Virgin on the Edge of Rediculous, Lower Town Wall at Index
(Photo Larry Kemp collection).
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The Upper Town Wall at Index already lies within
Forks of the Sky State Park and the Index crag known as "The Country" which is immediately adjacent
to the Lower Town Wall property is also already on State Park land. The Washington Climbers
Coalition (WCC) now owns the Lower Town Wall and several nearby crags, and plans to donate this
property for inclusion in the Forks of the Sky State Park. Sky Valley Chronicle, August 29, 2010.
Working Agreement:
We have recently agreed on the terms of a donation of the property to Washington State Parks. For
nearly twenty years, State Parks has owned the the land surrounding the Lower Town Wall (including
the Upper Town Wall and the Country) as part of Forks of the Sky State Park. As a condition of our
donation, State Parks has accepted certain restrictions on its property ownership. These include
conditions that require the property to remain open year-round (except in emergencies); require that
the area will be managed with climbing as the primary property purpose; and require that historic
climbing and climbing-related practices will be "grandfathered in" to a management plan for the
property. Some details remain to be ironed out, but these basic principles have been approved by
the State Parks and Recreation Commission. As part of its approval, the Commission has also officially
designated the area as the "Stimson Bullitt Climbing Reserve at Forks of the Sky State Park."
Why State Parks:
We explored several options regarding how we would establish a permanent climbing park containing the
Lower Town Wall. Among others we considered (1) holding title
in the name of the Washington Climbers Coalition or a separate climbers' cooperative, and operating
a private climbing area, (2) transferring the property to a land trust should one be willing to take it,
(3) transferring the property to Washington State Parks, or (4) transferring the property to Snohomish County
Parks. For a variety of reasons, the transfer to Washington State Parks appears to be the best choice. "Parks"
is already managing the Upper Town Wall and several other popular crags in the area, and we've been happy
with them as "landlord." We believe they are most likely to be able to maintain the current balance of recreational
access, stewardship, and long term preservation; and Washington State Parks is an organization that will last forever.
State Parks as Climbing Area Managers:
Washington presently has several rock climbing areas that lie all or in part on State Park land. Beacon Rock
and Peshastin Pinnacles are two of the more well known, but one of the State’s most popular areas, "Exit 38,"
is within Iron Horse State Park. Larrabee State Park has coastal bouldering near Bellingham, Steamboat Rock
State Park contains crags near Banks Lake, and Riverside State Park contains areas known as Deep Creek and
McClellan near Spokane. Rock climbing has always been the primary recreational activity within the Forks of
the Sky State Park although hikers enjoy the view from Lookout Point and the top of the Upper Town Wall,
two formations well known to Index rock climbers. The land managers at Forks of the Sky State Park have
been very supportive of rock climbing and have contributed to crag maintenance efforts, participated in or
aided the occasional rescue effort, and assisted in our efforts to warn climbers and vandals of the danger posed
by throwing large objects from the top of the Upper Town Wall. In short, we expect that climbers will see little
change in their daily access and enjoyment of the Lower Town Wall, although we will continue to work toward
making basic improvements to the parking area.
Index Fund page: information and donations.
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This satellite photo has property lines added. The parcel we hope to purchase is near the center of this image. Two private property parcels lie nearby, and these areas are surrounded by State Parks property to the east, west, and north.
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