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EM: Robinson Bluff

Missouri

Description

Climb more. Drive less.

Robinson Bluff does NOT allow top access to the Bluff without permission of the owners. The only people allowed top access are guides and developers. You run the risk of killing someone below if you accidentally dislodge any rocks above. If you are caught beyond the rope at the top you may be permanently ejected from the property. Please be mindful of other people's safety and lives. 

*Pets are NOT allowed at Robinson Bluff.

GUIDING AT THE BLUFF IS BY PERMIT ONLY

To obtain an ANNUAL PERMIT, please submit the following:

1. First and Last Name

2. Address

3. Phone number and email

4. A copy of your AMGA or PCGI Certification

5. PERMITTEE MUST provide additional liability protection as follows:

General commercial liability insurance to cover all aspects of the operation commensurate with industry standards for personal injury and property damage in the amounts of $1,000,000 per occurrence, with a $2,000,000 aggregate.

This certificate must show ROBINSON BLUFF LLC as "ADDITIONAL INSURED."

Contact management at climb@robinsonbluff.com to apply for a permit.

**Special Announcement** 

Do you want to get the FA on multiple boulder routes? Would you like to name the route and assign the rating? We probably have close to 40-50 boulder routes that need to be cleaned and established and we need your help! 

Please go to the North End Boulders on the North side and then click on Boulder Gardens.  All the pertinent info is there!  Bring your crash pads and play for a day or a week!

Open seven days a week to the public and offer 21 campsites for those who aren't ready to leave!

Website: Fees and Waiver Page You can find all information on our page in the menu bar at the top of the website. Rules and requirements are posted on our kiosk as you enter Robinson Bluff. So make sure to read them before, or after you have submitted your waiver and fee envelope (also located at our kiosk).

ENTRY FEE:  We just ask that you make sure you have SIGNED OUR LIABILITY WAIVER and have paid the required ENTRY FEE or CAMPING FEE(S) due at the time of entry. Please leave a copy or portion of the waiver / envelope with the Names of those visiting from your vehicle, VISIBLE ON THE DASH OF YOUR VEHICLE, parked in our free parking area. Please pay with cash at the kiosk and deposit envelope on entry. ONLINE Payment:  If you prepaid online then please provide a copy or your name and receipt number visible on the dash of your car. Please include a list of all visitors from your vehicle and deposit an envelope or waiver with a list of those who paid online. Fees and Waiver Page

* DIRECTION NOTES - Getting to Robinson Bluff - Do not trust Apple Maps to get you to Robinson Bluff.  It keeps directing people to our neighbor. Please use Google Maps or the directions below.

CAMPING: Camping fees are $10 per site/per night (up to 6 people). Also group site reservations are available by phone.

We have over 20 designated camp sites and are currently available on a first come first serve basis. If you have or are planning a group activity, feel free to send us an email or call to check if the group sites are available for reservation. *Camping Entrance Notes: The main entrance gate remains locked. So we suggest bringing a large backpack to carry your things to your camp site. There's a weekend camp host at the front camper or a number at the gate that you can call for the temporary gate code, but cell phone service can vary depending on your provider. If you do drive through the gate pull to your camp site then please remember to park back in the parking lot after you drop off your camping supplies. The camp road is designed wide enough for one car and doesn't allow for parked vehicles.

DEVELOPED FOR CLIMBERS of all difficulties and styles, Robinson Bluff is a Midwestern sport climber’s haven. Here, moderate face climbing prevails with some spicy overhangs and obvious cracks. Within a few yards of the Big River and scenic views of rural rolling hills, Robinson Bluff is a new sport climbing destination in Missouri. Robinson Bluff gives Midwest sport climbers a new place to climb outdoors. It's close. It's beautiful.

"With the lack of a winter breeze, at the bottom of the bluff, and the sun hitting the rock face early, it's seldom too cold to climb. If it's at least 40 degrees and the sun's out, join us at Robinson Bluff."

Getting There

Note: You must go through Tiff MO. If you just put the GPS coordinates into your GPS you may end up across the river from the bluff and have to double back 30 minutes to get to the correct parking area.

From DeSoto MO:

Take HWY 21 south for 13 miles.

You will pass Washington State Park on your right and E&T’s service station on your left. Turn left onto Hwy CC, then after a 2.9 miles turn right onto Hwy E. After 1.9 miles turn left onto Tiff road, which is easy to miss coming around a long curve. Follow Tiff Rd around 90 degree twisty turns, past a small post office, under the rail road tracks, over the low water crossing, then up a long hill. After 3.6 miles on Tiff Rd, turn left onto Politte Road. The gravel road turns into black top then you turn left onto Bo Hollow Road. Locals know the area as Bo Hollow. This long gravel driveway will should be driven slowly to allow other cars to pass safely. After a mile or so, turn right into the obvious parking lot. Parking and camping fees are paid at the kiosk. 

3000 feet after E&T’s make a left on to HWY CC and continue for 2.9 miles.

Make a right onto HWY E and continue 1.9 miles

Make a left onto Tiff Rd. and continue for 3.6 miles.

At fork just past the post office stay to the left and shortly you will go under a railroad bridge.

Make a left onto Politte Rd. and continue for 0.4 miles.

Turn left onto BO Hollow Rd. and continue about 1.1 miles to Robinson Bluff parking on the right.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

North of Stairs
[Hide Photo] North of Stairs
2 - South of Stairs
[Hide Photo] 2 - South of Stairs
North End Boulders
[Hide Photo] North End Boulders
Important right turn into parking area
[Hide Photo] Important right turn into parking area
1- Main Map
[Hide Photo] 1- Main Map
Bo Hollow Road
[Hide Photo] Bo Hollow Road
Bridge You Go Under
[Hide Photo] Bridge You Go Under
Parking Area and Legend
[Hide Photo] Parking Area and Legend
Politte Road
[Hide Photo] Politte Road
Post Office In Tiff
[Hide Photo] Post Office In Tiff
Junction with E
[Hide Photo] Junction with E

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

bill weishaar
st louis, mo
[Hide Comment] looks nice Rich!!! Good job!! Mar 30, 2018
AaronJ
Tokyo, JP
[Hide Comment] Please bring your helmet. This crag is still under development, and there are a LOT of falling rocks. Mar 31, 2018
Billy Arthur
St. Louis
[Hide Comment] Great place to climb. Bring a helmet as there are some loose sections on less climbed routes. If you get a day pass online print out your pass and put on the dash. Bring plenty or water down or a good filter to gets some river water filtered. Boulder style starts make for very interesting climbs, cant wait t o spend more time there. Jul 23, 2018
Joey Counts
Salem, MO
[Hide Comment] Another visit this weekend. This place just keeps getting better !!! Sep 30, 2018
[Hide Comment] I think it's your phone or maybe you haven't added MO to the app. Once you download the app you have to go in and add the states that you want. It's working just fine on my phone and tablet, all the routes are there. Oct 21, 2018
[Hide Comment] All the fun of real rock with all the safety of gym climbing. The routes are very liberally bolted, and this is a great place for anyone looking to cut their teeth on outdoor sport climbing.

As others have said, VERY chossy so bring extra helmets. Having a stick clip is a good idea since a lot of the ground at the base of climbs can be uneven. That being said, the developers have made a great effort to get rid of any truly dangerous rocks on routes.

If you have the time to camp out for a night, do it! We spent the night and got to meet Dan, one of the guys working on bolting the crag. He filled us in on some off-the-books beta for the area and shared some great stories over burgers and beer. Thanks again, Dan! Mar 23, 2019
bill weishaar
st louis, mo
[Hide Comment] Hi Andy. Yes we have been getting more climbers that have cleaned a lot of the loose rock of the routes to the climbers right of the stairs. We need more climbers to the left to clean the new routes up. Please remove any loose rock or vegetation on any climb you are on at Robinson Bluff. It would be greatly appreciated!! thx Oct 26, 2019
Dave Hug
Carbondale, IL
[Hide Comment] Michael Greer's comment about it being very "chossy", does not do this place justice. There are a few areas where the rock is not of the best quality, but it's far from chossy. It's in a natural state and is a new area, stuff is gonna break, thats what happens when you climb in the outdoors. Robinson Bluff will become one of the best Limestone crags in the entire midwest. Thank you Bill for your kindness and generosity to not only purchase this land, but allow public use of it. I highly recommend this area to anyone seeking a new adventure in a beautiful setting! Nov 25, 2019
Daniel Provasnik
Bonne Terre, MO
[Hide Comment] Hey everyone remember at Robinson in the winter is still climbable. I was there and took measurements this morning and afternoon. It was 19° when I arrived in the morning at 10am my thermometer read 32° at the edge of the top. 45° at 10:45 on the rock and 55° by 11am. Sun's out guns out folks! Jan 19, 2020
M P
Somewhere in the desert
[Hide Comment] Is this a good crag to hit up during/after wet weather? Mar 19, 2020
bill weishaar
st louis, mo
[Hide Comment] Hi Laralyn, The bluff drys out within a few hours of sunlight. It mostly faces south so it should be dry by 10am tomorrow. However the trails are all dirt or right now mud, so a old pair of hiking shoes is recommended to move around. Please stay on the trails. Thx Mar 19, 2020
[Hide Comment] I am sure this place is great for all climbers, but it was really nice for a moderate climber like me. Like HCR's North Forty wall this place has many moderate climbs near each other and doesn't require a long hike in between climbs. They even multiple 95ft moderate climbs. It is a new climbing area and they seem to be adding more climbs all the time. As other reviewers have indicated, helmets for the belayers are a must due to the falling rock. I am sure the area will clean up more as more climbers get out there. May 24, 2020
Philip Wire
Missouri
[Hide Comment] Really cool place, thanks for opening it. I appreciate how many moderate climbs there are for new leaders like me. Some crushers were having a a good time on the harder stuff while we were there too :-) Stick clip recommended, some of the moderates have their crux at the start. May 22, 2021
[Hide Comment] Entry fee on private land... oh, east coast climbing. Unfortunate that this can't be managed for all citizens by a public land manager. Oct 8, 2021
Dan White
Madison, WI
[Hide Comment] Huge thanks to the people putting in the work to develop this crag. The $10 fee feels like a pittance relative to the volume of sweat equity being invested. Keep up the good work! Oct 8, 2021
Joe Ernest
Woodstock, IL
[Hide Comment] youtu.be/z26Gkgdw3Tc

My friends and I recently made the trip out here for the first time and we really enjoyed it. I've also published an episode on my YouTube channel reviewing the area and showing some of the routes. The developers have really put a lot of work into the area and it shows. With tons of moderate routes out here, I will certainly be back and the uniqueness of the rock with the crazy geode like pockets cannot be missed. Apr 10, 2022
[Hide Comment] Hi Carley,
We don't have a guidebook but MP is up to date. If you take your phone or tablet with you, you should get reception at the crags. I have Verizon on my tablet and T Mobile on my phone and both of them work at the walls. Mar 17, 2023
[Hide Comment] Hey Kelsey, that stands for Eastern MO, Central MO and Western MO Aug 8, 2024
[Hide Comment] Headed out in a couple weeks. What can we expect for anchors? From the one picture I could see it looked like chains with mussy hooks is that correct? Oct 22, 2024
[Hide Comment] Hi Alex, you might find an old route that doesn't have Mussy's but I can't think of one off hand. At least 95% of the routes have Mussy's at the top. Oct 22, 2024