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Forbidden Peak Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Forbidden Peak

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	East Ridge Direct T 5.8- 5b 16 VI- 14 VS 4c
	North Ridge T 5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Mod. Snow
	Northwest Face T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
	West Ridge T 5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Mod. Snow

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Elevation:	8,815 ft	2,687 m
GPS:	48.51169, -121.05894 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	123,557 total · 656/month
Shared By:	Mike McL on Jun 3, 2009 · Updates
Admins:	Jon Nelson, Micah Klesick, Zachary Winters, Mitchell McAuslan Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

Forbidden Peak is a beautiful sight to climbers, with 3 perfect ridges converging towards a pointed summit. This is one of the most popular mountains in the entire Cascades, for good reason. The routes are clean, classic, and the rock quality is good by alpine standards. The surrounding area is splendid and the views from the summit are hard to beat.

The Nelson guide states that "there is no easy way off Forbidden Peak; it is one of the most difficult descents in the range." Come prepared, but don't let this deter you. It's not as bad as it sounds, and it's absolutely worth it.

Forbidden Peak is covered in volume II of Beckey's guide. All 3 ridge routes (West, North, and East Direct) are covered in Volume I of Nelson and Potterfield's Selected Climbs in the Cascades.

Getting There

Driving directions: From Seattle, take I-5 North. Exit in Burlington for WA 20 East, which becomes the North Cascades Highway. Drive about 50 miles east to Marblemount. Make a right in Marblemount onto Cascade River Road. There's a small pullout on your left directly opposite Johannesburg Mountain, shortly after mile marker 22 (although Beckey’s guidebook says it’s 21.7 miles). Park here. If you've gone to the end of the road, you've gone too far.

Forbidden Peak is approached via Boston Basin:

The approach starts directly from the parking pullout. After a short while, the trail climbs very steeply uphill and is very eroded. Stay on the trail, crossing several streams. Continue switchbacking uphill until out of the trees. Boston Basin lies at about 5700' . Campsites and a composting toilet (best crap you'll ever take) are located in Boston Basin. Several options for campsites are available.

4 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Forbidden Peak

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Mod. Snow 282 ● West Ridge Trad, Snow, Alpine
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Mod. Snow 28 ● North Ridge Trad, Snow, Alpine
5.8- 5b 16 VI- 14 VS 4c 79 ● East Ridge Direct Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 21 ● Northwest Face Trad, Alpine 7 pitches