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Iron Mountain Crag

Washington > Northwest Region > Hwy 20 & N Casc… > Other Skagit Va… > Cumberland Crags

Description

Iron Mt. Crag is a small, secluded crag located 13.1 miles from the S. Skagit Hwy hosting 16 routes, most of which are high quality and vary from slab to severely overhanging.

Getting There

Begin at the intersection of the S Skagit Hwy and Finney-Cumberland Rd (NF-17). Zero your odometer here.

Follow NF-17 for 2.1 miles, ignoring all minor turns.

At 2.1 miles, the road forks. Either way works, but I recommend the right fork. This is steeper, but shorter, smoother, and less overgrown. Assuming you take the right fork...

At 2.4 miles you’ll reach an intersection. Turn right

At 3.5 miles you’ll reach another intersection. Keep right/straight

At 3.7 miles the road forks again. The right fork stays on NF-17 (towards 7 Mile Rock), turn left here onto NF-1775 (small signpost). Continue, ignoring all minor turns. 

At 5.6 miles, you'll pass the Mt Baker Viewpoint. For the next few miles you'll pass increasingly nice pullout camping spots.

At 11.1 miles you’ll reach a large intersection. This intersection is notable because it is one of the last spots to turn a larger rig around or camp with plenty of room before reaching the crag. Keep left/straight

At 12.0 miles you’ll reach a small pullout on the right. This pullout is big enough for 2-3 cars but is very easy to miss. Park here. Leave room for others. Just a few paces further along the road is the approach trail on the left, marked by a cairn.

Most cars can turn around at this pullout, but larger rigs will need to drive 0.4 miles further to a bigger turnaround. This is also a decent place to camp and could be used as overflow parking - just allow room for others to use it as a turnaround.

The approach trail is well-traveled and takes about five minutes car-to-crag.

Routes from Left to Right

5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 8
Watch Me
Trad, Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 4
Punked
Sport
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 4
Iron And Whine
Trad
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 4
Fe Line
Trad
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 2
Fe Man Bulge
Trad
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b PG13
 2
Morning Wood
Trad
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
 3
Little Big Crack
Trad
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 4
PTO For Thor
Trad
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
 2
Fly Fighter
Trad
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b PG13
 2
Together We Will Fly
Trad
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b PG13
 2
Tradical
Trad
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a PG13
 1
Bathtub Moment
Trad
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b PG13
 2
Baby Bath
Trad
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 4
Baby On Board
Trad
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 8
Tradsendence
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 5
The Girl Next Door
Trad
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Watch Me
 8
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad, Sport
Punked
 4
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
Iron And Whine
 4
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad
Fe Line
 4
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad
Fe Man Bulge
 2
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a Trad
Morning Wood
 2
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b PG13 Trad
Little Big Crack
 3
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b Trad
PTO For Thor
 4
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Trad
Fly Fighter
 2
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c Trad
Together We Will Fly
 2
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b PG13 Trad
Tradical
 2
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b PG13 Trad
Bathtub Moment
 1
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a PG13 Trad
Baby Bath
 2
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b PG13 Trad
Baby On Board
 4
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Trad
Tradsendence
 8
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad
The Girl Next Door
 5
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

A screenshot of Google Maps with the route to Iron Mtn Crag from the intersection of the S Skagit Hwy and Finney-Cumberland Rd (NF-17). 7 Mile Rock is also pictured, and can be reached by heading due south from the obvious hairpin pictured top center.
[Hide Photo] A screenshot of Google Maps with the route to Iron Mtn Crag from the intersection of the S Skagit Hwy and Finney-Cumberland Rd (NF-17). 7 Mile Rock is also pictured, and can be reached by heading d…
Josh on a splended Iron Mt. Day
[Hide Photo] Josh on a splended Iron Mt. Day
Sept huckle blues
[Hide Photo] Sept huckle blues
Iron Mt Crag left side slab, right side steep
[Hide Photo] Iron Mt Crag left side slab, right side steep

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Ben Gilkison
Leavenworth, WA
[Hide Comment] When where there be more information on this crag? Jul 28, 2017
wakaranai
Mount Vernon, WA
[Hide Comment] New description above Apr 7, 2018
Curt Veldhuisen
Bellingham, WA
[Hide Comment] More driving beta: From the 17 turnoff, the 1775 road climbs steadily for around 5 miles (very rough 2WD), then contours left around Iron Mountain with huge views. At 7.5 miles, continue left past a 3-way junction into a gentle downhill on the right side of the ridge. The parking spot is indeed non-distinct, but when the road starts going uphill, you've overshot it. The cairn is key for finding the trail. Honestly, it's pretty tough without a good odometer (or a lot of determination). Sep 26, 2020
[Hide Comment] I have not climbed all of the routes here yet, but from the ones I have climbed, I can tell you that these routes are quality! Aug 28, 2021
[Hide Comment] This is a good crag that could be a great crag if, dare I say, it saw a little more traffic. Just be prepared for a bit o' lichen, moss, 'n' choss on many routes.

On that note, the road in is incredibly overgrown. If you care about the paint on your vehicle you may want to reconsider; we brought our 170” Sprinter and were cringing quite a bit. A narrower car like a Subaru or Jeep would be fine.

I took the liberty of editing the "Get There" section of this page with turn-by-turn directions to spell it out for people who haven't been there before. If anyone has a problem with it (or suggestions/corrections), PM me. Sep 4, 2022