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Carver
Oregon
> Portland & The Gorge
Access Issue: Carver cliff is on PRIVATE PROPERTY!
Details
This is very important to remember, and the rules associated with climbing here must be respected if it is to remain open to climbers. In order to climb or boulder at this area you must sign a waiver and pay a one-time $8 fee at the Carver Climbing Club. Be sure to carry photo ID with you when you're at the area. Respect the land owner's property, don't litter, don't add or remove any bolts without permission, etc. It would be a big loss to the Portland climbing community if Carver were to be closed to us so do your part to keep it open and accessable.
Description
Like Broughton Bluff and Rocky Butte, Carver is a popular Portland crag. It's a bit more of a drive from the downtown area than the other crags but it's still popular on the weekends and after work in the summer. It is comprised of a single cliff band approximately 80ft. high with a bunch of boulders scattered on the hillside below.
Private Property Note: You must be a signed member of the Carver Climbing Club to climb or boulder on Stone Cliff property and/or property owned by the Rosenbaum family, which the entirety of the boulders and cliff are. Dogs are not allowed. You must have picture ID and membership card with you at all times. Here are the rest of the
Carver Rules and Obligations.Getting There
This area is located in the small town of Carver, Oregon. From the Portland area take I-205 South towards Clackamas and get off at Exit 12A (watch for signs to Hwy. 212 East). Take 212 for approximately 3 miles until 224 splits off to the right to Carver. Go through town and veer right to cross the bridge over the river. Take a left at the 'T' intersection on the far side of the bridge.
There are three options for parking: The first is the Stone Cliff Inn parking lot, which may be used by members all days except holidays and Friday and Saturday evenings from 5pm on. The trail to the boulders and cliff is obvious, at the section of the lot furthest from the front door.
The second option is the pullout at the intersection of Hattan and Gronlund Rd about 100m further down on the right.
If the pullout is full, the third option is a 10min approach from the back. Park at the lot of the Baker Cabin / Pioneer Church at the intersection of S Gronlund Rd and Carver Rd. Then walk up Stone Cliff Rd - it says it’s a private road but you’re only going just past the gate - then take a right on a small wood bridge over the drainage, approximately here: maps.app.goo.gl/FYy6dRk7tiW…;
You’ll be on a trail that passes the James Dean boulders shortly, then goes uphill a bit before you exit near the farthest band of roped climbs (Smerk, etc). From there you can continue along the cliffs to Standard Overhang (near Angular Motion) or head down the trail to the boulders.
![Map of the Carver area. The dotted lines are the two main trails.]()
[Hide Photo] Map of the Carver area. The dotted lines are the two main trails.
![Aaron on what we call Careers and Kids V4... huge fall below if you dont make the dyno.]()
[Hide Photo] Aaron on what we call Careers and Kids V4... huge fall below if you dont make the dyno.
![Lots of new blowdown after winter storms. Bigger stuff is maple and there's a lot of smaller Doug Fir branches.]()
[Hide Photo] Lots of new blowdown after winter storms. Bigger stuff is maple and there's a lot of smaller Doug Fir branches.
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Portland OR
DO NOT PARK IN THE SMALL PULLOUT BELOW THE TRAIL.
Yesterday, every single car parked there had a $40 ticket. Pay the $3 to park in the big lot. If it is full (like yesterday), you can find free parking on Hattan Road, just past the big parking lot. Just a heads up. Someone driving by told me police love to give tickets to those parked on the shoulder, and he was right! Jul 11, 2010
Cheers! May 5, 2011
Chad May 14, 2012
Hillsboro
carverbouldering.blogspot.com/
Or a more updated version? Jul 7, 2021
Portland, OR
tl;dr - basically your best free option after 5pm is hoping that there's not a private event at Baker Cabin and using the parking spots there. The CCC 'rules' aren't very clear about what else is "on" in terms of free parking outside of that.
Connor's 2010 comment about parking at the Clackamas County Carver Park (boat ramp) lot is a bit outdated: it now costs $8, and they lock that gate at 9pm. Annual passes are $55 (would need to park there 7 times to recoup your cost): clackamas.us/parks/annualpa… Jul 12, 2023
Portland, OR
Hi!
Yesterday we launched a new & improved membership card system for Carver: electronically signed waivers and digital member cards – no more printing paper waivers and taking them to a gym to get a plastic card.
We're going to send out an announcement to all members next week, so we have a week to make sure it's all working as expected.
As part of this, there are a few updates to the access information on this page:
- The fee is now $10.
- All members will need to electronically sign the new digital waiver to continue climbing at Carver. This new waiver is available as of today (Oct. 4, 2023) but we're giving people a ~4 week grace period after the announcement goes out next week. So for the next month or so the old plastic member card will be acceptable, but as of November all climbers must have signed the new waiver and be using the new member card.
Perhaps a concise way to put this is:
"All members must sign the updated digital waiver and as of 11/7/2023 all climbers must have the new digital member card to climb at Carver."
- You might want to add a note about needing to be 18 or older to climb at Carver. We say this on the Carver site, but this is by far the biggest issue / question we get from people so it might be worth reiterating here.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Scott Oct 7, 2023