This area encompasses a large portion of Devil's Tower that is accessable via the East and Northeast buttress approaches. Everything from offwidth to finger cracks can be found here. Most routes are of high quality with sustained straight-in climbing. On the East side of the tower looms a large roof system that cuts across the sheer East face of the tower. To the right of these roofs is the Belle Fouche buttress which forms a prominent protrusion that ledges out halfway up the tower. This buttress marks, more or less, the left end of the routes accessable from this appoach. The right end is at the terminus of the ramp below the north face. Quality climbs of note include Belle Fouche buttress, McCarthy's North Face, and New Wave. From the Teacher's Lounge ledge there are several great climbs including Patent Pending and Assembly Line.
Getting There
From the lot follow the paved trail around the North side of the tower. The trail dips low into the woods and then climbs back into view of the tower. Hike past a bench and before a large boulder start looking for a faint trail that is sometimes cairned. The trail winds up to the notch that separates the base of the east face from the northeast. At the notch the better defined trail goes up steps to the right to the routes below teacher's ledge lounge and continues on broken ledges to all the north face routes. The less defined trail is so because there are less quality routes and abundant poison ivy. To reach routes on and near Belle Fouche buttress ford the ivy and scramble up and across slabs to the base.
Featured Route For East and Northeast Buttress Approach
This route is a good way to access Assembly Line. It starts to its right. Scramble up to a ledge and start your typical low-angled easy DT crack (starts as left-facing dihedral) for P1. When I did it, there was a "broken tree" near its base. This pitch is probably a 5.6 or so. To the left are 2 eye bolts for an anchor. Continue from the anchors as P2 becomes a set of dual cracks with some increased difficulty and trickiness towards the end....[more]
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BETA PHOTO: Big rock... reeeeeealy big...
Looking down from teachers lounge, broken tree is ...
North and northeast sides
Add CommentComments on East and Northeast Buttress Approach
The way we were told to find the trail for the approach was wonderful. From the parking lot take the right(counterclockwise) paved path that leads you under Durrance and follow it to the USPS information sign for the fallen tower. From there walk 70 paces, the trail leads up to the left. It works every time and if your paces are smaller than mine the trail is ~70 paces at a point where the paved path starts going back up after dropping down a hill.
Dear Friends,I am leaving today, just for the winter. For that I am a little sad. I hope everyone keeps crankin' & and having fun.Remember climbing is not to feed the EGO but a chance to be a good partner and enjoy Life around the corner from the manstream lifestyles. I have climbed in a few areas besides the ones in SD WY but here is home and in my opion really really great!! In our time right now there is so much BS already it seems odd to me that sometimes we fight in a very childish way. Lets all stand together and help one another not push one another down and judge each other for the small things. I know I am not a Saint, and that keeps me in check. Everyone make mistakes, hopefully we can all learn from them? Well anyway as we sometimes say, "I'M OUT"!I love this place and all the people in it, I may not show it sometimes but I think and pray for our community and resorces in it, all the time. I consider myself one of the Lucky Ones to have grown up here and in the process make many Lifelong Friends.To all of you out there short, tall, strong or weak, I LOVE YOU.Love Curt
East and Northeast Buttress Approach
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