Washington · Rock climbing · Leavenworth

Upper Castle

Upper Castle in Washington has 32 climbing routes across 16 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

32 routes
5.6 – 5.12b
Trad · Mixed · Sport

Is Upper Castle 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 Upper Castle

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, 3.3 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.

Upper Castle is a climbing area in Washington's Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, within the Wenatchee River Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the area sits alongside two other named climbing spots: Lower Castle and The Ogre, both about a tenth of a mile away. The area holds 32 routes, mostly traditional with a few sport and mixed options. Grades run from 5.6 to 5.12b, with Cat Burglar at 5.6 and Rainshadow Direct at 5.12b. Trad routes like Old Gray Mare and Lucky Charms sit at 5.8 and 5.9, and MF Direct is a 5.11- trad. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. A nearby weather station at Leavenworth records typical July and August highs around 87°F with lows near 50°F and only about three wet days a month. That station sits roughly 700 feet lower than the area, so temperatures here run cooler. The Tumwater Penstock Trail lies 0.8 miles away, and the Tumwater Mountain Trail is 1.8 miles off. For an overnight, Bridge Creek Group Site and Eightmile Group Site are both about 4 miles away.

Routes (32)

By the SeaFA: Pat Littlejohn 19785.10-Devil's FrightFA: Ed Cooper, ™ Herbert, 1960. FFA- Jim Madsen, Ron Burgner, 19665.10+AngelFA: Pete Schoening & Jim Henry | FFA Fred Beckey & Don Gordon5.10bCrack of DoomFA: FA Dan Davis FFA Jim Madsen5.10bSlim PickinsFA: Jim Yoder and Lee Cunningham5.10c/dDevil's Delight5.10dMF OverhangFA: Ed Cooper, Gordon Thompson. FFA: Al Givler.5.10dThe Nose, of Jello TowerFA: Fred Beckey, Don Wilde, 1950; FFA Mead Hargis5.10dMF DirectFA: Peter Croft5.11-Dan's Dreadful Direct (aka DDD)FA: Dan Davis, Pat Callis, 1963 (FFA Dan Lepeska, John Stoddard) 19855.11b/cHangdog5.11b/cRainbow ConnectionFA: Michael Adams and Dan Lepeska5.11cDas MusakFA: Perry Beckham, 19855.11dNo Such Thing as a Free LungeFA: Dan Lepeska5.11dRainshadow DirectFA: Kyle O'Meara5.12bCat BurglarFA: Fred Beckey, Don Gordon, John Rupley, 1957.5.6MidwayFA: Fred Beckey, Wes Grande & Jack Schwabland (1948)5.6Midway DirectFA: TM Herbert, Eric Bjornstad, R. Neufer, 1960.5.6SaberFA: Pete Schoening5.6Winter SolsticeFA: Eric Bjornstad, Bill Hooper, 19635.6DirectissimaFA: Eric Bjornstad & Ed Cooper (1960)5.7Old Gray MareFA: Dan Davis (1960s)5.8CanaryFA: Fred Beckey, Dave Collins, Don Gordon5.8+CenturyFA: Ed Cooper, Ron Priebe, Bruce Gibbs,1959, 1st Free ascent: Eric Bjornstad, Ed Cooper, 19605.8+SaintsFA: Fred Beckey.1957, FFA: Fred Beckey, Pat Callis, Steve Marts, 19635.8+South Face, Jello TowerFA: Fred Beckey, D. Collins5.8+EquinoxFA: Curt Haire, Mike Steele 20175.9Lucky Charms5.9Orange PeelFA: Rob Knudsen, Dick "Duck" Novikoff, Greg Olsen, 19785.9Saber DirectFA: Fred Beckey5.9Damnation CrackFA: FA John Rupley 1957 FFA TM Herbert, Ed Cooper 19605.9+Short N' SassyFA: Jim Yoder 19815.9+

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