The Amphitheater
Amphitheater, Washington climbing area with 13 routes across 10 grades.
Photo: Mattsjc, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 13 routes
- V0 – V3-4
- Bouldering · Trad · Sport
Is Amphitheater, The open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
Eagle Creek Fire Area Closure - CRGNSA and Mt. Hood
Agency alert covering Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area · Order 06-22-01-26-04 · USFS · 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 The Amphitheater
Best months: March–June and September–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.
Jan
42° / 31°
14 wet
Feb
48° / 32°
11 wet
Mar
57° / 36°
11 wet
Apr
64° / 42°
8 wet
May
73° / 49°
6 wet
Jun
79° / 55°
4 wet
Jul
88° / 61°
2 wet
Aug
88° / 60°
2 wet
Sep
80° / 52°
3 wet
Oct
65° / 43°
8 wet
Nov
50° / 35°
13 wet
Dec
41° / 31°
14 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at The Dalles Muni Ap, WA, 3.8 mi away at 235 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
The Amphitheater is a climbing area in Washington's Columbia Hills State Park, within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The land is managed by State Park and Recreation, and the area sits right next to the Main Corridor and Horsethief Butte climbing areas, which are each about 0.1 mile away. The Amphitheater is a bouldering destination, with 13 routes on record, including nine boulders, two trad routes and one mixed route. The boulders range from V0 to V3-4 on the V scale, and the trad routes sit around 5.7 to 5.11+ on the YDS scale. Some of the named boulders are Hugs & Crevices at V0, Spot You to Death at V0 and Nightmares at V3-4. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in The Dalles show May highs around 73°F and September highs around 80°F, with only a few wet days in each month. Summer is hotter, with July and August highs near 88°F, and winter brings highs in the low 40s and about 14 wet days a month. The Horsethief Butte Trail starts about 0.1 mile away, and the Eightmile Alternate Trail and Vista Loop Trail are both within about 2 miles. Across the river in Oregon, the Lower Bench Trail is roughly 6.7 miles off.
