Deception Crags Rock Climbing

Deception Crags is the most popular sub-area at Exit 38 - its collection of varied grades from 5.5 to 5.12+ within ten minutes of the road are big contributors to that fact. Deception Crags is a collection of mini-crags which contain one to 25+ climbs per; all the rock is metamorphic 'rhino rock,' the quality of, as many know, can be variable. Due to the area's popularity, most of the choss on the popular crags is no longer there, and Nevermind Wall has some of the best quality stone at 38. Several of these crags are accessible directly from the Iron Horse Trail (Write-off, We Did Rock and Deception), while Substation is underneath the trestle, Nevermind is a little south, and the rest are scattered above and below. You may find crowds on weekends (or weekdays), especially at Write-off due to its chill and easy nature.

Nevermind Wall is perhaps the best 'hard crag' in the North Bend vicinity besides the World Walls - it contains nothing lower than a 5.9 and goes up to a few 5.12 a's and b's, as well as an adventurous spectacle of a route that climbs up through the mossy upper half - the Ascentionist. Write-off Rock is the other end of the spectrum, with several easy and moderate, well-protected routes. Deception Wall is the tallest with a few multipitch (as far as that goes at 38), and We Did Rock is the moderate's dream with a plethora of 5.9's. Explore the rest at your leisure. You can find sun or shade at any time of day or year at Deception Crags, but several routes are known to seep after rain.