ROTC, 5.11c, on Midnight Rock, Tumwater Canyon.
Photo by Larry Kemp.
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Ownership/Management:
Wenatchee National Forest.
Land Manager:
Vaughan Marable.
Tyler Kellett, Wilderness Ranger
Wenatchee River Ranger District (Formerly Leavenworth District and Lake Wenatchee District)
600 Sherbourne
Leavenworth, Washington 98826
(509) 548-6977
Current status:
All crags are currently open.
Access considerations:
Midnight Rock and Noontime Rock are seasonally closed for raptor nesting, April 1 through July 31 (in 2009 the closure was lifted early because the birds did not nest - the crag is open as of June 9, 2009). All other crags are open year round.
In some places, there are threatened or endangered plant species growing in cracks and near crags. If you are interested in establishing a new route, please ask for information on these plants at the Leavenworth Ranger Station.
Other resources:
Weather forecast
Weather cam
For discussion:
East Slope Crags forum
Tumwater Canyon, and especially Castle Rock, is the historic heart of Washington rock climbing. The first ascent of Midway was made by Fred Beckey, Wes Grande, and Jack Schewbland in 1948. While it may not have been the first modern crag climb in Washington, it probably comes close. Later, in the 1970s, Midnight Rock became the place for hard crack climbing in Washington, including standard setters such as R.O.T.C. (5.11c) and Supercrack (5.12c).
More recently, some fine new crags and bouldering areas have been discovered (or rediscovered). These include some steeper sport areas.
The current annual mandatory raptor closure at Midnight and Noontime Rocks followed an experimental voluntary closure. Unfortunately, the closure was violated when some climbers climbed directly through the nest site. The Forest Service then went to the current mandatory closure. This closure is usually lifted in mid-July, after the raptors are done nesting.
Camping is available at Tumwater Campground or at numerous campgrounds in nearby Icicle Creek Canyon.
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