Washington · Rock climbing · Washougal

(6) Shield Wall

Shield Wall in Washington has 8 routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

8 routes
5.9 – 5.11d
Trad · Sport

Is (6) Shield Wall open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists an alert for Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

As of · Source: USFS · Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit (6) Shield Wall

Best months: June–September. 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

    44° / 33°

    20 wet · 1 snow

  2. Feb

    48° / 33°

    17 wet · 1 snow

  3. Mar

    54° / 35°

    20 wet · 1 snow

  4. Apr

    59° / 38°

    19 wet

  5. May

    67° / 43°

    15 wet

  6. Jun

    71° / 47°

    11 wet

  7. Jul

    79° / 50°

    6 wet

  8. Aug

    80° / 50°

    5 wet

  9. Sep

    74° / 46°

    9 wet

  10. Oct

    62° / 41°

    15 wet

  11. Nov

    51° / 37°

    19 wet

  12. Dec

    44° / 33°

    21 wet · 1 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Skamania Fish Hatchery, WA, 3.8 mi away at 435 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Shield Wall is a climbing area in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Washington, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of other climbing areas, with Old Tree Wall and Heaven's Wall each about 0.1 mile away. The area has eight routes, five of them trad and three sport, with grades ranging from 5.9 up to 5.11d. Rauch Factor is a trad route at 5.10b/c, and MD Route is a sport route at 5.11d. The climbing is best suited to those comfortable with 5.10 and 5.11 grades. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Skamania Fish Hatchery show July and August highs around 79 to 80°F with only five or six wet days a month, while winter brings highs in the mid-40s and rain on most days.

Routes (8)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

North Forest BouldersPhoto: Kingofthedead, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

North Forest Boulders

~17 min drive

North Forest Boulders in Oregon has 12 bouldering routes across 7 grades.

Beacon Rock BoulderingPhoto: Kingofthedead, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Beacon Rock Bouldering

~17 min drive

Solid bouldering in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge with scenic river views.

(7) Heaven's Wall

~0 min drive

13-route climbing crag in Washington with sport and trad options.

(4) Gold Wall

~0 min drive

Gold Wall in Washington has 12 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad options.

Old School Wall

~0 min drive

Old School Wall in Washington has 17 climbing routes across 10 difficulty grades.

New School Wall

~0 min drive

New School Wall in Washington has 5 routes with sport and trad options.

(2) Middle Earth

~0 min drive

Middle Earth in Washington has 10 routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

Mordor

~0 min drive

Mordor in Washington has 15 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad options.

(1) Shire Wall

~0 min drive

Shire Wall in Washington has 11 routes with traditional climbing and 5 difficulty grades.

Ozone

~0 min drive

Ozone is a Washington climbing area with 4 sport routes.