Oregon · Rock climbing · Bend

Castle

CastlePhoto: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington from Portland, America, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
13 routes
5.5 – 5.9
Trad · Bouldering
Apr–Oct
best months

Castle is a climbing area in the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, part of the Bureau of Land Management's Prineville Deschutes Field Office in Oregon. It sits within designated wilderness, and the land is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Climbers here find 13 routes, with nine trad routes and four boulders. The trad routes run from 5.5 to 5.9, and the boulders are graded from V0 to V2+. Among the trad routes are Orko at 5.5, Fezzik at 5.6, African Swallow at 5.7 and Inconceivable at 5.9. Summer and early fall are the mildest times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Bend show July highs around 84°F and September highs around 76°F, with only about two wet days a month in July and August. Winter brings highs in the low 40s and a few snow days each month from December through February. The closest neighbors are The Castle Trail, 0.4 miles away, and the Drive In, a climbing area 1.1 miles off. Flatiron Rock Trail and Ancient Juniper Trail lie about a mile and a half away.

  • Best time to go · Apr–Oct

    Best time to visit Castle

    Best months: April–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      43° / 25°

      9 wet · 4 snow

    2. Feb

      46° / 24°

      7 wet · 3 snow

    3. Mar

      52° / 28°

      6 wet · 1 snow

    4. Apr

      58° / 31°

      6 wet · 1 snow

    5. May

      66° / 37°

      5 wet

    6. Jun

      74° / 42°

      4 wet

    7. Jul

      84° / 49°

      2 wet

    8. Aug

      83° / 48°

      2 wet

    9. Sep

      76° / 41°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      63° / 34°

      4 wet

    11. Nov

      49° / 28°

      7 wet · 2 snow

    12. Dec

      41° / 23°

      8 wet · 4 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bend, OR, 13.1 mi away at 3,660 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (13)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

EastPhoto: OSU Special Collections & Archives : Commons, No restrictions (via Wikimedia Commons)

East

~39 min drive

Oregon climbing area with varied routes and accessible climbing.

Warmup-Hangout ZonePhoto: OSU Special Collections & Archives : Commons, No restrictions (via Wikimedia Commons)

Warmup-Hangout Zone

~39 min drive

Warmup-Hangout Zone is a bouldering area in Oregon with 15 routes.

Downstream BouldersPhoto: OSU Special Collections & Archives : Commons, No restrictions (via Wikimedia Commons)

Downstream Boulders

~39 min drive

5 bouldering routes at Downstream Boulders in Oregon.

(5) Southern TipPhoto: Bill Reynolds from Lake Oswego, Oregon, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

(5) Southern Tip

~45 min drive

Southern Tip in Oregon has 13 climbing routes across 11 grades.

(zz) Upper GorgePhoto: Kris Arnold from New York, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

(zz) Upper Gorge

~45 min drive

Upper Gorge in Oregon has 33 climbing routes across 20 grades, offering sport and trad options.

Gorilla CliffPhoto: clocky, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Gorilla Cliff

~45 min drive

Gorilla Cliff in Oregon has 15 bouldering routes across 9 difficulty grades.

(7) Flounder and Cod RockPhoto: Bill Reynolds from Lake Oswego, Oregon, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

(7) Flounder and Cod Rock

~45 min drive

Flounder and Cod Rock in Oregon has 8 routes with 6 difficulty grades, offering sport, top-rope, and trad climbing.

(m) Smith Rock GroupPhoto: Theoweesnerpdx, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

(m) Smith Rock Group

~45 min drive

Smith Rock Group in Oregon has 4 climbing routes across 3 grades.

(3) PhoenixPhoto: bill mulder from santa margarita, usa, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

(3) Phoenix

~45 min drive

Phoenix in Oregon has 9 climbing routes across 7 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad options.

Mud PilePhoto: Oregon Department of Transportation, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Mud Pile

~45 min drive

Mud Pile in Oregon has 20 routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.