Palisades State Park Climbing

The Split Rock Creek splits a band of Sioux Quartz just outside the town of Garretson, South Dakota, making for lots of climbing right off the water. Loads of picnickers will be strolling through the area during the summer. A good place for locals not really a "destination" climbing crag as the rock isn't all that tall or exciting. Expect humid summers with lots of bugs and mosquitoes at times because of its proximity to the river. The rock is currently the only rock-climbing crag in Eastern South Dakota.

The rock is not very good for friction almost has a glassy feel but gets a wonderful pump due to the crimps and slopers. This place is good for experienced trad climbers as well as TRing. There are never-ending crack systems throughout the park. Great face climbs are Slandeross (5.12), Debuant Farmers (5.12), King Olof (5.10), Glimmer (5.10+), Never Say Never (5.10), and Henry Aaron (5.7). The area saw bouldering development in 2009 and still holds potential for new problems. Mike Madsen, Jon Marek, Sam Nicolai and others developed many great problems. Some of the great Boulder problems to check out are Contrivance (V5), Necessary Contrivance (V4), I Seam Stumped (V3), Lithium CT (V2), and Head Hunters (V2). The area was developed by the likes of Greg Fossum, Gary Johnson, Jim Slichter, Vern Olsen, Dave Reinke, and Tom Wells. Fossum, Reinke, and Wells published a guidebook in 1983 which is no longer in print where many of the names differ from those here.