The Honeycombs Rock Climbing
Elevation: | 2,593 ft |
GPS: |
43.33026, -122.95862 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 109,800 total · 1,626/month |
Shared By: | gso Orton on Jul 12, 2017 · Updates |
Admins: | Nate Ball, Micah Klesick |
Private Land
In 2022, a gate was placed by the current land owner of the Honeycombs and the Forest Investment Assoc. ( FIA) conglomerant. This new gate is located one mile up the 4-mile BLM access road into the Honeycombs, discouraging climber access. Most local climbers are now refocusing on the Callahans.
Description
A collection of small volcanic spires east of Roseburg offering mostly single-pitch sport routes with a handful of multi-pitch summit top-outs. The Honeycombs sit on top a prominent ridge above Honey Creek overlooking the North Umpqua River Valley, 15 minutes from Glide, Oregon. The rock is welded rhyolitic tuff resembling that of Smith Rock, Bucktooth (Redmans) Tooth, and Rattlesnake, but with fewer nubbins and more patina and pockets. Most established routes are currently 5.10 and below, but there is definitely potential for more difficult routes: several faces could feature overhanging thuggery between jug pockets.
The Honeycombs sit on the edge of privately owned land and BLM border, which runs right through the northern end of the North Comb. The gate is located on BLM land where you can camp for free along the upper road just beyond the gate. The South Comb is on private land - be nice, leave no trace, don't block the access road. Peregrine falcons nest on the Forbidden or the west end of the North Comb in early spring and you should avoid climbing in this area in February through mid-June (see access note and comments section for more information). The Honeycombs and the rest of Umpqua-area climbing are covered in Greg Orton's Rock Climbing Western Oregon: Umpqua.
Camping up top while on BLM land is free. Follow BLM fire restrictions if camping on upper BLM road. Open fires are allowed outside of fire season. As with any area, practice leave no trace and help remove anything dropped by others. The nearest town is Glide, Oregon with a gas station/mini market, 3 food vendors, and a coffee house. Be sure to stop and support the local community on your way through.
Getting There
Hang a left onto the initially steep gravel road. General instructions are "follow the road that has signs of use." Ignore a disused right at 1.1mi, left then right at the sharp S surve at 2mi, take the right fork at 2.9mi, the parking area is at 4mi. The logging company has installed a bright yellow gate on your right. This is the parking spot and the lat/long given for the area. Don't block the gate!
Walk down the road and onto the trail, or at the first junction (note: camping is free to this junction), continue on the new road going downhill and to the left to reach the majority of the crags, such as the South Comb, the Forbidden Comb, and the south end of the North Comb. If you're aiming for the routes on the east end of the North Comb (which would be Bolted Beauty left to Magic Carpet), go straight on the old trail towards the trees and follow it downward to the wall.
Classic Climbing Routes at The Honeycombs
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