PRINT: Rock Climbing in Nason Ridge, Central-East Cascades, Wenatchee, & Leavenworth

Nason Ridge

Washington > Central-E Casca… > Leavenworth

Description

A steep, south-west facing cluster of granitic crags with great rock, Nason Ridge has a decent variety of climbs, mostly 5.10 and up.

There are four main areas, listed from left/uphill to right/downhill:

The approach trail takes you to the base of the corner that separates the cave wall and the balcony

The routes are mostly bolted with fixed anchors, but there is at least one moderate trad route.

Getting There

Just east of Merritt and before Nason Ridge road is a small pull-out on either side of an obvious residential access road on the north side of the highway. This pullout is a slow car turn-off pullout. Please park west of the residential road so the residents can use the pullout to access the road. This residential road is called Untracked Lane.

DO NOT USE DRIVEWAYS OR RESIDENTIAL ROAD FOR ACCESS.

Step into the forest just east of the residential road and continue north, parallel to the road. Sometimes it's a bit overgrown, but persevere and you'll enter some more open woods and pick up a distinct trail that switchbacks up to the crag. Also, access to this area crosses private property, so be considerate, quiet and please keep your dog on a leash. Keep all residential development on your left as you head for the trail.

When you get clear of the forest and above the private residences, continue up and left on a well-tracked steep trail towards the cliff band on BLM land. The trail splits off left at one point but keep going right. It will take you to the ledge between the Cave Wall and the balcony.

A cat used to follow me up the trail!

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Sport climbing in Leavenworth?!?!?!

Crag cat leading the way on the approach.

Balcony Wall

Starting the crux of Roofus on the FA

The Cave Wall

The Alcove Wall

Nason Ridge Approach in the Fall

Approach trail track

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Shaun Johnson
Pocatello, ID

Thanks for finally sharing this beta! Nason Ridge is a very welcome change from the typical slab climbing in Leavenworth. The access trail crosses through private land, so PLEASE be respectful, quiet, and have your dog on a leash. Park thoughtfully and DO NOT GO UP THE DRIVEWAY. Thanks Apr 23, 2019

Jon Woods
Kirkland, WA

Thanks for the info on the approach, but I haven't been able to find it. I've driven around that area many times and could not find anything. The small pull out mentioned seems to just be a large slow vehicle pull out. Could someone possibly post a picture of the trail entrance/private driveway? Or maybe just the GPS coordinates of the entrance?

I'd really love to check out this area, but want to be respectful of the residents in the area. Thanks! Jul 15, 2019

MilesC

Hey folks, I'm plunking in photos and descriptions of the routes on the main wall that I climbed. I talked to a few folks, but no one seemed to know names or consensus grades, so I encourage everyone to submit corrections if they have them!

Also, as of this posting, many of the routes have fixed draws, but a lot of them are fairly ancient nylon and aluminum. Oct 8, 2019

Elliot Davis
South Pasadena

The residential access road in the approach description is named untracked lane. There is no currently visible trail from the road but go straight into the forest behind the mailboxes and a path will open up for you Aug 25, 2020

Miki Beardsley

Just went with some friends yesterday. The approach is a difficult one to find! But as the previous comment said, go to untracked Lane, bushwack just behind the mailboxes (the locals don't like you walking on their road) til you find some trails in open woods. Then keep left! You'll pass right by one or two houses on your left. The trail takes you onto the switchbacks. The trail is steep and skinny so be prepared.
It's a beautiful area to climb in but exposed during the day, so be prepared for heat and wind. Most of the climbs have lichen and moss growth, so watch out for that. The anchors are in good shape (was at Mod Squad). Jun 30, 2022

chris spalding
Seattle, WA

Is there an ethic at these crags (particularly the cave) around permanent draws? It seems like there isn't (went up there today and found a mixture of permanent pro on routes) but I wanted to check before I went up there and equipped a route.

Also, and this applies to all crags, we ran into a very cute but pretty poorly behaved dog on our way up that wasn't on a leash. If you're gonna bring a dog to the crag you should seriously consider keeping the dog on a leash (or at least keep one easily accessible on your hike). The approach is narrow, steep, and dusty, so it's not really feasible to escape the trail or move quickly if a weird encounter happens. Jun 3, 2023

Rayce Ruffing
Milwaukee, WI

This trail is incredibly difficult to follow particularly in the fall when there are leaves obscuring the trail. I did manage to find the correct trail after bushwacking off trail up to the crag and then finding it on the decent. The lower section of the trail adjacent to untracked road is a maze of other trails many that are more defined than the correct trail. My advice is stay left in the lower part until you find the correct approach trail that is about 200ft from the private land on untracked road. the trail itself resembles a game trail all of the way up the cliff. Oct 29, 2023