Trip Report: Rock Climbing Horsethief Butte
When: 04/26/2019
Location: Horsethief Butte, Columbia Hills State Park, WA
Conditions: Sunny, with some wind.
Duration: 6 hours
Difficulty: All skill levels mostly 5.6-5.10 though
Kid Friendly: Yes
Pet Friendly: Yes
The Full Report:
Horsethief Butte in the Columbia Hills State Park is an awesome place to go climbing for the day and isn't very far from Portland. It’s on the Washington side of the Columbia, right across from the Dalles, so I’d say about an hour and a half from Portland. The beauty of this place is unreal. It looks over the Columbia River and the rocks are mesmerizing. We saw a bunch of wildflowers as well as some wildlife.
There is a parking lot with a fee once you get there (discover pass will cover that). You follow a clearly marked trail through the center or the park where you'll find the crag.
It’s really easy to walk around to the top to set up top ropes. There are plenty of well-placed bolts to make anchors off of. While we were there, we found some beginner routes for some of the folks in our group and also found some that challenged the rest of us a bit more. The rocks were pretty clean and had a good texture which was easy to grip. Overall, we had a great sunny day out there. I would recommend this spot to beginners and intermediates, but the experts might not find stuff to challenge them here. (there is also some good bouldering around).
The Full Report:
Horsethief Butte in the Columbia Hills State Park is an awesome place to go climbing for the day and isn't very far from Portland. It’s on the Washington side of the Columbia, right across from the Dalles, so I’d say about an hour and a half from Portland. The beauty of this place is unreal. It looks over the Columbia River and the rocks are mesmerizing. We saw a bunch of wildflowers as well as some wildlife.
There is a parking lot with a fee once you get there (discover pass will cover that). You follow a clearly marked trail through the center or the park where you'll find the crag.
It’s really easy to walk around to the top to set up top ropes. There are plenty of well-placed bolts to make anchors off of. While we were there, we found some beginner routes for some of the folks in our group and also found some that challenged the rest of us a bit more. The rocks were pretty clean and had a good texture which was easy to grip. Overall, we had a great sunny day out there. I would recommend this spot to beginners and intermediates, but the experts might not find stuff to challenge them here. (there is also some good bouldering around).