PRINT: Rock Climb Railroad Tracks, Wind River Range

Railroad Tracks

5.8, Trad, Alpine, 800 ft (242 m), 4 pitches, Grade III,

Avg: 2.3 from 54 votes
FA: unknown
Wyoming > Wind River Range > Deep Lake Area > Haystack Mountain

Description

P1. From near the bottom of the Grassy Goat Trail, scramble up low-angle rock near a single crack to the parallel cracks, then climb left to small tree. 5.4 at best. We simul-climbed this pitch.

P2. Step right to a pair of facing corners and surmount an overhang. 5.8

P3. Follow a right-facing corner for 1 pitch (5.6-5.8)

P4. Follow a corner to above two large blocks. Twenty feet higher, the parallel cracks become difficult. Take the left crack. 5.8

P5-? Easy scrambling to ridge of Haystack Mt.

To descend, walk north along a wide-sweeping ridge. There were a few cairns to mark the start of the Grassy Goat Trail.

Location

This climb is located on Haystack Mountan, West Face, Center Section. See Joe Kelsey's "Climbing and Hiking in the Wind River Range."

The descent is the Grassy Goat Trail. It is considered Grade I 4th class. For the unseasoned climber, this may require a few short rappels. It will definitely sustain your attention.

Protection

Typical alpine route. We didn't encounter any fixed gear or bolts. The top is a walk off without anchors

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Another photo of the sky during the 2017 summer eclipse from the second to last pitch on Railroad Tracks.

The last pitch of Railroad Tracks

Nice summit

Phil on P2

Anchors take a little gardening

Looking up from base on grassy goat trail

View from the start

Pitches are color coded as to how we climbed this route

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Brian Post
Jackson, NH

5.8

I actually found the Grassy Goat Trail less serious than I thought it would be. It's definitely exposed with mostly hiking, easy scrambling, and only a few sections where you would use hands. It of course varies from person to person, but I only wanted to rap one section (about half way down?, slings) and once that was in a thunder/hail storm. Mar 31, 2007

jbak x
tucson, az

The Goat Trail is casual. Oct 29, 2007

Jared Spaulding
Central WY

I believe the first ascent was Joe Kelsey and Bill St Jean in 1973. This is according to Joe Kelsey's Climbing and Hiking in the Wind River Mountains guidebook. Aug 20, 2008

Arlo F Niederer
Colorado Springs, CO

The third edition of the Bonney Guide, published in 1977, attributes the first ascent to Elaine Mathews and S. Phillips, in 1973. They are also listed as the first ascent of the Central Corner 1973 (In both Bonney and Kelsey).

The Kelsey guide was published in 1994. Don't know which one is right...I first climbed the route in 1975, prior to anything being in the guidebook. We also climbed the Central Corner in 1975 - it was full of gear from an obvious retreat.

We climbed many routes in here which are not documented in any guidebooks...ascents from a time when people passed route information along by word of mouth, or just saw a line and tried to climb it.

So who knows (and who cares) who got the first ascent. Sep 7, 2010

Tim Shea
Fort Lauderdale, FL

This is a really cool climb. The top of haystack has great views of the Winds. This climb starts at the end of the grassy goat trail. I found the cruxes to be solid 5.8. I did turn the 2nd overhang on P2 on the right side and found it the crux of the climb. The dihedral was sustained and had tricky pro. Use small cams on your standard rack. Some cracks are bottoming and grass filled. Where gardening has taken place there are nice placements for small cams. All pitches are rope strechers (5) to 400 ft of class 3-4 to top. Aug 23, 2011

Cam Reade

I found this route to be alot longer than what is printed in Steve Bechtel's book. You will stretch a 70m rope on this! This information is as per the color coded picture. pitch one is about 300', pitch (#2) 240', pitch (#3) 110', pitch (#4) 70', pitch #5 150', pitch #6 70', then easy 5th and 4th class to the top. Sep 7, 2011

Alison Conrad
Evergreen, CO

The pitches are a lot longer than the Bechtel guide book. Expect full 200 meter pitches. Fairly grassy. Sep 9, 2011

bob branscomb
Lander, WY

5.8

I third the last two comments about pitch length. Expect long pitches and usual alpine vegys. I thought this was a pretty nice route, actually, good fun and the cruxes are interesting.

Protection is quite good. It takes stoppers like crazy. You can sew it up with two sets of stoppers, a couple of larger C3s and a set of C4s to #4 (would do fine to a #3). Sep 27, 2011

BruceB
Reno, NV

This route is really quite grassy. We also had a big thunderstorm the day before and that resulted in a number a wet areas. Both these things took some of the fun out of it for me (leading).

Same comment on rope lengths as Cam, but I combined his pitch 3&4. Aug 3, 2012

Tzilla Rapdrilla

5.8+

This is NOT a four pitch route, here’s the pitch breakdown we did that worked well:

P1 - 5.3 - 150’ - Go up the crack in the low angle slab by the bottom of grassy goat to a convenient spot and belay.
P2 - 5.5 - 100’ - continue up the crack to the ledge with the small tree. This could be simul-climbed with P1.
P3 - 5.7 -110’ - Step right and enter the crack/corner that leads to the two facing corners. A bit of a crux occurs where the corners meet. After that about 40’ good belay options exist at several spots.
P4 -5.6 - 110’ - Continue up easy terrain with lots of grassy cracks and sparse pro to a nice belay stance in a corner.
P5 - 5.6 - 130’ - Head up similar terrain past a diorite alcove heading for a prominent detached block below the steeper crux pitch. Belay at a nice spot at the big detached block (it looks stable).
P6 - 5.8+ - 130’ - Climb over the block and into the crack above. After passing the steep spot a lower angle corner provides the crux. A belay can be set after the acute right facing corner.
P7 - 5.7 - 100’ - Continue up the crack system using flakes on the left when needed to a grassy slope.
P8 - 5.4 - 170’ - After moving the belay up to the top of the grassy slope aim for a left facing corner feature and a groove that takes one to the end of the roped climbing. Aug 25, 2020