All Locations > Oregon > Portland & The Gorge

Crown Point Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Crown Point

L › R R › L A › Z

	Belvedere S 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
	Jewel in the Crown S 5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a

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:	707 ft	215 m
GPS:	45.53996, -122.24404 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	1,186 total · 96/month
Shared By:	E r i c on Oct 6, 2023
Admins:	Roberta Zouain, Kristin Tippey, Micah Klesick, Nate Ball Page Updates (admin only)

See Weather Forecast

Description

Crown Point is one of the most impressive walls in Oregon. It offers inspiring views of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It's only minutes away from a major urban area and the Vista House parking lot is a short walk from the route top-outs. Despite these attractive attributes, Crown Point has not been a popular rock climbing destination simply because of the loose rock and vegetation cover. Currently, the number of documented rock routes on Crown Point can be counted on one hand, some of which likely have not seen any repeats. Even though the rock is generally hard, it’s the fractures in Crown Point's entablature basalt that make it loose. Belvedere is the newest route on the wall ending a 30-year hiatus of inactivity. Aggressively cleaned and well bolted, this sport route is a significant departure from the scary Crown Point climbs of the past.

Crown Point's main wall is north facing and gets a little sun from April through September but no more than a couple hours per day. Crown Point is notorious for strong east winds that typically occur in late Fall through Winter. However, windy conditions unsuitable for climbing seem to be infrequent from late Spring through early Fall.

East of Crown Point's summit and below a hanging valley is Palisade Falls (aka Crown Point Falls). First climbed during the historic 1979 cold snap, Crown Jewel is one of the most popular ice climbs in the Columbia Gorge.

Guidebooks:

Olson, 2021. NW Oregon Rock.
Dodge, 1975. Climbers Guide to Oregon.
Neuberger, 1958. Climbers Guide to the Columbia Gorge. Mazama Vol XL, No 13, Dec 1958.

Trip Reports:

Forums:

YouTube Drone Videos:

Crown Point and Vista House General Info:

Getting There

Vista House

I-84 Exit 22, south on Corbett Hill Road, east on Columbia River Highway.

Base of Crown Point

Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint Park in the lot (no fee or gate). Hike down a dirt road/trail that starts on the northwest side of the parking lot and ends at the RR tracks. Go along the tracks then up the talus slope. 45 minutes.
Rooster Rock State Park Park in the lot (seasonal fee and gated in off-hours). Walk across the overpass then adjacent to the freeway. Turn left on a dirt road across from Rooster Rock to the RR tracks. Go along the tracks then up the talus slope. 30 minutes.
Vista House at Crown Point State Scenic Corridor From the trail below the west side of the viaduct, descend southwest down a steep broad gully then veer right when the cliff becomes west facing. Continue going down generally staying along the base of the wall to the West Chimney or further down to the north wall. Be prepared for some bushwacking. 30 minutes. See the approach trail map.