Are you planning your next on-the-road rock climbing trip soon, and have a string of potential goals ranging from Index near Seattle, to Tieton rock, or climbing at Leavenworth? While all those are superb destination climbing sites, they can be very popular destinations, some with congestion choked road corridors that can slow your on-the-rock fun time to waiting in a traffic jam line.

Consider whether Portland has a unique advantage to fit your plan. From Portland, Oregon we've got fast tourism corridors leading quickly toward various climbing areas to the north, east, southeast and south from the metropolitan city. The I-5 corridor is a fast effective means of reaching those high quality superb climbing sites like Flagstone or Wolf Rock (near Eugene), or some of the other great classic climbing destinations of southern Oregon (like Acker Rock and the Callahans).

To the southeast the next prime road corridor is a 4-lane highway (U.S. 26) that stays wide and efficient all the way up to the pass at Government Camp where it trims to fast 2-lanes. This mainline road will lead you swiftly to Smith Rock in Central Oregon if that's your prime goal. By now you know Smith Rock as the beginning of America's sport climbing scene, so its always a perfect getaway (weekdays are less congested).

To the east from Portland is one of our most unique features, the Columbia River Gorge, a beautifully rugged scenic corridor, coursed by the northwest's greatest river sytsem. This corridor also is a boon for economic purposes. The I-84 4-lane freeway courses through the Gorge and continues eastward past Pendleton and onward into Idaho past Boise. It provides a super swift means for any rock climber, whether living here, or visiting here on vacation, to make a fast 60-minute drive to Hood River (and another 20 minutes to The Dalles) in order to access a fine selection of rock climbing destinations on the eastside of the Cascade Mountain range. With minimal elevation difference in a virtual direct shot straight through the Gorge, this freeway system is a fast 12-month ticket to dry eastside climbing destinations.

Each of these road avenues provide rock climbers with valuable options when the westside weather is narcistically wet or dubiously iffy. The rain shadow effect of the Cascade Mountain range is our unique solution to increasing the months of climbing outdoors at various local crags throughout this region. From Portland, in 1-3 hours you can reach various destinations for rock climbing near Hood River (1 hour) to Smith Rock (about 3 hours).

When the westside weather is ideal, plan to visit climbing sites like Ozone Wall, Beacon Rock, or French's Dome. If the eastside weather is better than the westside weather make a quick dash over Gov Camp pass (or through the Gorge) to Pete's Pile, Klinger, Area 51, Bulo, etc). Portlander's (and those who live on the east side of the range) are well-positioned to take full advantage of this unique 'path' through the Gorge, and when all this regions climbing sites are lumped together (excluding other deep Central Oregon stuff) a combined feasible climbing weather window of 7+ months of the year (from about April through October). Even fair weather days during the winter months (Nov-March) yield choice sunny days at low elevation crags like Horsethief Butte or OH8 crag (from mid-day onward).

The geologic nature of many rock climbing crags in Oregon and southern Washington are often basaltic-andesitic (or granitic in the Elkhorn and Wallowa Mountains) in origin (usually columnar or blocky angular fractured rock). These outcrop formations are from lava flows yielding a thick band or layer 40'-200' tall (read the geology section of NWOR book for a deeper analysis of each region). From roughly Snoqualmie Pass northward granitic climbing sites are common, and in southwestern Oregon a broad mix of sandstone, dioritic, or basaltic formations are prevalent.

Oregon has one premier climbing destination (Smith Rock) that ranks very well with other superb rock climbing destinations like Squamish (B.C) or City of Rocks (Idaho). The rock climbing sites in this region (Oregon and southern Washington) tend to be distributed in a modest supply of variable sized crags, scattered broadly yet fairly numerous, often tucked in conveniently accessible places. The basaltic-andesitic bluffs found here are nice in their own right, but generally land in mid-to-lower status if compared against Smith Rock or Leavenworth. So, how do you sum up this regions rock climbing stuff in a form readily understood by non-localites?

Let's give this analysis six hypothetical classifications for the plethora of rock climbing sites this region. And presumably sites like Squamish, Index, Leavenworth area (as a whole), City of Rocks, or Smith Rock land in the highest status range. We will give the theory just a few basic comparative parameters to allow easier grouping of the sites: site popularity, number of routes, year-round v.s. seasonal access, access convenience, and quality of rock and climbing, etc. The seasonal access point is one of those sticky critters that we can waffle a bit on in the stats. And to generalize the meaning of the classes:

• Platinum: A climbing site with overall enjoyment benefits for a wide percentage of climbers from trad to sport, a regionally convenient and accessible location, has 200-600+ routes (or virtual unlimited climbing options), offers year-round access, a popular site, good quality rock and climbing. Examples: Smith Rock, City of Rocks, Leavenworth, Index, Squamish, Yosemite, etc.
• Gold: Broad benefits for trad and/or sport, good quality rock and climbing, and convenient accessibility, approximately 200+/- routes, usually a popular site, year-round access (if possible).
• Silver: Good for either sport and/or trad leading, a popular climbing site, generally 90-170+ routes, quality rock and climbing, year-round access (if possible).
• Bronze: A nice site, may have minor limitations (i.e. seasonal), with 45-100+ routes (if possible), a crag that is utilized by local climbers, but may have specific group emphasis (i.e. sport) which may tilt the ranking.
• Brass: A reasonable site, usually minor limitations (i.e. seasonal), with 10-50+ routes (if possible), and utilized by locals to some degree, may have seasonal access, or other nuances (i.e. may be privately owned).
• Tin: A low ranked site (not necessarily a trash dump though it might be), about 1-15 routes, less frequently climbed, may have seasonal access, or other nuances.

And in a separate category for obvious reasons:

• Other Crazy Stuff: These adventure-ish climbing sites (often isolated spires, pinnacles, etc.) will be divided into two simple factors; a mere moderate adventure, and the other a challenging adventure (both tend to be helmet games). Sometimes there is an OK climb tucked amidst the other crazy stuff (see second table).

With those general parameters in place, let's strive to sum up this regions rock climbing sites so that traveling rock climbers can get a quick sense of quantitative site-ness factors in order to plan an outdoor climbing foray that meets their needs effectively. Oh, and for purposes of tourism centering all these climbing sites on this list are generally within a 0-5 hours drive from Portland. So, let's pull together a small string of Oregon and southern Washington rock climbing sites that fit reasonably well (though not cast in stone by any means) into those parameters in tabulated form.

Naturally, this is a mere brief list, and in no way attempts to tackle the entire spectrum of all crags within the specified radius, nor is is intended to be too specific (its intentionally designed to be broadly generic), and it leaves plenty of room for the variances of opinion. For example, Chimney Rocks would get better status if.., and Flagstone's superb (yet limited) quantity of climbing routes could easily be 'gold' status. Some areas (NE Oregon) have considerable additional cragging options. Some crags still face a long development curve so the upper known route limit is still vague, though implied. A traveling climber new to this region (unfamiliar with our crags) will typically start with something in one of the 3-4 leftmost columns and gradually (over time) tap into the remaining other sites listed in the columns on the far right side of the chart.

As a (potential) traveling climber to this region you can attain a sense of the "pack" that the wolves are running with just by viewing this simple chart. In summation, this region has nice collective strengths wrapped around a few very fine quality upper spectrum climbing sites, and the rest is a plethora of modest enjoyable mid-to-lower end generic entertainment stuff. So, if your traveling over from Europe you will probably just go to places like Leavenworth or City of Rocks. Yet, if you are not tied to just "doin' the gold" rock climbing tour all the time, consider some of the advantages found here in this region and make Portland, Oregon part of your next climbing journey.