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Bell Tower
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Routes Sorted
L to R R to L Alpha
Buck Shot Eyes and a Purple Heart 
Conn Route on Bell Tower 
Every Which Way But Kamps 
Every Which Way But Loose 
For Whom the Bell Tolls 
Kamps Crack 
Unsorted Routes:

Bell Tower 


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Administrators: Andrew Gram, Peter Gram, Greg Parker, Andy Busse, Mike Housiaux, Tom Erickson
Submitted By: Eric Krantz on May 30, 2004

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It is a long 120ft to the anchor. I felt after fo...

Getting There 

This is the formation just behind (west) of the Needles Eye. If driving from Sylvan, pull out and park left in the first gravel pullout just before the Needles Eye. Tromp straight across the road and find a path that goes downhill and around to the left, hugging the base of the rock. You'll soon come to a gully with a very large chockstone at the top of it and a large upwards-pointing arrowhead near the base of the right wall. This is the Bell Tower and the start of "Buck Shot Eyes and a Purple Heart."


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Bell Tower:
Conn Route on Bell Tower   5.6 PG13     Trad, 2 pitches, 200 feet   
Every Which Way But Loose   5.10     Trad, Sport, 1 pitch, 120 feet   
Kamps Crack   5.10 PG13     Trad, 1 pitch, 120 feet   
Buck Shot Eyes and a Purple Heart   5.10+     Sport, 1 pitch, 70 feet   
For Whom the Bell Tolls   5.11b R     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   
Browse More Classics in Bell Tower

Featured Route For Bell Tower
Jason Haas tops out on Kamp's Crack (5.10) on Bell Tower, near the Needle's Eye in the Needles of South Dakota. Picture by Tony Bubb, 7/'06.

Kamps Crack 5.10 PG13  SD : Custer State Park : ... : Bell Tower
Tape up or suffer- this crack is loaded with quartz and flares. Wear a shirt to protect your shoulders.Start in a shallow right-facing crystalline corner. CLimb this up and then bump left to the main crack (crux, pumpy) on so-so gear. Lots of it, but some in very crystalline (and thus possibly breakable) rock. Set a 1" cam and then pull up into the flaring jam crack, wishing all the while you had taped you hands and maybe even your forearms. Waiting until cooler temps and wearing sleeves might t...[more]   Browse More Classics in SD