TROUT CREEK CLIMBING

Category: Oregon Elev: ~2,000 ftRock Type: Basalt
Dates: September 2015(x1 trip), September 2017(x1 trip)Partners: John Plotz (2015), Todd Anderson (2017)

Trip Report #s: 212, 275(these trip report numbers correspond to the first two times I climbed at Trout Creek and established this page on my website)

List of Climbs I've Done & Some Photos

Trout Creek is Oregon's premier destination for pure crack climbs, featuring vertical cracks in corners and stemboxes on towering basalt columns. Most routes are in the 5.10-5.12 range and the climbing is physical, routes are long, and the rock is rough.

I've only climbed at Trout Creek a couple of times times, usually linked with a day or two at Smith Rock.

On this page, I keep a list of the climbs I've done at Trout Creek. Below the list, I give photos from my two trips to Trout Creek.

List of Climbs i've done at trout creek

Trout Creek

Photos

Some random photos from cragging at Trout Creek

Color coded by area:
Main Wall The Northern End

First trip to Trout Creek

Date: September 14, 2015 (Mon) Partner: John Plotz Climbed at: Main Wall, The Northern End

John and I were headed to Yosemite, but bailed halfway there due to wildfires near in the Valley. We detoured to Smith Rock and Trout Creek for the weekend, climbing one day at Smith Rock followed by a day at Trout Creek. This was my first time climbing at Trout Creek. I was impressed with the quality of the climbing. As a crack climber, I like this place!

1. Approaching the Main Wall from the right.

2. First view of the Main Wall.

3. John leading Gold Rush at Main Wall. One of the best 5.10 cracks on the wall, so a good place to start!

4. View from top of Two Step Left at Main Wall. John belaying behind broken columns.

5. Looking up the splitter crack on JR Token at Main Wall. Another Trout Creek classic 5.10.

6. Salad Daze at The Northern End.

7. Where's Noah Vibbert at The Northern End.

Second trip to Trout Creek

Date: September 15&16, 2017 (Fri&Sat) Partner: Todd Anderson Climbed at: Main Wall, The Northern End

Todd and I had planned on a trip to the Pasayten, but a large wildfire caused us to adjust our plans (it was a fire that caused me to come to Trout Creek the first time too). So we headed to Oregon, climbing at Trout Creek for two days and then Smith Rock for one day. Todd and I climbed several of the "best 5.10"s at Trout.

8. Approaching the Main Wall from the left.

9. Gold Rush on left, Alchemy on right, at the Main Wall. We both led Gold Rush, then toproped the first 2/3 of Alchemy from the Gold Rush anchors, and continued the upper 1/3 of Alchemy on lead. (By the way, combining the start of Gold Rush with the finish of Alchemy is called Pan Handlin' on mountainproject, and makes for a nice extension to Gold Rush.)

10. Gold Rush at the Main Wall.

11. Starting up Alchemy at the Main Wall.

12. The upper 1/3 of Alchemy at the Main Wall.

13. JR Token at the Main Wall.

14. Climbing on the Main Wall.

15. Looking down at the toppled basalt columns at the base of the Main Wall.

16. Wally's Warm-Up (aka U3) at the Main Wall.

17. Wally's Warm-Up (aka U3) at the Main Wall.

18. Mr. Squiggles at the Main Wall.

19. Suzuki at the Main Wall. The hexagonal form of the columns is clear in this photo.

20. The Gods Must Be Angry at The Northern End.

21. Hiking back to the campground after our first day of climbing. The Deschutes River flows below.

22. Sleepy Hallow at The Northern End.

23. Todd climbing Girls With Chim(n)ay at The Northern End. The stembox to the right is called Diminishing Returns, which we toproped after Girls With Chim(n)ay.