Hyalite Canyon Climbing

With over 150 ice routes in less than 3 square miles, Hyalite Canyon represents the most concentrated, natural ice climbing venue in North America. Hyalite Canyon also features some very high quality and popular gneiss rock climbing lower in the canyon at Practice Rock and Crocodile Rock, with a lesser visited volcanic area higher up in the canyon on the Magic Wall, among many other smaller obscure crags.

Home to all-time classics like "Cleopatra's Needle," "Black Magic," "Mummy Cooler," "Winter Dance," one of the top ten routes in the world (yes I said world), Hyalite is unique in every sense of that word.

The South Fork (Cody) might have more vertical but it's spread out and inconsistent with scrappy approaches. Keystone Canyon and Lake Willoughby certainly vie for the densest cliffs on the continent except for perhaps a few fjords in Newfoundland and Quebec once every 10 years. Ouray has way more concentrated ice than anywhere but most of it is in the ice park; the climbing equivalent of farm raised salmon (and about as overcrowded). Of course the Canadian Rockies, both the Mecca and Medina of the frozen world, has over 10 times the number of routes and all of them longer, but over an area roughly the size of Maryland. North Conway has killer ice; when it's not raining. I've been to them all so cut it anyway you like, declare yourself a hero because you prefer long alpine or mixed climbs, stir in whatever hyperbole you favor and pass the single malt; Hyalite is the most concentrated, easily accessible and consistent ice climbing venue in North America. And I'm not the only widely-traveled climber to say it's our favorite too.

The latest guidebook, "The House of Hyalite" was published in 2019. It covers 325+ ice and mixed routes throughout all four canyons of Hyalite.

Please report any rusted, spinning, damaged, worn, or otherwise unsafe hardware you find within this region to the SMCC: Report a Bad Bolt, Hanger, or Anchor. If you have the means, please consider donating, so they can continue their hard work.