No longer private property. See below. MORE INFO >>>
Any climbing done here is technically trespassing. I am posting it for history sakes and those undeterred by legal ramifications. Climb at your own legal risk.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
Castle Rock South is a quaint little crag with a crystal clear trout stream running along side it. There are to date roughly a dozen bolted lines of varying quality and several good trad lines established. Most of the development came about 10-15 years ago, though some new lines have been added recently. When I went back this summer it didn't look like any of the routes had seen any action in a long time. It is definitely "out of the way". Despite the neglect a handful of these lines are very good and deserve more attention.
The rock is very similar to that of the Qual Wall at Governor Dodge. Great in some spots and total sugar in others. As always with this type of stone, give it at least a day after rain to dry out.
Getting There
Castle rock south is located roughly equidistant and south of the towns of Boscobel and Muscoda on hwy. Q. It is marked in the gazetteer.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Castle Rock South (Fishing Crag):
A very bouldery route to the right of Half Hearted. Start on the arete and work up to a jug underneath the roof. Some dynamic moves and serious cranking will take you through the crux and onto the corner/nose feature. A couple more balancy moves gaurd the anchor. Just a real beautiful line with engaging moves....[more]Browse More Classics in WI
Photos of Castle Rock South (Fishing Crag) Slideshow
For a bit more beta on how to get there, the crag is 8 miles Northeast of Fennimore, WI on HWY Q. Me and my buddy might try to make a trip out there this season to clean and climb. Any new routes will be listed.
Jeremy,
Any advice on getting to the crag without being seen? Does the farmer own the property the crag is on??
By TravisMelin From: Roanoke, VA La Crosse, WI May 9, 2008
I spoke with the farmer my first time out there and asked him who owned the bluff. He indicated to me that it was not private land anymore, but was public/city etc property. In the past we have parked on either side of the bridge below the crag and just walked right uphill to it. Several other cars were parked in the same area (for the fishing) and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Still, is a good idea to stay as low key as possible.....
I am still trying to get my buddy to go out there with me. He just sees it as another small sandstone crag, why drive so far he says..... I say because I want to check out all the rock in WI and there could be new lines to do. I think I will just get my fiance to go with me. She just started climbing and is just fine for a belay partner. Hopefully I will get out there soon.
By JJ Schlick Administrator From: Flagstaff, AZ Jul 16, 2008
Hey John,
If you find yourself living in Wisconsin, I agree with you that you should find every chunk of good rock to be had, do the routes, that you can, and learn from the ones you can't.
I suppose the fishin crag is a bit remote for some. Uh, hmmmm... I remember a time in Wisconsin where if there was new climbing (or old new climbing) that we went off in search of it with a freakin fervor. Especially if we had directions to the place!
Just thought I would put that in. The fishin crag has something for everyone, unless you are just to damned strong to be bothered with such nonsense.
I do hope that all of you that find it tantalizing will make the push and get down there. You have nothing to lose but a couple of days right? Of course, fall is wonderfull.
This area can be a bit tricky to find. Park east of the first bridge you come to on Hwy Q (If coming from the east). Further west there is another bridge with a small parking area and a kiosk with a picture of "Castle Rock" with no rock in sight!
This area deserves more attention. Where the Platteville people at? It's not too far for you guys. Some more traffic would make these good lines more appealing. Even though the lines I did the other day probably get climbed only a few times a year I didn't find them too dirty and the bolts are all still looking good.
As Remo would say "GIT ON IT!"
Doesn't seem to be private land, there are zero "No Trespassing" signs and there were people walking around the thing all day long.
Very good! Now I wonder about all that other rock I see from the top!
By JJ Schlick Administrator From: Flagstaff, AZ Jul 1, 2011
That's great news about the land ownership. Such a cool little place. There is also a very long band of steep looking stone not too far to the west of here. Probably just bouldering, but maybe worth looking for.
By Josh Olson From: madison, wisconsin Jul 29, 2011
I climbed there about a month ago no incident, my partner for the day says they have climbed there a couple of times with no incident. That doesn't mean low profile isn't the way to go. DNR doesn't like climbing. ( gibralter )
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