Washington · Rock climbing · Leavenworth

Whale Boulder

Whale Boulder in Washington has 5 bouldering routes across 4 grades.

Whale BoulderPhoto: bgreenlee, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
5 routes
V0 – V3
Bouldering

Is Whale Boulder 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 Whale Boulder

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 800 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.

Whale Boulder 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 areas, with Main Area and Central Park both about 0.1 mile away. The bouldering here is all on the same scale, with five routes ranging from V0- to V3. The Whale and Brine are both V2, and The Crab is the hardest at V3. The names of the routes, including Kelp and The Squid, give the area a marine 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 only about three wet days a month, while winter highs sit near 34°F. For a longer outing, Snow Lakes Trail is about 0.7 mile away and Bruce's Boulder Trail about 0.2 mile. Eightmile Group Site, roughly 1.9 miles off, offers camping.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive