Washington · Rock climbing · Leavenworth

The Switchbacks

Switchbacks, The is a Washington climbing crag with 9 routes.

9 routes
V0- – V2
Bouldering

Is Switchbacks, The open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 6 alerts for Wenatchee River Ranger District.

As of · Source: USFS · Wenatchee River Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit The Switchbacks

Best months: April–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.

  1. Jan

    34° / 19°

    14 wet

  2. Feb

    42° / 21°

    10 wet

  3. Mar

    52° / 26°

    9 wet

  4. Apr

    61° / 32°

    7 wet

  5. May

    71° / 40°

    7 wet

  6. Jun

    77° / 46°

    5 wet

  7. Jul

    87° / 51°

    3 wet

  8. Aug

    87° / 50°

    3 wet

  9. Sep

    78° / 42°

    4 wet

  10. Oct

    62° / 33°

    9 wet

  11. Nov

    44° / 26°

    13 wet

  12. Dec

    34° / 20°

    14 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Leavenworth 3 S, WA, 2.5 mi away at 1,128 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

The Switchbacks is a bouldering area in the Wenatchee River Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing spots, with Whale Boulder and the Main Area both about 0.1 mile away, and Bruce's Boulder Trail about 0.2 mile off. The area is a cluster of boulder problems, with nine routes listed and all of them rated on the V scale. Most sit in the V0- range, with Gravitational Slingshot at V2 as the hardest. The names of the routes run from Binary Star and Cosmic Debris to Fantastic Planet and Quasar, giving the place a cosmic theme. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Leavenworth show July and August highs around 87°F with lows near 50°F and only about three wet days a month. That station sits roughly 670 feet lower than the boulders, so temperatures on the rock run cooler. Snow Lakes Trail is about 0.7 mile away, and Eightmile Group Site and Bridge Creek Group Site offer camping within about 3 miles. Peshastin Creek, a paddling spot, is about 6 miles off.

Routes (9)

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Whale BoulderPhoto: bgreenlee, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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