Plan Your Trip Pacific Northwest Outdoors - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 86

Washington
Washington's climbing mecca is Leavenworth, which refers to both the Bavarian-themed
tourist town and its surrounding climbing area. You'll have hundreds of single and mul-
tipitch routes to choose from among the highly featured granite crags, and there's some
great bouldering as well. Climbing here is best in spring or fall, as summertime can be
very hot.
Just an hour's drive northeast of Seattle are the thin, clean cracks of Index Town Wall.
The granite faces here rise up to 500ft from a verdant forest below. As most routes are
5.8 or higher, this area is best for advanced climbers. And close to the Oregon border is
Beacon Rock, offering technically demanding multipitches. Other good destinations in
Washington include Darrington, Mt Erie, North Bend and Vantage. For more information
see www.climbingwashington.com .
Oregon
Smith Rock State Park is Oregon's premier rock-climbing destination - and a gorgeous
place to visit even if you don't climb. Eroded from an old volcanic vent, the high canyon
walls here are home to more than 1000 sport and traditional routes of all levels. The
views are spectacular, especially from multipitch routes, and bouldering is also possible.
As with Leavenworth, spring and fall are the best times to climb, as summertime sees
high temperatures.
Other hot Oregon climbing spots are French's Dome near Mt Hood, Broughton Bluff
near Troutdale and Horsethief Butte in the Columbia River Gorge. Also note that Beacon
Rock is very close to Portland.
British Columbia
British Columbia spoils its climbing community with places such as Squamish, located
about 40 miles north of Vancouver. Featuring high-quality granite often compared with
Yosemite's, this destination boasts more than 200 diverse routes including the Chief, a
2000ft-high granite dome with world-class multipitches.
Fleming Beach, Mt Wells, Mt MacDonald, East Sooke Park and Strathcona Provincial
Park are all good climbing destinations on Vancouver Island.
SEA & LAKE KAYAKING
To a kayaker, the Pacific Northwest is an oasis. It offers intricate and protected wa-
terways, abundant marine life, coastal splendor, campsite access, alpine lakes and