Type: | Trad, 600 ft (182 m), 6 pitches, Grade II |
FA: | John Orenshall, Gene Todd 1954 |
Page Views: | 33,495 total · 152/month |
Shared By: | Karsten Duncan on Feb 26, 2006 |
Admins: | Nate Ball, Jon Nelson, Micah Klesick, Zachary Winters |
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Access Issue: CLOSURES: South and East Faces (NW & W Faces Remain Open)
Details
The South Face and access trail is closed from Feb. 1st through July 15th, depending on peregrine falcon nesting. Portland Area Climbers Coalition, Washington Climbers Coalition, and the Access Fund are coordinating on this issue. Disregarding this closure will harm their efforts to adjust it and their relationship with land managers.
The east face is closed to climbing year-round due to possible sensitive/endangered plant species.
The NW face and West face routes remain open.
See Closure section below for more details.
The east face is closed to climbing year-round due to possible sensitive/endangered plant species.
The NW face and West face routes remain open.
See Closure section below for more details.
Description
Airy views of the Columbia gorge, good rock, and superb climbing make this route a classic and THE most popular route at Beacon Rock. Almost every climbable weekend will see ascents.
Finding the start of this route can be a challenge. Go down the climbers trail on the East side of Beacon. After turning the corner watch for a rise in terrain. Just past the rise the route starts in a right angling corner.
Pitch 1: 5.6 Climb up the right leaning corner and then up a crack to a nice ledge. Be careful pulling onto the ledge as there may be loose rocks. Belay from a bolted anchor
Pitch 2: 3rd class Traverse down a few feet and then straight right for a pitch. Belay at bolted anchors. Pro is sparse but the climbing is easy. Most people link pitch one and two.
P3: 5.7 Pull the steep mantle immediately up and left of the anchor and continue up the ramp above (or the right-leaning, right-facing dihedral just left of the ramp) until you have pulled a couple of vertical moves past some old pins. Make a short traverse to your right, around the corner, to a hand crack, and then head straight up for a short distance to the large belay ledge with tree. Do not belay off the tree! 30m.
P4: Ascend the obvious left-leaning, right-facing dihedral/ramp up and left from the belay. Build a trad anchor shortly after you gain the narrow dirty ledge. Anchors for Jill's Thrill are down and to the left, around a slight rock outcropping. Ignore these if continuing to the top. 40m.
P5: Walk left along the dirty ledge for a very short distance then turn right up a wide, shallow gully that is littered with dirt and loose rock. The short offwidth is at the top, and slightly to the right, of this gully. I personally prefer to build an anchor here at the top of the offwidth. ~20m.
P6: Head up and right along the low-angle ramp, and clip the ancient bolt off to your left at the top (for the rope) before walking right along a ledge a short distance and around a bit of a corner. Go straight up the face above you and build an anchor on the large ledge at the top. ~40m.
P7: Many people solo this pitch as it's unexposed and easy (5.4?). Go up and left from the ledge, taking the line of least resistance up the low-angle ridge/spine of clean rock. At a large ledge on the last of the solid rock, you'll have a hard-to-see piton down low and a bolt scar. Body belay, redirect off the piton, or belay off your harness with the piton for backup. DO NOT GO UP THE SCREE SLOPE TO BELAY FROM A TREE! ~ 30m.
Unrope and walk off initially to the north (climber's right), then up the trail through the trees to the hikers' trail.
Finding the start of this route can be a challenge. Go down the climbers trail on the East side of Beacon. After turning the corner watch for a rise in terrain. Just past the rise the route starts in a right angling corner.
Pitch 1: 5.6 Climb up the right leaning corner and then up a crack to a nice ledge. Be careful pulling onto the ledge as there may be loose rocks. Belay from a bolted anchor
Pitch 2: 3rd class Traverse down a few feet and then straight right for a pitch. Belay at bolted anchors. Pro is sparse but the climbing is easy. Most people link pitch one and two.
P3: 5.7 Pull the steep mantle immediately up and left of the anchor and continue up the ramp above (or the right-leaning, right-facing dihedral just left of the ramp) until you have pulled a couple of vertical moves past some old pins. Make a short traverse to your right, around the corner, to a hand crack, and then head straight up for a short distance to the large belay ledge with tree. Do not belay off the tree! 30m.
P4: Ascend the obvious left-leaning, right-facing dihedral/ramp up and left from the belay. Build a trad anchor shortly after you gain the narrow dirty ledge. Anchors for Jill's Thrill are down and to the left, around a slight rock outcropping. Ignore these if continuing to the top. 40m.
P5: Walk left along the dirty ledge for a very short distance then turn right up a wide, shallow gully that is littered with dirt and loose rock. The short offwidth is at the top, and slightly to the right, of this gully. I personally prefer to build an anchor here at the top of the offwidth. ~20m.
P6: Head up and right along the low-angle ramp, and clip the ancient bolt off to your left at the top (for the rope) before walking right along a ledge a short distance and around a bit of a corner. Go straight up the face above you and build an anchor on the large ledge at the top. ~40m.
P7: Many people solo this pitch as it's unexposed and easy (5.4?). Go up and left from the ledge, taking the line of least resistance up the low-angle ridge/spine of clean rock. At a large ledge on the last of the solid rock, you'll have a hard-to-see piton down low and a bolt scar. Body belay, redirect off the piton, or belay off your harness with the piton for backup. DO NOT GO UP THE SCREE SLOPE TO BELAY FROM A TREE! ~ 30m.
Unrope and walk off initially to the north (climber's right), then up the trail through the trees to the hikers' trail.
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