Best summer crags in the PNW?

My partner and I thought the PNW is the place to be in the summer. (We're coming from the triple digits of Southern Nevada, so, definitely looking to escape the heat.) However, I'm seeing temps that look uncomfortably familiar to what we're trying to get away from...

Where do y'all climb in August??? Any suggestions for sport crags featuring single/multi-pitch routes in the 5.10-5.12 range, or single/multi-pitch trad routes up to, say, 5.11a? Ideally looking for temps no higher than mid-80s in the shade...

Good luck none of us get anything better than 80 in the greater seattle area. Technically the elwhal is colder but not convenient unless your cool with kicking it on the peninsula.

Index may be your best bet. I’m not an Index fanboi like some, but it is what it is.
 

To find any semblance of “cool”, you’d probably need to look at getting to higher elevations. Good luck, it’s been a warm summer. I can’t say I’d necessarily be parked here if I was in a Sprinter. 

I've always felt like Mt Erie is underappreciated, and the summer temps so far in Anacortes have been a good 10degrees cooler than anything else in the seattle area. Just avoid the sunny walls, instead try lookout wall, end of the rope crag, etc. 

The recently expanded lower lump area at Index has a shady and breezy base area, short approach, and great variety of climbs. 

Otherwise I just try to climb really early or late in the day this time of year. Good luck.

Spent last weekend at Leavenworth, get up early, climb till its too hot, walk across the road, go lay in the river till dinnertime. 

Despite outsider impressions, WA climbing in mid summer isn't great. Hot! Accessing good conditions usually means a long hike up into the alpine, or a long drive to Squamish. Or climbing in the very early morning or late evening.

If you can, and the border is open, just go to Squamish. Better climbing and better summer conditions than WA. Or go do alpine routes in the North Cascades (also awesome).

If you can't go to Squamish and aren't interested in alpine, consider skipping the PNW and going to high elevation summer cragging destinations like Tensleep or Tuolumne. The problem with WA is unless you hike up into the alpine, most of the climbing is at valley level and gets hot. WA Pass is an exception as a "roadside alpine" area, but it is currently no-go due to fires.

Wow. Is it all just rumor that the PNW is a temperate climate, best enjoyed in the summertime? Cuz that's the rumor!

I can attest to Squamish being awesome, but sadly Canadians still don't want Americans bringing their anti-vaccine crap across the border. I believe Trudeau moved the next reopening assessment to September.

Edit: Just learned that the northern border opens to vaccinated Americans on Monday (8/9/21); the rest of the world still has to wait until 9/7/21 though.

I would honestly go to Lander/Ten sleep if there isn't too much smoke

I don't really understand some of the comments in this thread. 

Temps in Southern Nevada average 90-100+ degrees for four months in the summer. We usually average in the 80s during the day during the summer with nights in the 50s and 60s around Portland. We may get a few weeks of 90 degree weather in July or August, but it's nothing like Southern Nevada. Now, out in the high desert, of course it's going to be hotter. That's why you don't go to Smith in August unless you are a local and very adept at chasing shade. 

Maybe it's just that I spent 15 years in the South (Georgia and Texas), but summers up here are nothing. You can literally climb outside everyday it's not raining.

Chris Fedorczak wrote:

I don't really understand some of the comments in this thread. 

Maybe it's just that I spent 15 years in the South (Georgia and Texas), but summers up here are nothing. You can literally climb outside everyday it's not raining.

it’s entirely a function of your goals. If you wanna try to redpoint and climb as hard as humanly possible for yourself most people prefer sub 75. Which it reaches most summer days in seattle. If you live in your van and can go anywhere else then there are better options. If you just wanna climb a bunch and are not obsessed with the send then your right it’s fine.

Chris Fedorczak wrote:

I don't really understand some of the comments in this thread. 

Temps in Southern Nevada average 90-100+ degrees for four months in the summer. We usually average in the 80s during the day during the summer with nights in the 50s and 60s around Portland. We may get a few weeks of 90 degree weather in July or August, but it's nothing like Southern Nevada. Now, out in the high desert, of course it's going to be hotter. That's why you don't go to Smith in August unless you are a local and very adept at chasing shade. 

Maybe it's just that I spent 15 years in the South (Georgia and Texas), but summers up here are nothing. You can literally climb outside everyday it's not raining.

Okay, this is helpful. My partner has his heart set on Smith. I looked at temps, and am like, "yoooo, we're trying to get away from climbing in the 90s." So Smith is not advisable, then? Any crags near PDX you'd recommend, or elsewhere in Oregon?

M P wrote:

Okay, this is helpful. My partner has his heart set on Smith. I looked at temps, and am like, "yoooo, we're trying to get away from climbing in the 90s." So Smith is not advisable, then? Any crags near PDX you'd recommend, or elsewhere in Oregon?

There are a ton of good crags around Portland, but nothing as high quality as Smith for the density and number of sport routes. Just across the river in WA, we have Ozone/Dropzone and Beacon (for multipitch trad) – all are excellent. Back in Oregon we have Broughton, Madrone and Carver, Klinger and Pete's Pile, Viento, French's Dome, Empire if you like to boulder, Hunchback, Bulo, TLC (if you can find it :). You can also go to Index or Leavenworth for longer routes, or Trout Creek if you like cracks (but that's going to be as hot as Smith). 

It's been a hot summer. I guess I'd have said not to come here :) but since you're here, early morning cragging is probably the best bet. Index is probably a good choice, or darrington, or I90 corridor. Just know that afternoons are likely to be hot. With the fires, hwy 20 (which would normally be the go-to this time of year) isn't a great place to be.

I agree that Wyoming or Colorado may have been a better choice to go.

Chris Fedorczak wrote:

I don't really understand some of the comments in this thread. 

Temps in Southern Nevada average 90-100+ degrees for four months in the summer. We usually average in the 80s during the day during the summer with nights in the 50s and 60s around Portland. We may get a few weeks of 90 degree weather in July or August, but it's nothing like Southern Nevada. Now, out in the high desert, of course it's going to be hotter. That's why you don't go to Smith in August unless you are a local and very adept at chasing shade. 

Maybe it's just that I spent 15 years in the South (Georgia and Texas), but summers up here are nothing. You can literally climb outside everyday it's not raining.

Vegas and much of the SW is roasting hot, for sure. But they have the benefit of significant elevation range nearby and lots of shady roadside crags at high elevation. WA doesn't really have much of that. Even Mt Charleston offers better summer conditions than most WA crags.

Summer is the most reliably climbable season for western WA crags, since it is the only guaranteed dry weather, but the tradeoff is it is hot (ish). Sure, it isn't Chattanooga heat, but 80+ degrees (and sunny most if the day on most if the walls) at Index kinda sucks also. 

If you really want to visit the PNW, there are things to climb. Or if you want to climb alpine granite (which is awesome in the North Cascades), that's definitely worth a trip. But for the best summer destinations and conditions for cragging, go elsewhere. Good options are Tensleep if you like vert limestone, Mammoth/Tuolumne for granite, or Maple/Uintas for steep choss.

Bummer about border opening delay. Squamish is the best summer destination. It stays cooler than WA crags due to Howe Sound, has better shade options, and a ton of great climbing.

None of the western Oregon areas Chris F mentioned are destination crags worth travelling for. Worthy local crags, certainly. But to choose to plan a trip to Ozone over Ten Sleep would be insanity (if quality of climbing is your main priority).

Everything is pretty hot right now.

Blodgett Canyon at Hamiton, MT up the 93 has some good sport routes.

If you are in Southern Nevada right now jam up to Great Basin NP and camp at the high campground and explore the peak.  It's not sport climbing but it's way fun.

M P wrote:

Wow. Is it all just rumor that the PNW is a temperate climate, best enjoyed in the summertime? Cuz that's the rumor!

I can attest to Squamish being awesome, but sadly Canadians still don't want Americans bringing their anti-vaccine crap across the border. I believe Trudeau moved the next reopening assessment to September.

I this summer seems to have been a lot warmer than typical. A lot of the alpine routes that involve snow/ice went out extremely early.

The boarder seems to still be on track to opening in a few days, maybe you’ll find some luck up north! 

JCM wrote:

None of the western Oregon areas Chris F mentioned are destination crags worth travelling for. Worthy local crags, certainly. But to choose to plan a trip to Ozone over Ten Sleep would be insanity (if quality of climbing is your main priority).

Agree with this statement. We don't really have any crags that I'd tell people are worth flying in for, but we do have a lot of local climbing if you get blasted out of Smith due to the heat. Even then, I'd probably tell you to go to Index or Leavenworth over the crags around PDX if you are already here. The one exception is Beacon. On a nice day with a cool breeze in the gorge, there is really nothing else like it for multipitch trad. However, it's south facing, so with no breeze and full sun, it gets real hot in a hurry.

I was at my post limit last night and since then people have said most of the same things, but here it is fwiw.

If you want to climb sport choss there's a few in the Exit 32/38 area, not sure on temps but they are climbable in the heat.

Amazonia has a day's worth of 5.10s

Bob's has lots of great routes and is reasonably high elevation but some crags are in the sun

Nevermind can be cool in the morning, most is shaded.

The Woods is shady with varied quality climbing.

I live out here and can show you around if you like. Probably not a place to spend more than a week or two depending on how much you enjoy the climbing, also the only destination crag (?) World Wall is pretty sunny.

As for non North Bend climbing supposedly the Inner Walls at Index are cool, or maybe Private Idaho? Leavenworth has the trad grades you want but is burning hot. Mt Erie has decent climbing and is south facing, but I haven't climbed enough there to know the real details. Alpine is what most people recommend (I'm not much of an alpine climber) for August, but Wa pass is on fire, enchantments are hard to get to and I heard mtn loop hwy is swarmed af.

M P wrote:

Okay, this is helpful. My partner has his heart set on Smith. I looked at temps, and am like, "yoooo, we're trying to get away from climbing in the 90s." So Smith is not advisable, then? Any crags near PDX you'd recommend, or elsewhere in Oregon?

Most of PNW is climbable through June. Then the temps creep up in July, August sucks, then it cools back down in September. I wonder where y’all got your intel!

Again, not worth a long trip, but CA coast has a lot of fun crags that are protected from the heat. 

Newhalem is mega. 

J P wrote:

Most of PNW is climbable through June. Then the temps creep up in July, August sucks, then it cools back down in September. I wonder where y’all got your intel!

Again, not worth a long trip, but CA coast has a lot of fun crags that are protected from the heat. 

What Jake said.  Southern Oregon is pretty smoked in right now.

Try High Bluffs or Promontory on the Redwood Coast