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West Side

Submitted By: Peter Franzen on Sep 26, 2006
Administrator: Peter Franzen
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Description 

These basalt columns are on the rimrock on the West side of the river. Due to their location they receive shade almost all day and make for a great place to escape the sun.

There are a remarkable number of truly spectacular climbs here. A quick glance at the ratings of the routes in this area shows an incredible number of 4-star climbs, and everyone visiting Smith Rock owes it to him/herself to check out this area.


Getting There 

From the turnaround at the northern end of the parking area head East to the rim. Find a place where there are detached pillars and a rebar ladder going down a chimney. Climb down this chimney and head upriver (southeast). After crossing a large slide of small boulders you'll see the start of many pillars that are the lower gorge.

A second method of descent is my preference. This "secret entrance" once went through private property but now is owned by the park. This way also starts at the turnaround parking lot. Park and then head back up the road until you see a driveway leading to a house on the east. This house is now owned by the park. Go behind the house and through a gate. Walk along the rim for about a 100ft to find an improbable but easy 3rd class descent into the gorge.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for West Side:
Gruff   5.10a     Trad, 1 pitch, 75 feet   Wildfire Wall
Cruel Sister   5.10a     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Catwalk Cliff
Quasar   5.10a     Trad, 1 pitch, 75 feet   Catwalk Cliff
Patent Leather Pump   5.10a     Trad, 1 pitch, 65 feet   Catwalk Cliff
Blood Clot   5.10b     Trad, 1 pitch, 90 feet   Catwalk Cliff
Rim Job   5.10b     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Wildfire Wall
Cornercopia   5.10b     Trad, 1 pitch   Wildfire Wall
Wildfire   5.10b     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Wildfire Wall
Bad Finger   5.10b     Trad   Wildfire Wall
Last Chance   5.10c     Trad, 1 pitch, 90 feet   Catwalk Cliff
Morning Star   5.10c     Trad, 1 pitch, 70 feet   Star Wall
Prometheus   5.10c     Trad, 1 pitch, 90 feet   Catwalk Cliff
Pure Palm   5.11a     Sport, 80 feet   Wildfire Wall
On The Road   5.11a     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Wildfire Wall
Crime Wave   5.11b PG13     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Wildfire Wall
Crack-A-No-Go   5.11b PG13     Trad, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Catwalk Cliff
White Trash   5.12a     Sport, 1 pitch, 80 feet   Wildfire Wall
Browse More Classics in West Side

Featured Route For West Side
Nearing a crux section on Crack-a-no-go. Photo by Mark Defenbaugh

Crack-A-No-Go 5.11b PG13  OR : Smith Rock : ... : Catwalk Cliff
This thin seam just right of Cruel Sister probably gets TR'ed more than any route in the gorge. Although the copious amounts of chalk on this route make it less asthetic it is still an elegent line that makes for a worthy endeavor. The crux is more cryptic than difficult and finding the right pro can be dubious too....[more]   Browse More Classics in OR