Gold Bar, Washington
Location: 1.5 hours west from Leavenworth, 1 hour east of Seattle, 15 minutes from Index (great place for trad)
Type of Climbing: Bouldering
Type of Rock: Granite
Camping: RV Park (club?) where you can set up a tent
Guidebook: Central Washington Bouldering: Leavenworth & Gold Bar
The boulders of the small town of Gold Bar has been touted as being some of the best bouldering in Washington. Pretty crazy to think about when Leavenworth is about an hour and a half away. The town itself is small. It makes you think that everyone there probably knows each other (and their business).
Climbing here...
It looks good. That being said, we did not get a chance to climb here because of wet conditions. We stopped at 5 Star Boulder and it looked like there were many good, stout, overhung problems. 5 Star was easy and quick to find. The rest of the boulders that apparently are in an open field, were tough to find. If you plan on bouldering here I would definitely budget some hiking time. It might take you awhile.
Amenities...
Like I said before Gold Bar is small, but they do have the Gold Bar Family Grocer for any of your food needs. Seeing that Gold Bar is a place to boulder for a couple days, if you load up on food before you get in, you should not even need a visit. There is gas stations in town as well. Note: Most things in town are more expensive than the National Avg.
The Guidebook...
Did not use it. I have glanced through it and it looks solid with colored pictures, problem descriptions, and extensive approach descriptions. All a good formula for success.
Camping...
There is an RV park. I believe that you can set up a tent for a fee, but that is all I can honestly say. I would check out the guidebook suggested, they usually have suggested campsites.
General Area...
Gold Bar is what it is. Lots of back roads, dinky road side shops, cherry basket sales everywhere, gas stations, and a grocery store.
Weather...
I guess it rains a lot. Just from our experience there anyway.
Recommendation...
It looks like a great place to boulder. There are so many different boulders there with tough problems ranging from V0 all the way up to V11. I wish we had the opportunity to try it out.
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