viento

Routes not to miss: The Big Ulysses (5.12b), Shield Maiden (5.12c), Twister (5.12+), Blood Lust (5.13a).

Viento sits in the Columbia River Gorge just west of Hood River. It's one of the better summer crags around, with all-day shade and, true to its name, plenty of wind. It can be far too cold in winter, but the steep wall can be climbed in the rain. The overhanging, blocky basalt makes for powerful, three-dimensional climbing with odd positions, drop knees and knee bars, so bring a knee pad. The rock can be loose, so wear a helmet. Beyond a few warm-ups, nearly everything is 5.12 and up.

• Gear: sport only; 12 quickdraws and a 70m rope get you up most routes. Don't forget the knee pad and helmet.
• Camping: Viento State Park campground is just across the highway, and Hood River is about 10 minutes away for supplies.

5. Beacon Rock

Routes not to miss: Southeast Corner (5.7), Blue Bird (5.10), DoD's Jam (5.10+, hands down the best 5.10 near Portland), Wind Walker (5.11+).

This monolith sits on the Washington side of the Columbia, about an hour from Portland, and when the south face is open (it closes in spring for raptor nesting), it's the best rock climbing near Portland. You'll find single and multi-pitch routes from 5.7 to 5.13+, with new development every year. The Southeast Corner tops out the whole formation and makes a wonderful first multi-pitch trad climb. You can also walk to the top and rappel the south side to top-rope solo multiple pitches from one set of anchors. Nowhere else near Portland lets you climb 300 feet off the deck with the Gorge as your backdrop. Lightly traveled routes can be dirty, with tricky gear.

• Gear: a double rack of cams plus small nuts, a 70m rope (needed to rappel most routes), plenty of runners, anchor material and your usual multi-pitch kit.
• Camping: limited nearby, but it's well worth the trip.

6. French's Dome

Routes not to miss: Giant Staircase (5.6), Crankenstein (5.11d), Pumporama (5.12a), Jackie Chan (5.12b).

French's Dome is one of Oregon's smaller crags: a compact monolith in the foothills of Mt. Hood. It's best in summer, with all-day shade and cooler mountain air. For its size, it packs in a lot of sport routes from 5.6 to 5.13, most in the 5.12 range, typically slightly overhanging with big moves between good edges. Views of Mt. Hood are excellent, and you can camp along the dirt road leading to the crag. The rock can be loose, so wear a helmet.

• Gear: 12 quickdraws and a 60m rope get you up most routes with rope to spare.

Shop climbing gear

Quickdraws, ropes, cams, harnesses, helmets and stick clips are available in-store. Stop by our Grand Avenue store in Portland's Central Eastside and talk to our climbing staff before your next trip.

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