All Locations > Montana > Northwest Region > Kalispell Area > Point of Rocks

Rat Castle Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Rat Castle

L › R R › L A › Z

	Bullet With Butterfly Wings S,TR 5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b
	Fieval Goes West T,TR 5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
	Hairstyles and Rattitudes T 5.11+ 7a 24 VIII 24 E4 6a
	Pick Pocket S 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c

Order Wrong? Sort Routes

Explore this area in 3D

Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Elevation:	3,469 ft	1,057 m
GPS:	48.64085, -114.69108 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	1,945 total · 29/month
Shared By:	Brett Eckert on Jul 11, 2020
Admins:	GRK, Zach Wahrer Page Updates (admin only)

See Weather Forecast

Description

This zone is the first large chunk of rock to be seen hiking up the gated, main canyon road (East Canyon Trail). The face of the cliff rises from the canyon floor to over 150 feet, which is quite tall for the area.

The top third of the cliff is bisected by a narrow ledge that effectively breaks up the zone into an upper and lower section. A handful of routes climb the lower 100 feet of rock, while the majority are short routes that scale the top 50 feet.

Rat Castle is a nice place to spend the day elevated high above the canyon floor. There are over a dozen climbs ranging from 5.7 to 5.12, plus a couple boulder problems. The eastern routes see morning sun, whereas the more northerly climbs are shaded by trees and enjoy a few hours of dappled light at the end of the day.

Getting There

Turn northeast off Hwy 93 onto an unmarked dirt road between mile marker 153 and 154, approximately 25.5 miles from Whitefish. It is easy to miss. Follow this road for a half mile to reach a gated spur road by taking a left at the T immediately after turning off the highway and a right at a fork in the road 0.4 miles in.

Park near the gate, walk around it and head up the road for 0.47 miles. Here a trail leaves the road (fairly prominent and usually marked with a little cairn) and climbs steeply for a tenth of a mile up the side of the canyon to the top of the cliff. Hike along the narrowing ledge, exercising caution while moving around a constriction on the edge of the cliff to reach the climbs (the ledge eventually broadens into a nice terrace).

To reach the lower routes, hike briefly along the aforementioned trail until it starts heading uphill. From here, bushwhack along the edge of the timber cut to reach the bottom of the cliff. There isn't yet a well-defined trail.