Climbing near Portland

Coming to the Portland area the end of may, curious where might be good to climb -maybe somewhere away from the city and some really chill climbing.  trad or sport as long as its chill.  looking for some 5.fun days! thanks! 

Most places around here are quiet on weekdays. Although I hear Ozone can be crowded 24/7 (I don't climb there). Broughton's Bluff is great, with a wide range of trad and sport. On weekends, the easier routes get heavily TR gang banged. If you want somewhere even chiller, with better views, go to Beacon. Keeping in mind the south face remains closed till July.

You'd probably have the most fun at Broughton's. Especially if you like harder sport. 

Broughton is pretty sandbagged. Unless you are comfortable on-sighting 10a trad or 11a sport almost anywhere (and your profile doesn't show that), it can be a tough place to climb. Slick rock, tiny features, cryptic basalt sequences, small gear, etc. It's a great crag for the 5-11 and up leader who is into projecting. It's right above highway 84 and not exactly out of the city. (It's 20 minutes from downtown)

Ozone is a better bet. Below the road, no traffic sights or sounds, lovely view of the Columbia, etc. Most of the routes are fun in a conventional way (not run-out, have bolts where needed) Drop Zone is the crag next to Ozone and is basically a headier (more trad style routes demanding mental focus) quieter (fewer climbers) version of Ozone. I love it but not everybody does (see: fewer bolts, more mentally demanding leads) and i get that.

Beacon is great but almost all the best 5-8 through 5-11 routes are closed until July (falcons) so if you go you won't do the routes people go to beacon to do.

If by "chill" you mean "easy" and/or "not crowded", then you'll probably want to head out to Klinger Spring or Coethedral. Farside is also an option if you're game for 5.9-10 trad. Carver is another option, but only has a few routes under 5.10. Ozone is insanely popular (less so on weekdays, but still), Broughton is cryptic, and Madrone and Beacon are closed until July. Other crags like Bulo Point will still be covered in snow.

If the weather is wet, head up to Horsethief Butte, across the river from The Dalles

Hey Curt did you go to Edison Elementary?

Hi Nicole,
A bunch of the guys on this post are good dudes with equally good local beta. If you’d like to meet up and climb with a group of us when you get into town, feel free to drop me a PM.
-Chris

bryans wrote: Broughton is pretty sandbagged. Unless you are comfortable on-sighting 10a trad or 11a sport almost anywhere (and your profile doesn't show that), it can be a tough place to climb. Slick rock, tiny features, cryptic basalt sequences, small gear, etc. It's a great crag for the 5-11 and up leader who is into projecting. It's right above highway 84 and not exactly out of the city. (It's 20 minutes from downtown)

Ozone is a better bet. Below the road, no traffic sights or sounds, lovely view of the Columbia, etc. Most of the routes are fun in a conventional way (not run-out, have bolts where needed) Drop Zone is the crag next to Ozone and is basically a headier (more trad style routes demanding mental focus) quieter (fewer climbers) version of Ozone. I love it but not everybody does (see: fewer bolts, more mentally demanding leads) and i get that.

Beacon is great but almost all the best 5-8 through 5-11 routes are closed until July (falcons) so if you go you won't do the routes people go to beacon to do.

cool, we were looking for 5.8/5.9 chill climbing, sport, trad, single pitch or multi pitch - any suggestions?  areas/climbs/etc.  would be willing to drive a few hours to get to some fun stuff that doesn't have snowmelt this time of year.  thanks! 

thanks for all the beta guys!  that gives me some starting points :).

Nicole K wrote:

cool, we were looking for 5.8/5.9 chill climbing, sport, trad, single pitch or multi pitch - any suggestions?  areas/climbs/etc.  would be willing to drive a few hours to get to some fun stuff that doesn't have snowmelt this time of year.  thanks! 

Klinger Springs, mentioned above, has all you're looking for if the conditions are decent. It's listed on MP. There's pictures. It's very close to Mt. Hood, on the east side, with mountain views and lots of solitude. I like the sustained moderate cracks in the 5-7 to 5-9 range. Belly of the Beast and Yeti's Betty are solid and classic 5-8ish cracks offering all the pro you can place. I feel like that's what Klinger offers that you won't find any closer to Portland (other than Beacon, which will be more or less closed). There is plenty of well-bolted sport there too. Obviously if you are up for driving 2.5 hours (and it's raining in Portland) you could just hit Smith Rock, which speaks for itself.

To get a real feel for what Portland is all about make sure to visit Rocky Butte. ;) 

Jason Schmidt wrote: To get a real feel for what Portland is all about make sure to visit Rocky Butte. ;) 

Here's what I think about THAT idea.

Im glad Rocky Butte gets so much hate! that just means while im dropping in to climb among the homeless after work on a tuesday, the rest of portland is inside pulling on plastic, checking out the scene.

Mind Games laps while suckers sitting in traffic

Nicole K wrote:

would be willing to drive a few hours to get to some fun stuff

Smith Rock is 2.5hrs from Portland.  It is crowded, but it's also a very big place and it's not hard to find areas without too many people if you're willing to walk more than half a mile from the parking lot.   it's a reasonable day trip from Portland. Ozone is great, but can feel like a gym to some degree, if you are climbing on a weekday, Ozone is probably the best bet and there are many fun routes there. Someone mentioned Horsethief Butte, I wouldn't suggest that, it's mostly a training/teaching crag.  Most of the walls are 25' or less and there isn't anything spectacular to climb there, probably not worth the drive (1.5hr or so).  Broughton may not be the best place if you're looking for 5.fun for reasons listed above.

das1405 wrote: Im glad Rocky Butte gets so much hate! that just means while im dropping in to climb among the homeless after work on a tuesday, the rest of portland is inside pulling on plastic, checking out the scene.

Mind Games laps while suckers sitting in traffic

Rocky Butte rulez!

Frenches Dome is nice!

Skip the ozone crowds and plug gear next door at farside.

Broughtons has amazing lines but the grades are sandbagged as hell.

Hit me up if you need a partner or guide to the local crags. Always looking to climb with  new ppl!

SD represent! What part you from?

I give a vote for Coethedral, and the Spire next door, for the full experience.  Cool location well away from town with a nice drive, can basically climb whatever looks fun, and you don't have to haul any gear since it's all bolted.   If it's a really warm day, you can dunk in the Clackamas after you're done climbing.  

Also, as someone else mentioned, if you think of heading to Ozone on the weekend, head about 3 minutes farther and hit Dropzone.  If you really don't dig it, you can walk or drive right back over to Ozone.  
 

I like seeing all the drop zone love (far side was the later name, it was first called drop zone by the 2007-2010 era developers, not that I'll get bent over it). A couple weeks ago I counted over 30 cars at ozone and we were the second car at drop zone. Nothing against ozone at all, but if you like climbing in a natural setting and not a gym setting where virtually every square foot of rock has been or is about to be scrubbed and developed, it might be for you. Provided 5-9/10 trad and the occasional bolt to keep it fun and reasonable is your thing.

I love Carver bridge cliffs. Some fun routes. A good am ok it of fun bouldering. And really chill.  About 15 min from city south on 205

Here's a Google map that shows just about every climbing / bouldering area within a reasonable drive of Portland.
Click on each pin for more info and relevant guide book or website links.

https://www.alpinesavvy.com/map-of-portland-area-rock-climbs-and-bouldering

John Godino wrote: Here's a Google map that shows just about every climbing / bouldering area within a reasonable drive of Portland.
Click on each pin for more info and relevant guide book or website links.

https://www.alpinesavvy.com/map-of-portland-area-rock-climbs-and-bouldering
thats freaking awesome!  thanks for the post.