Tumwater Canyon-Parasol

                                                                                                                                 Cruising up Drury Lane at The Parasol.

Mike Rolfs recently posted on the WenatcheeOutdoorsForum about a new rock climbing crag a few miles up the Tumwater Canyon that was fun and a quick hit for a few hours. He wrote:

“This weekend Aaron Simmons and I had so much fun that I bought some new rock shoes on the way home. We visited ‘The Parasol’ which is accessed by a short (very short) trail from the pullout just past mile marker 96 in the Tumwater Canyon. The area is new to me and probably to you too. I understand that Brad Metz is to thank for discovery, the trail, and most of the rock scrubbing and bolting. I heard about this spot from Viktor Kramar who helped with the development. It was a hot day, but we climbed comfortably in the shade until 11a.m. It was still shady when we left, but as I only do this once a year, that was plenty for me. Routes ranged from 5.7 to 5.10 with clean rock (the whole area is scrubbed) and three nice anchors with chains. The longest route is around 100′ in length. I think there are 8 routes but we led only two of them and top-roped the rest. I bet this will become a popular spot.”

Mike has a fun video of his day climbing at the Parasol  at the WenOutdoorsForum.

We then received more information about this new crag from Charlie Hickenbottom who sent a PDF to the local Climbing Chatter group with the information listed below and showing this topo of the crag prepared by Viktor Kramar.

“The Parasol is a recently developed climbing area in the Tumwater Canyon. The location is about a mile north of Castle Rock, placing the crag about midway between Castle Rock and Rattlesnake Rock. The parking location is immediately north of
Milepost 96 on the east side of the highway at a wide unpaved turnout with room for several vehicles. Be aware not to confuse this with another parking spot just south of milepost 96 that is paved. A trail heads steeply uphill from the pullout. Hiking time is
less than 10 minutes to the base of the crag.

Climbs are slabby, with most routes a combination of trad and bolt protected. The range of difficulty between 5.7 and 5.10 will be of interest to a wide segment of climbers. The aspect offers shade in the morning, something that is not in plentiful supply in the Leavenworth area. The combination of aspect for morning hot weather climbing and intermediate-rated climbs make this crag a significant addition to the Leavenworth climbing scene. Thanks to Brad Metz (key developer) and Viktor Kramar (shared this topo and the author of the guidebook Leavenworth Rock). A ton of work involved building an access trail, belay ledges, route scrubbing, bolting, and chain anchors. A few of the belay ledges have been “hardened” with wood supports. The steep slopes between belay ledges are loose. Careful use of the area is essential to protect the resource. You can help by not shortcutting the trails between belay ledges and avoid standing along the edge of ledges, which typically breaks the edge and reduces the size of the belay stance.”

Thanks to Viktor Kramar for permission to use this topo and photos of the crag. See or print a bigger, clearer topo.

                                                                                                                           Practicing delicate footwork on Carpetbagger.

More Local Rock Climbing Information:

• See the WenOut on-line rock climbing guidebook for the details about lots more rock climbing around Central Washington.
• Leavenworth Rock is the definitive hardcopy guidebook to all of the developed crags around Leavenworth, Peshastin, Icicle Canyon, and Tumwater Canyon.