Washington Column

A long way to go...

Description 

Washington Column stands at the eastern end of the Valley, on the north side. Supposedly, it was so named because from some point of view, the rock appears to look like George Washington.

The most popular routes on this formation are the South Face (5.7 A1), many climber's first-time big wall, and Astroman (5.11c), the world-famous free route on the east face. In recent years, other routes like Skull Queen (5.8 C2) have gained in popularity.

Getting There 

The Column is found on the east end of the Valley, just east of the Ahwahnee Hotel. It used to be you could park at the Ahwahnee and hoof over to the Column on the bike path, but I've heard recently that you can't park there anymore (permit req'd?). Maybe someone can post up the current beta...

Featured Route For Washington Column

South Face 5.8 C1  CA : Yosemite National Park : Washington Column

The South Face of the Column is the first wall experience for a lot of aspiring big wall climbers in the Valley. A few pitches of free climbing and easy aid make it a straight-forward, two-day climb for most teams. Bear in mind that this also makes this route the BUSIEST wall route in the entire Valley.The general approach is to climb to Dinner Ledge the first day, fix a couple of pitches from there, then head for the top on day two.P1) Climb up ...[more]

Add Photo Photos of Washington Column

"Space Case" 5.10c. A short route at the base of t...	Washington Column and North Dome. Photo By Blitzo.	Little Rattle Snake on the approach to Washington ...
Pitch 5	Dinner Ledge	Kor Roof