Chimney Buttress

Chimney Buttress is a climbing area in Blue Mounds State Park in southeastern Minnesota, managed by State Park and Recreation. It sits among a cluster of named buttresses and boulders, with several other climbing areas within about a tenth of a mile, including Bottom Boulders Buttress, Yellow Lichen Buttress and Sunday Buttress. The climbing here ranges from trad routes on the easier side to top rope and harder trad. The area has 10 routes, with grades from 5.6 to 5.11+. Trad routes make up six of them, and top rope routes four. Among the named routes are In and Out at 5.6, Boy Howdy at 5.7, and the dance at 5.11+. Summer is the warmest stretch for a visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Rock Rapids, Iowa, run to highs around 85°F in July, with September easing to about 75°F. Winters are cold, with January highs near 25°F.