Leavenworth, Washington
Location: 2.5 hours east of Seattle on highway 2, Inside the Wenatchee National Forest
Type of Climbing: Trad (mostly), Bouldering, Sport (too few)
Type of Rock: Granite
Camping: Campgrounds ranging from $14 - 24 all around the town; Free camping on turn off of Icicle Creek Rd (a main stay for many climbers)
Guidebook: Leavenworth Rock (3rd Edition) by Viktor Kramer, Central Washington Bouldering: Leavenworth & Gold Bar by Kelly Sheridan
Leavenworth is a staple to any climbers ticklist of crags. It is nestled in the scenic Wenatchee National Forest with beautiful granite rock. It has been known as more of a mecca for trad climbers as trad climbing basically covers the whole area while bouldering has taken a back seat to the scene.
The town of Leavenworth itself, has been known as a marketing "guide" for any small town to get out of debt and back on the rise. Leavenworth was a once booming town but the market crash of the '20s devastated the area into a spiral that seemed to never stop. It was not until the town adopted it's Bavarian "ways" that it started to take off again. The town of Leavenworth has no prior connection with the Bavarian culture other than taking on every aspect of it. Oh, and does it show! Everything feels like an old Bavarian village with people in lederhosen playing accordions, while spectators enjoy delicious German sausage covered in sauerkraut and enjoying some Icicle Brewery beer. The shops are all catered towards the adopted culture. Well, basically every inch of industry is. It really does take you back.
Climbing here...
I cannot say anything about the trad climbing here as I am not a trad climber. What I can preach to the choir is how amazing the bouldering is here. One of the locals even said to us, "I think the bouldering WAS a side note of Leavenworth but I think it IS the staple of Leavenworth now that the area has been developed better."
The bouldering here is on granite, so expect small, sharp crimps with very technical moves. There also are a few boulders with jug moves and roofs but they are more scarce than the latter. The problems here are generally shorter than the standard and again, there ARE some high ball problems but not many. The area's themselves are extremely easy to navigate you just need to find out where the trail heads are. (Go talk to locals at the Leavenworth Mountain Shop, Der Sportsman (in town), or National Park Forest Office to find out the trail heads.) We navigated without a guidebook for 5 days and were fine without it. The approaches to the boulders are extremely short as well. Don't expect to get frustrated hiking and hiking and hiking some more to get to the areas. Some areas you need to check out include: The Sword Boulder, Barney's Rubble, NFS Boulder (upper and lower), Mad Meadow, and the Swiftwater Picnic Area.
As for sport climbing, don't bother. There are some classic routes here but there are too few to even bust the rope out. If you are like me and do not mind a change up from sport climbing to boulder, I would.
Amenities...
Leavenworth has everything that you could need, problem is that it can get expensive because it is a tourist driven economy. There is a Safeway (grocery store equivalent of Kroger, Giant Eagle, Smith's, Dan's) that can hook you up with all of your food needs. Also, gas can get a bit expensive here so I would fill up before getting into town.
Didn't use it. I have heard that the Viktor Kramer guidebook is too good to pass up and he has done a great job updating his previous edition, now 3rd. I wish we had the bouldering guidebook for my ego of knowing what rating I just pulled down, but I did not think it was totally necessary of having. Both are about $25 each and can both be purchased in town here. Note: I could not find the updated version of Kramer's online, so you HAVE to buy it in town.
Camping...
You can camp with running water (toilets and showers) for a fee of around $20 average or you can camp for free up Icicle Creek Canyon Rd with no running water. (a port-o-pottie is a 5 minute walk away) There is a turn off to the left when heading up the canyon road and it is just past the bridge going across the river. There are rock carans (still there?) on the side to note the pass. Icicle Creek Canyon Rd campground where all of the climbers migrate to. It can get very packed on the weekends so get in early if you are leaning towards this area or on Thursday.
For detail directions
General Area...
Love it. The town will give you something to do for a rest day, walking around sampling all of the foods and wines of the area. Also, to note for a rest day, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, and whitewater rafting are awesome here. If you got the gear or the cash, I would consider doing these activities.
To note: Make sure to check for ticks more regularly than normal. They cover the whole forest especially near the river.
Weather...
Can get hot in the sun but it IS Washington and it never gets THAT hot. Stayed pleasant in July around high 70s. The bouldering areas are shaded so no worries of getting too hot there.
Recommendation...
After talking to trad climbers here, they love it. As for me, as a boulder-er, I loved it here as well. I thought the problems had good variation of moves and holds. The best area in my opinion to get acclimated to the climbing in the area is the Sword Boulder. (plus it's 2 seconds off Icicle Creek Canyon Rd) The Sword is covered with V0s and V1s to keep any boulder-er satisfied.
If you are a bouldering fiend I would definitely check out Leavenworth, Washington. With easy approaches, fun problems, free camping, variety of problems, and shaded areas from the sun, you can not go wrong.
To view other areas or go back to the map click here.
0 comments