Tieton River Rock Climbing

The Tieton (Tie-eh-ton) River crags are spread out along a twenty-mile stretch of the Tieton River drainage, on the east slope of the south Cascades of Washington state. Most of the crags are composed of andesite (similar to basalt), part of a fifty-mile long flow from the ancient Goat Rocks volcano. By some accounts it's the world's longest andesite flow.

There are more than 400 routes, pretty much evenly split between trad and sport. Generally, the crags in the lower canyon (Royal Columns, the Bend, Moon Rocks) have more crack routes while the crags higher in the drainage (the Oasis, the Cave, Rainbow Rocks, Wildcat, Lava Point and South Fork) have more sport routes. Whether it's a reflection of the rock or the primary route developers, the Tieton shines at the 5.10 grade for trad routes and 5.11 grade for sport climbs.

The lower canyon is semi-arid with sagebrush, cactus and oak groves. The higher crags are in mixed forests of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. Throughout the area, nearly every crag offers either morning or afternoon shade, and sometimes both. With a little planning, summer climbing in the Tieton can be more pleasant than in Leavenworth.

Watch for rattlesnakes in the lower canyon.