Walla Walla, any climbing nearby?

Hello, considering a move to Walla Walla, as an acupuncturist and college prof. But is there climbing nearby?
Thanks
Candace

​I know the beta is tough to find and all, but.....​​​​

For a prof you don’t seem to be into research.
Just sayin

Max Supertramp wrote: I know the beta is tough to find and all, but.....

Pogue for the win. Nice guy as well. Ask him directly. kpinwalla2 I think is his MP account, but also the email on his site. 

Candace Gossen wrote: Hello, considering a move to Walla Walla, as an acupuncturist and college prof. But is there climbing nearby?
Thanks
Candace

What do you consider close? What kind of climbing are you looking for? Whitman, WWCC, or WWU?

Well thanks to the nice fellas who took a dis on my intelligence and research capabilities. I was asking nice.

I'm a sport climber, don't climb trad anymore. Started climbing in the Az. desert long ago, so love limestone, and volcanic tuft.
Spent 15 years in Portland and climbing Smith. I'm in Denver now until I finish this program this summer then searching for
a new place to set up a clinic. Whitman is the connection. Just wondering what was within a couple of hours of Walla Walla.
Smith is 4 hours according to map.  

Candace Gossen wrote: Well thanks to the nice fellas who took a dis on my intelligence and research capabilities. I was asking nice.

I'm a sport climber, don't climb trad anymore. Started climbing in the Az. desert long ago, so love limestone, and volcanic tuft.
Spent 15 years in Portland and climbing Smith. I'm in Denver now until I finish this program this summer then searching for
a new place to set up a clinic. Whitman is the connection. Just wondering what was within a couple of hours of Walla Walla.
Smith is 4 hours according to map.  

Spring Mountain, Potholes, and some stuff by Lewiston.

Hi and welcome to the Shrub Steppe environment if you end up here.  I live in Pasco, WA about an hour from Walla Walla.  Spring Mountain is about an hour away and someone really smart gave you a link to some stuff above.  Vantage is about 2.5-3 hours from WW.  Limestone can be found in Hells Cyn, its a bit if a drive but pretty cool.  I haven't been to Riggins, ID, but that is about 3 hours from WW.  All this stuff is from my memory so it could be clouded.  There are lots of good Winerys around here if that's your thing and it sounds like you know Smith, about 4 hours.  There is some climbing about 30 minutes form you at Wallulla Gap.  I haven't checked it out yet, beta is on Pogues web site.  WW is a cool little town compared to other places around here.  Anyway, I am seldom on here but thought that your welcome to WW was less than warm from what I saw above.  :)

Thanks Gary, appreciate the time you took to write. Be well. C

Hi Candace,
        In addition to the places already mentioned you can add Spokane, which is to north and slightly east of Walla Walla.  Depending upon which road combination you choose the drive is about two to 2.5 hours (one way).  There are several sport climbing venues in and around Spokane, such as Deep Creek, Dishman, and (mostly) Post Falls.  All of these areas can be found in several online guides (such as this website) and printed guides.  All of the climbing areas in and around Spokane have some sport climbing (in other words routes where all you need are some quick draws), some more so than others.  An upside to Spokane is the opportunity to meet many other climbers.  There are a fair number of active female climbers who would be happy to partner with you.  A downside is none of the climbing venues in and around Spokane feature any long and/or multipitch routes.  Most of the climbing in and around Spokane is 40-70 feet in length.  I hope this email is helpful and I wish you good luck with your decision.

Cheers,
Bob Loomis,
Spokane, WA.

Google Maps says 3 hours 56 minutes to Big Bar Camping Area which is right below the climbing at Hells Canyon. Great limestone, hundreds and hundreds of routes, all grades, no guidebook, highly recommended.

Just a fuzz over 3 hours to the climbing at Banks Lake, interesting old desert granite, plenty of clip ups.

Spring Mountain is pretty great Andesite, about an hour and a half, and it too has plenty of sport climbs.

As a climber you could do much worse than Walla Walla.

My girlfriend and I have lived in Walla Walla for the past 4 years.  I have been an avid climber (trad, sport, and ice)   for nearly 20 years, and Dani for about 5.   As everyone has stated there are plenty of climbing good areas within a few hours of driving.  The few areas within an hour are short and choosy sport climbing, but worth a few early spring and late fall trips.  These areas are Wallula Gap and The Dikes.  You can find them on mountain project or by searching for Kevin Pogues online guide.  Whitman College has a pretty good indoor wall for a small school.  There are no memberships, but day passes are about  $8 and punch cards are a bit less. The hardest part of living in Walla Walla has been finding partners, partially due to starting my own business and partially the rather small community.  The adult climbing community is small and made up mostly of people who seem to climb as a secondary outdoor pursuit.  The Tricities area has a mountaineering group that often does rock trips and is a good way to find partners.  Feel free to message me if you have any other questions about the area

I’ll add: I have spent, and do spend, a lot of time in Hell’s Canyon. Be prepared. I’ve been snowed on while on the river, seen and tended to several hypothermic folks, and also baked in 125+ heat (it may have been hotter, but our thermometer maxed out: 110 in the shade by a creek felt heavenly). I’m not trying to turn you off, but it has the name for a reason. Poison ivy, rattlesnakes, black widows, cactus, wildly fluctuating river flows, and murderously slick rocks by the river all take their toll. Folks in my boat have to wear their PFDs for rapids, and when they get in and out of the boat. For padding when they eat shit on the slick rocks. Even the cheat grass sucks. Ever get a piece of it embedded and infected in the tender part between your toes? No real bear issues, though, on the bright side, but look out for skunks. Plenty of them. And the giant Percheron mules that are sometimes at Temperance Bar can be nosy and pushy, and knock over stuff in your camp, and scare the shit out of you in the middle of the night. All that said, the bass fishing is awesome, and in the right season, the blackberry picking as well.

Andrew Rational wrote: I’ll add: I have spent, and do spend, a lot of time in Hell’s Canyon. Be prepared. I’ve been snowed on while on the river, seen and tended to several hypothermic folks, and also baked in 125+ heat (it may have been hotter, but our thermometer maxed out: 110 in the shade by a creek felt heavenly). I’m not trying to turn you off, but it has the name for a reason. Poison ivy, rattlesnakes, black widows, cactus, wildly fluctuating river flows, and murderously slick rocks by the river all take their toll. Folks in my boat have to wear their PFDs for rapids, and when they get in and out of the boat. For padding when they eat shit on the slick rocks. Even the cheat grass sucks. Ever get a piece of it embedded and infected in the tender part between your toes? No real bear issues, though, on the bright side, but look out for skunks. Plenty of them. And the giant Percheron mules that are sometimes at Temperance Bar can be nosy and pushy, and knock over stuff in your camp, and scare the shit out of you in the middle of the night. All that said, the bass fishing is awesome, and in the right season, the blackberry picking as well.

Nice try. 

I only experienced it as an Eden like setting.....but hey, I havent been there when its above 75

Mike Brady wrote:

Nice try. 

I only experienced it as an Eden like setting.....but hey, I havent been there when its above 75

Try July, when everyday the wind abruptly switches direction at noon and blows upriver. It feels like you just opened the oven door.

All I related has been experienced or witnessed by me personally, on 19 or 20 float trips through, and 6-7 backpacking trips during the early spring or late fall. My father has almost 70 float trips (I think. I’ll have to ask him about his current total) and probably 30 backpacking/geology trips. 

HC is pretty damn harsh, and I’ve done a lot of traveling in harsh places.

It is indeed Eden for a week or two a year, and you have to get lucky, or live nearby, to get to experience that. The rest of the time you could get anything. 
The part about the slick rocks at the edge of the river is no joke. They really do account for most of the accidents and injuries there.