Washington · Rock climbing · Leavenworth

Tumwater Canyon

Tumwater Canyon in Washington has 36 climbing routes with 19 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

36 routes
5.6 – 5.13a
Trad · Sport · Mixed

Is Tumwater Canyon 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 Tumwater Canyon

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, 3.2 mi away at 1,128 ft. The station sits about 1,200 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.

Tumwater Canyon is a climbing 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 Midnight Rock and Upper Castle both about 0.2 miles away. The area has 36 routes, with trad climbing making up the majority at 22 routes and sport climbing at 11. Grades run from 5.6 to 5.13a, with the median around 5.10b. Some of the named routes include Ground Hog Day (5.6, trad), Once Upon A Time (5.9, sport), Ruthless (5.13a, sport) and Sleep Now in the Fire (5.10+, trad). Summer is the warmest stretch, with typical July and August highs around 87°F and lows near 50°F, based on averages from a nearby weather station in Leavenworth. That station sits well below the canyon, so temperatures up high run cooler. Winter is cold, with typical January highs around 34°F and lows near 19°F. The Tumwater Penstock Trail starts about 0.8 miles away, and the Tumwater Mountain Trail is about 1.8 miles off. For an overnight stay, Bridge Creek Group Site is about 4.2 miles away.

Routes (36)

Parking Lot Rock(1)

Park and Ride5.9

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