EM: Johnson Shut-Ins Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in EM: Johnson Shut-Ins

Front boulders 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Lower Cliff 5 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 5

Lower Wall Boulders 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Upper Cliff 6 / 0 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6

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Elevation:	822 ft	251 m
GPS:	37.54043, -90.84379 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	30,878 total · 195/month
Shared By:	Marcus Floyd on Nov 19, 2012 · Updates
Admins:	Dave Hug, Nick Richards, Jeremy Collins Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: State Park Permit Required Details

Check in with the park office and gain a permit.

Description

A direct quote from Jim Thurmond & Joe Reidhead's book Rock Climbs of Johnson Shut-Ins State Park:

"During the climbing season, Johnson Shut-Ins is an excellent place for beginner climbers to get off the ground outdoors. It is an equally excellent crag for the expert who wants to shred tips and get a good pump. Often, more then one route can be climbed using the same top rope. The density of the routes allows beginners and experts to climbs side by side."

Johnson Shut-Ins is Missouri's old school traditional crag. The wall cut out by the Black River offers great possibilities for traditional leads. Much like Vedauwoo or Joshua Tree, Johnson Shut-Ins is a great destination for all.

Note: The permit states this is a top rope crag only, but the potential for great lead climbing exists.

Getting There

From Hwy 21, follow Hwy N to the state park entrance, then head to the park office. next, go down stream to the cliffs and find a good warm-up.

Guidebook

History

The Shut-ins brown, pink, and purple porphyritic rhyolites generally face south, providing plenty of sun during a fall day. Rhyolite deposited over the area as ancient eruptions sent volcanic debris down the mountainous area of the time. Slowly, the landscape again exposed the igneous rock as a result of plate tectonics, general uplift of the Ozark Plateau, and weather.