Climbing Near Cheney, Washington

WI2-3. Short 30 foot ice climb that forms occasionally just outside of Spokane. The only Ice climb in the area or the city of Spokane. TR/Anchor available on tree above flow. Park in the upper of two parking lots off of Canyon drive. Follow trail less than mile to creek bed.

Cliff drive is a basalt crag, formed by cooling lava with less than 53% silicon. The lower amount of silicon allows the lava to flow great distances from its source. This dark igneous rock offers a very different climbing experience than the granite typical of the Northwest. Even though the climbs here are short o the city center, and the view from the top of the crag through the trees is beautiful. The Spokane vista spreads out behind you as you climb. This location also offers the perfect climbing experience for the 9 to 5 worker who can't spend the time to drive a long distance to climb after work. The approach from your car is anywhere between 15ft to 100ft in flip-flops. There are 18 bolted climbs ranging from 5.6 to 5.11, with a healthy concentration of nines and tens. Six quick draws are about all you need to lead these climbs, but if you prefer to top-rope almost every anchor is easy and safe to reach. The main wall is a few hundred feet West of the popular City Overlook (look for the trail down by the No Parking sign). Just downhill from here is another wall with 3 enjoyable, beginner-friendly slab climbs. The rest of the climbs are scattered to the West of the main wall. From downtown take Stevens St. South. As you drive up the hill stay to your right, toward Bernard St. After the road splits, you'll go under a bridge, which is Cliff Dr. (your objective). Take the next right on Sumner St., drive 1 block then another right on Stevens St. Drive 1 block, turn left on Cliff Dr. and park at the Pioneer Park pullout. Walk west for about 350 ft. to the no parking sign. You are now directly above the crag, look for an obvious steep path in a cleft between the rocks. Turn to your right. You're at the main wall.

Spokane climbing: hardly world class, but hard to beat! What other metro area has nine climbing areas within a twenty minute drive? Here is a list of the crags with distance from town and other pertinent details.Minnehaha: Decent trad and poorly protected sport climbs, on granite, right in town / 70+ routes, 100+ boulder / most are within 50 yards of parking lot / kid friendly / Popular toprope area. If you climb here long enough you may see someone LEAD A ROUTE!!. Props to the hardmen that put them up- some really bold 11's and 12's were put up back in the day!Dishman: Mostly 5.11 and 5.12 sport climbing on slightly overhanging granite right in town / 38 routes / 2 minute approach/ The terrain is kid friendly and Dishman has cleaned up quite a bit in the last 5 years. The water tower leak was fixed, which got rid of the standing water and the mosquito problem.Mirabeau: Small sport area with some excellent 5.7 to 5.12c climbing right next to the Valley YMCA (join the Y, put the crumb-snatchers in free daycare and go climbing, you're pretty much close enough to get away with it for years- or so I hear). The crag is really kid-friendly too. Well bolted for safe leads, most can also top-roped.Cliff Drive : Very short but pumpy, well-bolted routes, on basalt, right in the heart of town. / 20 routes / 1 minute approach. It's like a free climbing gym.Liberty Park: 4 or 5 steep boulder problems in a basalt cave in the 'hood / 1 minute approach / it's a nice park, just not the best part of town.Rocks of Sharon: 60 + routes and amazing views across the Palouse on Tower Mountain. Only 5 miles down the Palouse Highway from the south end of town. A 20 minute approach, good for kids if they can handle the steep approach hike.Deep Creek: 60+ great sport routes on steep basalt 4 miles from the Northwest edge of town/ 10 minute approach / kid friendly / You can climb main wall on a rainy day. No top rope routes, but safely bolted for leading.McLellan: 80+ trad, sport, and boulder problems on granite with lots of new route development / 16 mi. from the Northwest edge of town. Tumtum: 23 mi. Northwest / 130+ routes- / 0-20 min. approach. Lots of sport routes, classic trad lines, and world class bouldering. There are three separate areas at Tumtum: Craiglandia (private property, access granted); The Tumtum Tombstone, private property leased by Inland Northwest Climbing Outfitters (access permitted with signed liability waiver and you must call or email before you visit); Department of Natural Resources (DNR) public property with world class bouldering, sport, and trad climbs.  Post Falls (Q'Emiln Park): 80+ sport routes and a few trad climbs on granite /17 miles from the East end of town / Very kid-friendly/ best 5.10 and below sport climbing. Death Fall Wall has rainy day climbs. Beware the Pernicious Grade Creep! With grades as soft as a baby's bum, you're sure to climb harder in no time!The book 'Inland Northwest Rock Climbs' by Marty Bland describes the good hard sport climbing just a little further north in Marcus, Metaline Falls, and China Bend. Vantage (Frenchman Coulee) is only a 2-2.5 hour drive on I-90 and offers something like seven hundred routes.For bouldering, 'Spokane Bouldering: A Comprehensive Guide to the Spokane River Valley' includes over 700 boulder problems in the Spokane area covering Mclellan, Tum Tum, Minnehaha, Rocks of Sharon, Post Falls and Banks Lake. Go to individual pages for directions to the crags