Washington · Rock climbing · Oroville

West Wall

West Wall in Washington has 18 climbing routes across 7 grades.

18 routes
5.5 – 5.10a
Trad · Sport

Is West Wall open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Tonasket Ranger District. It doesn't name West Wall, so check the source for the area it covers.

  • Sinlahekin Fire Closure Terminated on Tonasket Ranger District

    Agency closure covering Tonasket Ranger District · Order 06-21-09-26-15 · USFS · Tonasket Ranger District

  • Colville National Forest Terminates Fire Public Use Restrictions

    Agency alert covering Colville National Forest · Order 06-21-00-26-14 · USFS · Colville National Forest

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

Best time to visit West Wall

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° / 23°

  2. Feb

    42° / 26°

  3. Mar

    54° / 31°

  4. Apr

    64° / 37°

  5. May

    74° / 44°

  6. Jun

    79° / 50°

  7. Jul

    88° / 55°

  8. Aug

    87° / 54°

  9. Sep

    77° / 46°

  10. Oct

    61° / 37°

  11. Nov

    44° / 29°

  12. Dec

    34° / 24°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tonasket 4 Nne, WA, 6.8 mi away at 960 ft. The station sits about 600 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.

West Wall is a climbing area in the Tonasket Ranger District of Colville National Forest in northwest Washington, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing destinations in the district, with Mount Hull - Lower SW Face (Oroville) and Big Butte - West Face just 0.1 mile away, and Big Butte about 0.2 mile off. The area holds 18 routes, split between 11 trad and 7 sport climbs. The grades run from 5.5 to 5.10a, with the median at 5.8. Some of the named routes include Franklin's Tower (5.5 trad), The Wind Cries Mary (5.7+ sport) and Nuclear Burn (5.10a sport). The most comfortable climbing weather comes in late spring and early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Tonasket show May highs around 74°F and September highs around 77°F. That station sits about 565 feet lower than the wall, so temperatures on the climbs run cooler. For a change from rock, the Whistler Canyon Trail is about 1.7 miles away, and the Similkameen Trail and Spectacle Lake are both within roughly 7.5 miles.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

West FacePhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

West Face

~3 min drive

West Face in Washington has 4 sport climbing routes at 4 difficulty grades.

South SidePhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

South Side

~3 min drive

South Side in Washington has 8 routes with 7 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

West SidePhoto: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

West Side

~3 min drive

West Side in Washington has 5 climbing routes on 4 difficulty grades.

East SidePhoto: BLM Oregon & Washington, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

East Side

~28 min drive

East Side in Washington has 5 sport climbing routes ranging across 5 difficulty grades.

Little West CanyonPhoto: BLM Oregon & Washington, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Little West Canyon

~28 min drive

Little West Canyon in Washington has 3 climbing routes ranging from easy to hard.

Big Butte - West Face

~0 min drive

Big Butte - West Face in Washington has 6 climbing routes across 5 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Turtle Island

~1 min drive

Turtle Island in Washington has 13 climbing routes across 9 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Bowsaw Ridge - South End

~2 min drive

5 routes at Bowsaw Ridge - South End in Washington span 4 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

Upper Canyon - South Side

~2 min drive

South-facing Washington canyon climbing with varied routes and scenic canyon walls.

Upper East Canyon

~3 min drive

Upper East Canyon in Washington has 8 routes across 4 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.