Zeke's Wall

BETA PHOTO: View of the wall from low in the clear cut. The pr...

Description 

Granite walls above Gold Bar boulders, visible to the N from Highway 2 a few miles W of Index. Home to several full length 4-6 pitch lines and a number of shorter routes and longer active projects. Median grade is hard 5.11, and most climbs are a mix of sport and trad.

A 4WD vehicle is useful on the approach.

A number of the climbs tend to dry slowly, so most people will want to wait for a spell of dry weather before their first visit. Regular Zekers will usually develop a bit of tolerance for the occasional damp spot.

There is water at the base year round, which you can, at your own risk, consider drinking untreated. The waterfall next to Flow is the most reliable source, but is probably risky during spring runoff. There is also an excellent seasonal spring coming out of the cliff wall a short bushwhack beyond Mortal Coil, about 15 minutes from the base of the Flow waterfall.

At least 2 of the full length climbs (Flow and Mortal Coil) can be descended with a single 60m rope and a bit of caution. If you go exploring, however, you will usually be happier with 2 ropes, or, at a minimum, a single 70m and some downclimbing skills.

The most gear you might consider lugging up on a first visit would be a Flow rack (see details for that route) plus a few extra pieces in the thin hand size range for Hanna Deanna.

Getting There 

1. From Highway 2 just E of Gold Bar, turn N on Rieter Road, then bear R at junction to reach a heavily used ORV staging area on the L. Just after the ORV staging area is a gated road, also to the L. You will have views up to the wall, above some large clear cuts, from here. Many large boulders are visible in the upper clear cut. These are described in the Gold Bar section of Kelly Sheridan's 2007 "Central Washington Bouldering" book.
2. Somehow get yourself to the top west (climber's L) side of the upper clearcut, using the road spur that forks L at the bottom of the upper clearcut. How you do this will depend largely on what kind of vehicle you have. As of late 2009, it was possible (and apparently legal) for an SUV or Subaru to drive around the gate via the ORV staging area, and continue up bad roads as far as an old mine a couple switchbacks below the top of the clearcut. You can also just walk up from Rieter, optionally taking a short cut by scrambling left up an ORV-eroded rocky slab to bypass the first long switchback and reach the lower western edge of the upper clearcut directly.
2. Find a small cairn hidden in the brush on your right, just at the point where the road finally levels off. If you reach the end of the road, you've gone about 100 yards too far.
3. Bash through saplings for about 20 feet to find the trail. The trail switchbacks briefly through slash, then up through forest to a level bench. At a junction in the bench, bear R.
4. Follow rough trail for about 25 minutes to the base of the hugest section of the wall, climbing steadily and traversing R in a few places. The trickiest part of the trail is probably navigating a rightward traverse through an open talus field, just above a somewhat outlandish offwidth roof crack boulder problem.
5. As you face the hugeness, Ryan's Corner and Leanne's ledges are to your left, and most everything else is up and to the R, along a rough trail. Look for splitters and chickenheads.

The Classics

Featured Route For Zeke's Wall

Flow 5.11a  WA : Zeke's Wall

Excellent climbing and a great intro to Zeke's wall. Quicker to dry than some of the other Zeke's routes, although there is a drowning risk on p3 during spring runoff. The (seasonally) clean water source at the base and the afternoon shade on the upper pitches make this a good hot weather option.P1: **** 5.11- PD, 1x + gear, 30mClimb the crack to a small roof with a bolt, then continue up intermittent cracks and knobs to a 2-ring anchor. The sec...[more]   Browse More Classics in WA

Photos of Zeke's Wall Slideshow

Add Photo

BETA PHOTO: Zeke's Wall courtesy of MS Maps