Hey everybody, we are planning a trip to the Boundary Waters this summer. We are hoping to pack a light rack and get a little climbing in while we are up there. Does anyone have any info on general areas for either established or potential climbing? Thanks!

Tony

There is some good climbing at Carlton Peak, its quite scenic as well. Bring a top rope setup with some smaller pro and you should be fine.

http://mnclimbing.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view>>>>>

start driving north of duluth and pick your wall. you shouldn't have a problem, but as for within the BA, i have no idea

Many years ago, when living in Minnesota, I heard tales of a dramatic rock outcropping in the BWCA north of Ely called Gooseneck Pinnacle.
I was told about this formation by at least two unrelated parties, neither of whom were climbers.
Has anyone ever heard of this?

I wish I had some knowledge to share with you. I saw you posted on rockclimbing.com and mnclimbing.com and no one knew anything there either.

I'm sure your trip is still a long way out, but if you do find some good stuff be sure and post up on here! It sounds like a fun trip, especially if you find some deepwater soloing! Aside from Taylors Falls, (and I would never do anything illegal like soloing there) I dont know if there is much of that in the area.
Goodluck.

I used to bring a rack up to the BWCA a long time ago. The only one I can remember by name is Lake Kekekabic, which is definitely worth checking out, if not at least for the campsite perched atop a cliff with some climbing/cliff jumping. Also a couple other climbing areas on this lake.

Check out my post on this other thread. Quetico is the Canadian mirror to BWCA across the border. As a rule, the BWCA is a bit less dramatic in terms of sheer cliffs and rocky outcroppings but there are some. There is no established climbing that I know of though. Also check out the Crane Lake link too... Chris

http://mountainproject.com/v/midwest/quetico_prov_park_climb>>>>>

Carleton Peak has some intereseting climbing, but is hard and time-consuming to get to. The best climbing on the North Shore is in two areas: Palisade Head near the Split Rock Lighthouse and Thunder Bay just over the border. Palisade Head has some mighty big cliffs, but some of the rock is rotten, so be careful. There's a huge amount of climbing up in Thunder Bay. Do a google search and you'll see what I mean. I'd suggest contacting a local climbing club or store, or Vertical Endeavors, in Duluth to get more information abotu Palisade Head. I've never seen a climbing guide for PH, but have not climbed there for 25 years. Contact local climbers in Thunder Bay for beta on the routes there. As far as inside the BWCA, I never saw anything there that would have inspired me to drag my climbing gear along. But that doesn't mean there isn't something to be found. Most of the rock along the North Shore is old Precambrian basalt flows, and can tend to be chossy, change quickly as you get into new flows, and can break off in big chunks unexpectedly. I would therefore recommend sticking to established routes that have been cleaned.

Tom and Tony-- http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Climbing-Minnesota-Wisconsin-Farr>>>>> this is the guide, I think there are other older ones, maybe out of print.