Horsethief Butte Climbing

A fun Columbia Gorge destination with a nice variety of top rope climbs and boulder problems. This picturesque area on the Washington side of the river sits atop the basalt columns of Horsethief Butte; a trail circumnavigates the butte and a handful of trails snake through the corridors that hold most of the exposed rock.

The basalt here is generally of good quality and has some fun features, but be wary of loose blocks. The tops of many of the boulder problems have some loose chunks on them, and there are undoubtedly plenty of ticking time bombs on top of the top rope areas.

There are some bolted Top Anchors that are easily reached. Most of them work better with extended anchor points. You can also set up Trad anchors up top in a lot of areas.  Bring plenty of long slings and cord if you're going to be setting up top ropes.  Some of the top ropes would be like Joshua Tree and far back from the edge.There are probably a couple hundred Top Rope climbs so pick out a line that looks good and go for it. This is a good area to bring a group for some short climbs. It can get very windy here. There is a lot of Poison Oak, so keep your eyes open.