Mountain Project - Beacon Rock

Beacon Rock is only open to climbers from July 15th through February 2nd due to peregrine falcon nesting.
From the Washington Park's Page
Beacon Rock offers excellent opportunities for rock climbing except where it interferes with nesting raptors, primarily on the south face. The presence of the falcon nest requires that the south face be closed to technical rock activity February 1 to mid-July annually; open the rest of the year. The east face is closed year-round due to environmental sensitivity. Call the park at (509) 427-8265 for more information.

A NOTE ON THE LOCATION OF THIS AREA

I am well aware that Beacon Rock is in Washington. However, due to its proximity to the Portland metro area I, along with other members of the Portland climbing community, have decided that it would be a better fit in the Oregon section of this site.

Description

A lone 850’ basalt monolith that sits prominently in the spectacular Columbia Gorge, Beacon Rock is an obvious climbing destination for Portland climbers. Although much of the rock in the gorge is of poor quality Beacon Rock has plenty of solid and steep lines. A handful of boulders are tucked away in the woods below.

The descent off of Beacon Rock is one of the easiest anywhere. An elaborate stainless steel "trail" of platforms and staircases is bolted to the East side of Beacon Rock which makes for an easy hike to the top for tourists, or an easy descent for climbers.

Getting There

The easiest way to reach Beacon Rock is to take State Route 14 29 miles East from Vancouver, Washington. Alternatively, you can take I-84 East from Portland and cross The Bridge of the Gods (have some change handy, as it’s a toll bridge), and then West on SR 14 to the park.

Photos

Beacon from I-84

The mostly forbidden north and east faces of Beacon rock from the parking lot.

Comments

Karsten  Jan 23, 2006
You might also add that the east face is currently closed to climbing.

The last few years have seen a revitalization of climbing and stewardship at beacon rock. There has been extensive anchor restoration, route cleaning, and new route development in the last few years. This summer there are plans to reclaim several more once popular routes of foliage and debris.

peachy spohn  Sep 12, 2011
Okay, I know I am not the most qualified to suggest this, but would anyone be up for helping with the putting together of and participating in a Beacon Rock clean up day. My view is that Beacon is the best place around PDX for climbing, but that a lot of the routes don't get climbed because of vegetation and moss (only a few routes get done often enough to stay clean). My idea is mainly to clean the faces/routes, but to also do a little work on the trail. If the rock was cleaned to a fuller extent, more routes would open and more people (may be) would hit the rock! The potential of Beacon to be the best trad/big wall training ground is there, (and it's not only a training spot, it's a rad wall) but because of the short season it gets dirty dirty dirty and then people don't venture up what would otherwise be classics. Just recently, I climbed Bears in Heat, Stone Rodeo, Old Warriors Never Die, Dastardly Crack, etc. and all were great climbs, but were way too dirty...which is probably why no one has ventured up them for so long). Any Ideas/comments...Lets get cleaning???

Eric Schnepel  Sep 12, 2011
I'm in!

peachy spohn  Sep 13, 2011
Well, may be if we set a date more people would be interested. How about October...15th? We will need brushes, ropes, grigris, gloves, etc. and I guess I should probably ask the rangers too? (but it doesn't seem like a problem to go out and clean up some routes).

peachy spohn  Sep 14, 2011
It was brought to my attention that I should also post this on Cascade Climbers...I will do that. Also, as far as cleaning goes, there should be no removal of pins or pitons or any historic climbing artifacts (I know this is a concern of others and I myself find the Beacon Climbing history very cool and the legends are made better by seeing the sweet gear).

peachy spohn  Sep 14, 2011
J. Healy brings up some very good points. I am by no means a Beacon veteran, but I have been going out there a good amount over the last few years and repeating lines that have only been freed once or twice before and also doing the classic lines (and what fun they all are). I think it is important to work together to keep Beacon a fun place to go and to also open up the routes (not to "the masses" but to climbers who would otherwise never even glimpse at a line because of its grime/veggies/dirt etc). I know keeping the adventure in climbing is crucial, but I don't think that cleaning the existing routes will do much to destroying adventure (and I think you agree with me J.?). I simply was thinking it would be fun to get together a group of people who like Beacon and get it looking ship-shape. It's tedious always asking people what they got on out there and it being one of five routes. A little cleaning might even bring back some Beacon adventure and some fun whippers too. I just wanted to let everyone know sort of where I am coming from...and thanks J. for offering your tools.

Kenny Allen  Oct 7, 2011
the bolts, hangers, and slings on jill's thrill are in great condition and in NO way need replacing - perfectly safe. active maintenance of the slings and anchors at beacon rock occur as it is needed, and the slings presently in place, while faded, have suffered no loss in strength. i use these anchors several times per week and i have not yet seen a set of slings in need of replacing(or bolts. or hangers). if i had, i would have changed them myself.

i feel it should be noted that joe healy is NOT an official spokesperson for climbing at beacon rock. i do not want to seem defamatory toward him in any way, but he speaks only for himself and frequently acts without consulting any of the regulars who climb at beacon on a daily basis during the busiest climbing months. posting here, on an internet forum, is NOT a substitute for consulting the regular climbers (the locals). by comparision to my own usage, joe healy is NOT a local at beacon rock, and just because he says it doesn't mean it is coming from a concensus... in fact, this is rarely the case.

all that aside, his points on cleaning are hit and miss. trundling should NEVER occur during the peak climbing days - so on the weekends between july and october - because those are the busiest times on the rock and at the base when the crowds are building up around the start of the se corner and dod's jam/free for all. during the week, cleaning and trundling is much more acceptable, though, if there is excessive cleaning requiring the removal of a lot of material then please inform the rangers of your plans and post a sign at the trailhead to inform others of the circumstances. rocks are falling off of beacon all the time and while it seems as though there is a genuine concern for falling rocks routinely hitting the railroad it should be said that the railroad monitors this stretch of track VERY frequently, and coordination with the railroad for "track closures" around beacon rock is, in reality, just a waste of their time - they know the instant a rock comes close to the tracks (a series of wires are strung for quite a distance along side the tracks, adjacent to the rock, and if any of them break a signal is sent to a crew to come investigate the tracks - they break if they are struck by large enough rocks and the smaller rocks don't faze the trains or tracks).

mainly, the point i want to be emphasized is that communication with the most frequent users is the most important (not to mention respectful) thing to consider. as long as you are talking with the locals then word of what is going on at beacon rock is being circulated to those who climb the rock the most. yes, this is a public park on state land and everyone has the right to use it. but those who come once a season to climb(or less than seven times in the seven months it is open) should not be making decisions without talking to locals about the issue, first, since they have less stake in the climbing out there. i don't want to sound like there is a group that isn't welcome at beacon rock, because everyone is welcome as long as they can be honest, respectful of others, and willing to be open to the opinions and viewpoints of others. unfortunately, these traits are not found in all those who climb at beacon rock, but the vast majority of us are willing to listen to everyone, while certain folks are just too resistant to this idea.

thanks and hope to see y'all out here!

Healyje  Jul 10, 2012
"Kenny Allen------------------------------------
Active maintenance of the slings and anchors at beacon rock occur as it is needed...
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Yes, so far by me and since 2005 I've replaced the 68 most used two-bolt anchors and maintained them since all at my own time and expense.

"Kenny Allen------------------------------------
I feel it should be noted that joe healy is NOT an official spokesperson for climbing at beacon rock... i do not want to seem defamatory toward him in any way, but he speaks only for himself and frequently acts without consulting any of the regulars who climb at beacon on a daily basis during the busiest climbing months.
-----------------------------------------------"

Now that would be an understatement and I would in no way want to be associated in any formal way with anyone else with regard to climbing at Beacon. So long as the 'regulars' remain hysterically focused on a Peregrine closure that is entirely consistent with every other Access Fund accepted raptor closure I would say there is little common ground. The only way to potentially modify the closure would be as a policy experiment via an established working relationship based on mutual respect and trust between 'regulars', the WSP and the WDFW who imposes the closure ( which, ironically, would be Kenny's employer) - unfortunately no such relationship exists and until it does there isn't even the possibility of a change to the closure.

"Kenny Allen------------------------------------
joe healy is NOT a local at beacon rock
-----------------------------------------------

You keep telling yourself that and with enough local fairy dust it will no doubt become as real as any other popular trackside delusion.

"Kenny Allen------------------------------------
All that aside, his points on cleaning are hit and miss. trundling should NEVER occur during the peak climbing days - so on the weekends between july and october - because those are the busiest times on the rock and at the base when the crowds are building up around the start of the se corner and dod's jam/free for all. during the week, cleaning and trundling is much more acceptable, though, if there is excessive cleaning requiring the removal of a lot of material then please inform the rangers of your plans and post a sign at the trailhead to inform others of the circumstances.
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Actually, there's essentially no reason to ever trundle while climbing out there - just stash it off to the side and it will likely get cleaned up in one of the pre-open work sessions. If something is dangerous then, as Kenny says, post up on the board and contact the BRSP staff (and if the office is closed please call and leave a message at 509#427#8265). There are zero circumstances where the BRSP is going to want you to follow through with "your plan" to do any big trundling without BRSP staff involvement, closing down the trails, and having folks posted at the closed trailheads and spotters on the tracks, all with radios working in a coordinated and cooperative manner.

"Kenny Allen------------------------------------
rocks are falling off of beacon all the time and while it seems as though there is a genuine concern for falling rocks routinely hitting the railroad it should be said that the railroad monitors this stretch of track VERY frequently, and coordination with the railroad for "track closures" around beacon rock is, in reality, just a waste of their time - they know the instant a rock comes close to the tracks (a series of wires are strung for quite a distance along side the tracks, adjacent to the rock, and if any of them break a signal is sent to a crew to come investigate the tracks - they break if they are struck by large enough rocks and the smaller rocks don't faze the trains or tracks).
-----------------------------------------------

Well, that's a bit wide of the mark. The last head ranger stated emphatically that the railroad is the main threat to climbing at Beacon and any track closure which could be tied to climbers action would result immediate repercussions the WSP and BRSP would be hard-pressed to respond to in our defense given the clout the railroad has compared to the WSP. That has been the explicit reason for the pre-open surveys and pre-open work sessions several of which have been in coordinated with dispatched railroad crews and involved slowing and stopping of trains on one of the busiest stretches of track on the west coast. And it's dead serious business to the railroad guys who have clearly stated they don't like surprises and that if anything big needs to come down for any reason then it should come down in a controlled fashion with the tracks secured and their crews on site to monitor the action, repair broken safety wire and run an inspection truck over the stretch to verify to the train controllers at center that the track is clear and ok to resume traffic at speed.

And it's even a stickier issue after WSDOT miscalculated the length of time their RT. 14 blasting work down the road from Beacon would stop rail traffic last year. Instead of hours it took days and the railroad guys were pissed enough to rip assholes up in Olympia and let the BRSP locally know that any future stoppages / work sessions would now have to be reviewd and scheduled three weeks out which could be a serious problem on trying to open in any year with a big rock fall clearing issue like 2010 was. After the WSDOT fiasco we could easily see a three week delay in opening after another similar bad winter event. Again, these are the last people on earth to try and dismiss, second guess, or underestimate.

"Kenny Allen------------------------------------
i don't want to sound like there is a group that isn't welcome at beacon rock, because everyone is welcome as long as they can be honest, respectful of others, and willing to be open to the opinions and viewpoints of others. unfortunately, these traits are not found in all those who climb at beacon rock, but the vast majority of us are willing to listen to everyone, while certain folks are just too resistant to this idea.
-----------------------------------------------

Well, you sound like you sound and if there were ever good advice then that bolded part would be it as you dudes really need to start practicing before you preach.

[ ** Side or off-topic comment. Do you really need to post this here? ** / Sadly, given the factual misinformation alone - apparently so... ]

Steve Wolford  Apr 28, 2013
What a pompous blowhard.