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Crown Point Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Crown Point

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	Jewel in the Crown S 5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
	Belvedere S 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
	Fairview Buttress S 5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b

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Elevation:	707 ft	215 m
GPS:	45.53996, -122.24404 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
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Shared By:	E r i c on Oct 6, 2023
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Description

Crown Point is one of the most impressive walls in Oregon. It offers inspiring views of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It's only minutes away from a major urban area and the Vista House parking lot is a short walk from the route top-outs. Despite these attractive attributes, many of the alluring lines remain undeveloped simply because Crown Point has loose rock and the lower-angle sections can be covered with dirt, moss, and grass. Gear placements can also be few and far between. Even though the rock is generally hard, it’s the fractures in Crown Point's entablature basalt that make it loose. After peeling off the loose stuff and stabilizing a route, the climbing can actually be pretty good. Vertical faces tend to offer the best lines at Crown Point.

Crown Point's first technical route, the West Chimney (5.4), was established in 1950 and was one of the more popular multi-pitch routes in Oregon. The route goes up the obvious cleft on the west side of the cliff. The Mazamas often led groups up the route. Interest in the West Chimney decreased over the years as climber preference shifted from adventure to sport. In 1964, the Zucchini Route (5.6 A2 or 5.10a R) was established on the east side of the wall and has had few repeats. In 1993, Steve Elder and Tim Olson did The RURP Traverse (5.10- X, A2), an alternate ending to the Zucchini Route. They climbed it onsight, ground-up and encountered severe choss and sparse protection. Steve is known for his bold ascents in the Gorge (Wind Mtn solo), on Mt. Hood (Yockum Ridge solo in winter and summer), and in his native country of New Zealand (Mt Cook Massif). According to Steve, "The RURP Traverse was possibly one of the scariest routes I've ever done". The RURP Traverse is the definitive serious adventure climb and has not been repeated. Steve scoped out a steep line off the orange ledge during their ascent then established Crown Point's first sport climb (Jewel in the Crown) a couple months later.

Belvedere and Fairview Buttress are the newest routes on the wall ending a 30-year hiatus of inactivity. Both routes were aggressively cleaned top-down with tons of loose rock removed. The routes are alpine-like sport climbs. Sport because the protection is closely spaced with bomber bolts and fixed pieces and route finding is relatively easy. Alpine savviness and experience climbing entablature basalt are beneficial to contend with Crown Point conditions and perceived risk. For any Crown Point route, its best to pull down rather than out on any holds that are loose or suspect and keep your weight over your feet; be mindful of your rope if its tracking outside cleaned areas; climb well within your technical limit; wear a helmet; and so on.

Crown Point's main wall is north facing and gets a little sun from April through September but no more than a couple hours per day. Fairview Buttress is west-northwest facing and can get afternoon sun year round. Crown Point is notorious for strong east winds that typically occur in late Fall through Winter. However, windy conditions unsuitable for climbing seem to be infrequent from late Spring through early Fall. Fairview Buttress is somewhat sheltered from east winds.

East of Crown Point's summit and below a hanging valley is Palisade Falls (aka Crown Point Falls). First climbed during the historic 1979 cold snap, Crown Jewel is one of the most popular ice climbs in the Columbia Gorge.

Below the Vista House near the railroad tracks and visible from the highway is a large boulder suitable for bouldering (photo). The Railroad Boulder is overhanging over a relatively flat landing (photo). Developed in the winter of 2024, four problems up to V4 have been established. Harder lines have been cleaned but have yet to be ticked. Although the Railroad Boulder is located in Crown Point State Park, the approach involves crossing UPRR right-of-way and a fence. Please be respectful of their property.

Guidebooks:

Olson, 2021. NW Oregon Rock.
Olson, 2009. Gorge Classic Climbs
Nailers 'Nonymous, 1995. Reference Manual for Mountain Maniacs
Dodge, 1975. Climbers Guide to Oregon.
Neuberger, 1958. Climbers Guide to the Columbia Gorge. Mazama Vol XL, No 13, Dec 1958.

Trip Reports:

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Crown Point and Vista House General Info:

Getting There

To get to the Vista House at Crown Point State Scenic Corridor, take Exit 22 on I-84, go south on Corbett Hill Road, then east on Columbia River Highway.

There are two options to access the base of Crown Point from the Vista House parking lot:

Fairview Buttress Rappel
Walk over to the west side of the viaduct. At the 5th light post, hop over the wall and head towards Rooster Rock for about 50 steps. At the fork, go right then a few more steps to the rappel station (fixed rope attached to tree). As shown on the topo, four raps with a 70m rope are required to reach the base of the wall. Use a 7m fixed rope to help reach the last rap station. Tying knots at the ends of your rappel rope is recommended for safety since most of the rappels are long and steep. See the Climbing Area Map.
West Side Trail
From the trail below the west side of the viaduct, descend southwest down a steep broad gully then veer right when the cliff becomes west facing. Continue going down generally staying along the base of the wall to the West Chimney or further down to the north wall. Be prepared for some bushwacking. 30 minutes. See the Climbing Area Map.

The base of Crown Point is also accessible from these two locations:

Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint Park in the lot (no fee or gate). Hike down a dirt road/trail that starts on the northwest side of the parking lot and ends at the RR tracks. Go along the tracks then up the talus slope. 45 minutes.
Rooster Rock State Park Park in the lot (seasonal fee and gated in off-hours) or by the gate just after the Hwy 84 eastbound offramp . Walk adjacent to the freeway then turn left on a dirt road across from Rooster Rock to the RR tracks. Go along the tracks then up the talus slope. 30 minutes.