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Gold Bar Bouldering!

Original Post
Josh Bennett · · Gig Harbor, Washington · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 0

So thought I would throw this out there. Went up to The Clearcut in Gold Bar yesterday for some bouldering with such a nice day and what not. Was a slow day only one other car but never ran into them. The interesting part here is we ran into a DNR truck on the upper portion of the logging road. He got out and we talked a bit he informed my partner and I that Manke no longer has possession of the land and that due to liability we pretty much aren't allowed up there anymore. He said the rest of the day was fine but in the future to pretty much not come up there. There was no postings on mountainproject or any other site I checked for closures.
I'm gonna call the DNR office tomorrow to see if this is true but I wanted to put it out to anyone going up that way that there may be some issues. Apparently Manke sold the land 3-4 months ago. Not sure if anyone knew or not. Gonna post on Mountainproject and Supertopo as well.

Edit: The parcel where the boulders sit was sold by Manke Lumber to DNR in January of this year. Sounds like you ran into an uninformed employee. under RCW 4.24.210, no landowner, private or public, can be liable for permitting recreation on their land so long as they don't charge a fee for access.The WCC is looking into this and will reach out to our contacts at DNR.

Was only spreading what the DNR employee told me, was only trying to make sure nobody would A) freak out if they got stopped B) Potentially cause access issues.

Never saw or heard anything about it, so I wanted to spread the word.

Only concern now is that technically discover pass is a fee, hope that doesn't effect the Aforementioned RCW

Jon Nelson · · Redmond, WA · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 8,196

Thanks Josh. But that news doesn't sound good.

To get more feedback, you might also post this info on RCNW.net:

rcnw.net/forums/page/index.…

In the past, that site has had a lot of discussion about access issues in the Skykomish. It's not as busy as it used to be, but give it a few weeks, and you might get an informed response.

Joe Sambataro · · Seattle, WA · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 252

Washington Climbers Coalition is looking into this matter as there is no official closure at this time. Stay tuned for updates.

Rob Holzman · · Portland, OR · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 43

I'm not an official on this matter but thought this might be helpful to anyone wondering about this. The state of Washington took ownership of the land several months ago. Manke does not own the land at this time. I've spoken to them personally about the matter. Im not aware of any closure of the boulders but things can always change. Hope this is helpful?

Andrew Shoe · · Graham, Washington · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 25

Just to reiterate what others have already said, it was DNR who purchased the land from Manke a couple months ago. AS far as I know, and, according to DNR's website their is no closure up there and climbing is still a go. Sounds to me like the DNR employee was a little confused about what was going on or maybe he knows something that hasn't been officially announced yet.

Joe Sambataro · · Seattle, WA · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 252

Gold Bar Update: Earlier in 2014, WA DNR purchased the Gold Bar bouldering area from Manke Timber. Pedestrian access up the road and climbing are permitted to continue. Please remember to never block the gate with your car. Display your Discovery Pass and be respectful with DNR staff when they are on site to maintain the property. WCC, Access Fund and our partners are actively working with DNR on planning efforts. Stay posted for more information.

Also updated on: mountainproject.com/v/gold-…

Andrew Shoe · · Graham, Washington · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 25

Thanks Joe!

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Pacific Northwest
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