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Elevation: 1,962 ft
GPS: 47.6542, -117.40839
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Shared By: Scott Coldiron on Jun 14, 2009 · Updates
Admins: Jon Nelson, Micah Klesick, Zachary Winters

Description Suggest change

Spokane climbing: hardly world class, but hard to beat! What other metro area has nine climbing areas within a twenty minute drive? Here is a list of the crags with distance from town and other pertinent details.

Minnehaha: Decent trad and poorly protected sport climbs, on granite, right in town / 70+ routes, 100+ boulder / most are within 50 yards of parking lot / kid friendly / Popular toprope area. If you climb here long enough you may see someone LEAD A ROUTE!!. Props to the hardmen that put them up- some really bold 11's and 12's were put up back in the day!

Dishman: Mostly 5.11 and 5.12 sport climbing on slightly overhanging granite right in town / 38 routes / 2 minute approach/ The terrain is kid friendly and Dishman has cleaned up quite a bit in the last 5 years. The water tower leak was fixed, which got rid of the standing water and the mosquito problem.

Mirabeau: Small sport area with some excellent 5.7 to 5.12c climbing right next to the Valley YMCA (join the Y, put the crumb-snatchers in free daycare and go climbing, you're pretty much close enough to get away with it for years- or so I hear). The crag is really kid-friendly too. Well bolted for safe leads, most can also top-roped.

Cliff Drive : Very short but pumpy, well-bolted routes, on basalt, right in the heart of town. / 20 routes / 1 minute approach. It's like a free climbing gym.

Liberty Park: 4 or 5 steep boulder problems in a basalt cave in the 'hood / 1 minute approach / it's a nice park, just not the best part of town.

Rocks of Sharon: 60 + routes and amazing views across the Palouse on Tower Mountain. Only 5 miles down the Palouse Highway from the south end of town. A 20 minute approach, good for kids if they can handle the steep approach hike.

Deep Creek: 60+ great sport routes on steep basalt 4 miles from the Northwest edge of town/ 10 minute approach / kid friendly / You can climb main wall on a rainy day. No top rope routes, but safely bolted for leading.

McLellan: 80+ trad, sport, and boulder problems on granite with lots of new route development / 16 mi. from the Northwest edge of town.

Tumtum: 23 mi. Northwest / 130+ routes- / 0-20 min. approach. Lots of sport routes, classic trad lines, and world class bouldering. There are three separate areas at Tumtum: Craiglandia (private property, access granted); The Tumtum Tombstone, private property leased by Inland Northwest Climbing Outfitters (access permitted with signed liability waiver and you must call or email before you visit); Department of Natural Resources (DNR) public property with world class bouldering, sport, and trad climbs.

 Post Falls (Q'Emiln Park): 80+ sport routes and a few trad climbs on granite /17 miles from the East end of town / Very kid-friendly/ best 5.10 and below sport climbing. Death Fall Wall has rainy day climbs. Beware the Pernicious Grade Creep! With grades as soft as a baby's bum, you're sure to climb harder in no time!

The book 'Inland Northwest Rock Climbs' by Marty Bland describes the good hard sport climbing just a little further north in Marcus, Metaline Falls, and China Bend. Vantage (Frenchman Coulee) is only a 2-2.5 hour drive on I-90 and offers something like seven hundred routes.

For bouldering, 'Spokane Bouldering: A Comprehensive Guide to the Spokane River Valley' includes over 700 boulder problems in the Spokane area covering Mclellan, Tum Tum, Minnehaha, Rocks of Sharon, Post Falls and Banks Lake.

Getting There Suggest change

Go to individual pages for directions to the crags

697 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Spokane Area

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
M6
 15
Minutes to Midnight
Sport, TR, Mixed
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 31
Delayed Adolescence
Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 40
Northern Aggression
Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 38
Rat Run
Sport
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 53
A Perfect Storm
Sport 2 pitches
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
 24
White Lighting
Sport
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
 35
Don Quixote
Trad
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 19
Subconscious Bird Watcher
Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 36
Free Installation
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 24
Naked Man
Sport
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b
 20
Rock 106
Sport
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b
 30
Belly Rubber
Sport
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b
 28
Dump Truck
Sport
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b
 16
Spineless
Sport
5.13c 8a+ 30 X- 31 E7 7a
 7
Quiver
Sport
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Minutes to Midnight Lincoln Park
 15
M6 Sport, TR, Mixed
Delayed Adolescence McLellan Rocks > Hood
 31
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport
Northern Aggression Rocks of Sharon > Big Rock > E Face
 40
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
Rat Run McLellan Rocks > Pack Rat Cave
 38
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Sport
A Perfect Storm Rocks of Sharon > Big Rock > W Face
 53
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Sport 2 pitches
White Lighting McLellan Rocks > White Wall
 24
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b Sport
Don Quixote Minnehaha > Don Quixote Face
 35
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b Trad
Subconscious Bird Watcher Rocks of Sharon > Bird Watching Boulder
 19
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
Free Installation Dishman > Main Wall
 36
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
Naked Man Deep Creek > Main Wall
 24
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
Rock 106 Dishman > Main Wall
 20
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b Sport
Belly Rubber Deep Creek > Main Wall
 30
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b Sport
Dump Truck Deep Creek > Main Wall
 28
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b Sport
Spineless Deep Creek > Main Wall
 16
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b Sport
Quiver Deep Creek > Main Wall
 7
5.13c 8a+ 30 X- 31 E7 7a Sport
More Classic Climbs in Spokane Area »

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