All Locations > S Dakota > Custer SP > Sylvan Lake

Outlets Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Outlets

Baldpate 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3

Camel 5 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 5

Chillbain 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Dam - Back Side 3 / 9 / 4 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 13

Dam - Front Side 1 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Damn Rock 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3

Handyman 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Highway 87 Rock 0 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Hornsby's Rock 0 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Inner Outlet 28 / 9 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 31

Integral Sign 5 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 5

Middle Earth Overlook 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Midlife Mound 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Moot Point 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Neptune's Castle 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0

Northeast Slice 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Old People's Dome 6 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 7

Outer Outlet 19 / 4 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 23

Outlet Overlook 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Paydirt Pinnacle 4 / 4 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 7

Practice Rock 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Rapa Nui ( Easter Island) 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Rhinoceros Rock 2 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3

Riddle 1 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3

Robknob Spire 4 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 5

Runner Rock 4 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 4

Salisbury Plain 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Sardine 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Stonehenge 5 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 5

Sunday Gulch 6 / 4 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 10

Tiki 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3

Tinker 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Vertigo 6 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 7

Vertigo View 4 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6

Youbet Jorasses 2 / 4 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 5

Young People's Dome 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

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Elevation:	6,129 ft	1,868 m
GPS:	43.8477, -103.5668 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	234,709 total · 793/month
Shared By:	Peter Gram on Jun 24, 2002
Admins:	Peter Gram, Greg Parker, Mikel Madsen, Mark Rafferty Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

The Outlets around Sylvan Lake hold many fine face routes, and some wonderful cracks too. The climbing here is generally quite bold and runout, so make sure that you are solid at the grade of the climb (or go practice on safer routes near Mount Rushmore). Expect mostly face climbing on sharp, strong granite, often with widely spaced bolts. However, bring a rack for both cracks and face climbs. Often a piece of gear can be stuck in between bolts. Rappels are generally needed to get off summits, as most everything is a spire with steep faces on all sides.

Some of the Needles best bouldering is also here. This includes the Campground Boulder, Acid Test Boulder, Mood Swings Boulder, Outlet Boulder and more. For crack climbing, check out Classic Crack on Inner Outlet, Conn Diagonal on Outer Outlet, and Sex Never Did This to My Hands on Vertigo View. Also on Inner Outlet is the Wiessner Chimney, a namesake chimney done in the 1930's.

A pay campsite is located right near the lake. Expect this to be full on the weekends during tourist season.

Getting There

From Hill City, drive south for a few miles and then take a left at a signed junction going towards Sylvan Lake (highway 87). Drive up this road 5 or 6 miles to the entrance booth. Here you have to pay to get in the park. I would recommend getting an annual pass because Custer State Park holds South Dakota's finest climbs. Then park at the lot immediately on the left in front of the Sylvan Lake Store.

To get to the main climbing area, follow a trail around the lake towards the rocks. Some climbs can be seen just above the lake, but most require following the trail through a huge tunnel. Back in this area is the bulk of the climbing. Keep following the trail around to get to various areas.

169 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Outlets

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

5.4 4a 12 IV 10 VD 3c 84 ● Inner Course Sport Youbet Jorasses
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b 265 ● Conn Diagonal Trad 3 pitches Outer Outlet
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b R 41 ● California Boys Sport, TR Dam - Back Side
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b 62 ● Retable Route Trad, Sport 3 pitches Inner Outlet
5.8- 5b 16 VI- 14 VS 4c 225 ● Kamps Crack (Classic Crack) Trad Inner Outlet
5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 33 ● West Buttress Trad 3 pitches Outer Outlet
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 42 ● Sex Never did this to my hands Trad Vertigo View
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b 44 ● Harbinger Sport Paydirt Pinnacle
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b 33 ● Nick of Time Trad Outer Outlet
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b 36 ● Jugs Trad Outer Outlet
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 52 ● Two Year Plan Trad, Sport Inner Outlet
5.11 6c+ 23 VIII- 23 E4 5c PG13 13 ● Honey, I Shrunk My Nads Trad Inner Outlet
5.11+ 7a 24 VIII 24 E4 6a PG13 12 ● Vertigo Trad 2 pitches Vertigo
5.11+ 7a 24 VIII 24 E4 6a 13 ● A Clean Getaway Trad 2 pitches Vertigo
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a 31 ● Sundogs Sport Riddle