Go to web preview to see the sectors and routes included in this guidebook.
Exit 38 Rock Climbing
by Todd Kutzke and Rob Price
Outdoor Geeks, LLC
The crags of North Bend, WA offer a beautiful getaway for Seattle-area climbers with convenient climbing from Spring through Fall. This detailed digital guidebook features accurate beta, car to crag navigation and detailed smart topo photos for all the best climbs at the south side Deception and Mt. Washington crags, as well as, the north side Far Side crags.
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- Explore Exit 38 rock climbing via our interactive trail map.
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- rakkup guides you car to crag then shows you a picture when you arrive.
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- Tap on a climb name, see where it’s located on the image. Tap on a climb bubble in the image, discover what climb it is.
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- Exit 38 rock climbs in a searchable list.
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- Filter the route list to only the grades and quality you want to see.
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- Detailed route descriptions and pictures with topo lines for every route.
All digital purchases include 1 year of free updates. Updates will be available for an additional charge after that, depending on the extent of the updates. Rentals include updates during the term of the rental.
Go to web preview to see the sectors and routes included in this guidebook.
Exit 38 Rock Climbing Beta
Getting ThereParking
Climbing Style
When to Visit
Dogs
Where to Stay
Calories
Gear To Bring
Rest Day Options
Getting There
Olallie State Park MapDrive East from Seattle on I-90 and as the name implies, exit at exit 38. Turn right at the end of the off ramp onto SE Homestead Valley Rd.
To park for Mt. Washington crags like Amazonia, make your first right and park in the gravel Upper Twin Falls parking area with a pit toilet and bulletin board. The trail head is on the north side of the parking lot. Take this short trail up to the old rail road grade aka Iron Horse Trail. Walk west (right turn) on the rail road grade for about 1/4 mile looking for the Mt. Washington trail head that goes south (left turn) up into the woods. All of the Mt. Washington crags can be found along this trail.
To reach the Deception crags, after you exit the off ramp and turn right onto SE Homestead Valley Rd. and continue on Homestead until reaching the gravel parking area where Change Creek flows underneath Homestead. Park on the North (left side) of the Homestead. The deception crags trail head begins just on the South side of Homestead and West side of Change Creek. Follow the Change Creek trail up into the woods and underneath the old rail road trestle. Just after crossing underneath the trestle you'll encounter the first crag known as Sub-Station crag.
Parking
You need a discover pass to legally park at the Mt. Washington parking lot, but you do not need one for the Deception Crag Parking. More info can be found here: Discover Pass. If you buy online it can take 7-10 business days to receive your pass, but you can print a temporary 10-day pass at the time of purchase from the Discover Pass website or print your e-mail confirmation.Climbing Style
Exit 38 is a sport climbing area. If you want fun routes on closely spaced bolts, Exit 38 is a great choice. We Did Rock and Write Off rock are great places for the aspiring leader to build "lead head" confidence in the 5.6-5.8 range. For the intermediate leader, Nevermind or Amazonia are good options for plentiful climbs in the 5.9-5.11 range. The rock at Exit 38 can take a while to get used to. Foot holds are plentiful, but not always obvious. The slightest smear on angled rock can be crucial here but takes some Exit 38 mileage to comprehend that you don't always need a good edge to make a good foothold. Most routes are well travelled so loose rock was long ago cleaned off.When to visit
You can reliably climb at Exit 38 from late Spring through early Fall with the drier Summer months being the most reliable. On a hot day Amazonia and Nevermind are good shady climbing options. When it's lightly raining, the right side of Nevermind can stay dry due to it's overhanging nature. Summer weekends can get crowded at the popular crags during mid-day, so arrive early or late if it's a Summer weekend.Click for weather forecast