Best Rock Climbing in Idaho

Trying to find the best rock climbing in Idaho? Bivy has great hiking, biking, paddling, climbing, skiing, riding and more, with hand-curated trail maps, as well as detailed driving directions.

1

Idaho, Butte County

00 :41 hrs
1 mi
134.56567 ft
Unknown

The right side of the Narrows area has a small crag with great quality rock about .5 miles up the canyon. Pictographs are nearby, so be sure to use caution. Rock Type: Limestone with deep marine to transitional deposits, and some detritus. Location: Box Canyon, Lemhi Range, ID.

2

Idaho, Butte County

00 :48 hrs
1 mi
173.65771 ft
Unknown

Box Canyon is located in the Lemhi Range, and it has routes with height that ranges from 20-500 feet. The lines are on good solid, gripping limestone with a lot of rugged and sharp rocks. Climbers discovered the area in the mid 1990's and created about 30 routes before the BLM decided to stop them, mainly because it's a Wilderness Study Area. So no additional climbs are allowed to be established here. Bardini wall is huge (300 feet), and it's one of the biggest limestone face walls in Idaho. It’s situated on the left side of the narrows and up the grassy slope. Bring at least 16 quick-draws and two 60 meter ropes to rappel with. To get there from Howe, you'll go east for 2.5 miles on Highway 33 and turn left (north) on a paved road (1300 W). Turn right onto 3800 N off 1300 W, and then turn left immediately onto 1200 W. From there, you'll follow a dirt road to an intersection, keep going straight and follow the rugged dirt road to the mouth of the canyon.

3

Idaho, Butte County

00 :42 hrs
1 mi
135.17725 ft
Various

Box Canyon is located in the Lemhi Range of Idaho, and it has routes with height that ranges from 20-500 feet. The lines are on good solid, gripping limestone with a lot of rugged and sharp rocks. Climbers discovered the area in the mid 1990's and created about 30 routes before the BLM decided to stop them, mainly because it's a Wilderness Study Area. So no additional climbs are allowed to be established here. The Shade Wall is the big wall to the right of the Narrows, and it features two multi-pitch routes. To get there from Howe, you'll go east for 2.5 miles on Highway 33 and turn left (north) on a paved road (1300 W). Turn right onto 3800 N off 1300 W, and then turn left immediately onto 1200 W. From there, you'll follow a dirt road to an intersection, keep going straight and follow the rugged dirt road to the mouth of the canyon.

4

Idaho, Boise

00 :10 hrs
0.1 mi
47.199646 ft
Various

This is Boise's most popular place to climb so it's usually pretty busy on the weekends. The Short Cliff's area offers great quality columnar basalt rock climbing. This is the first cliff band on the north side of the river and you'll want to park at the diversion dam lot then hike up the hill. Please be sure to stay on the trails to avoid future access issues, and avoid poison ivy also when hiking in the area. Have a standard rack of gear, quick draws, wired nuts, and cams. Location: Lucky Peak Canyon, Boise, ID.

5

Idaho, Ada County

00 :24 hrs
0.9 mi
16.679138 ft
Various

The Black Cliffs, or aka ‘Lucky Peak Canyon’ is located just east of Boise on Hwy 21 with most of the routes and walls on the northeast side of the river. The Dark Side wall is actually on the northwestern side of the river just south of Rodeo Flips wall and straight across from the dam. It is accessed 1 mile up Highway 21 west from Warm Springs Avenue, then to an unmarked road on the left just opposite of E. Lake Forrest. This will lead you to a large parking area, which is the site of an Oregon Trail interpretive center. From there, you’ll hike toward the canyon on a dirt road alongside power lines, and then onto splinter roads. Be sure to take the left most routes along the canyon rim until it goes along a single-track trail. Rock type: Basalt, as well as volcanic stream and lake deposits (pilocene).

6

Idaho, Ada County

00 :24 hrs
0.9 mi
16.062988 ft
Various

The Black Cliffs, or aka ‘Lucky Peak Canyon’ is located just east of Boise on Hwy 21 with most of the routes and walls on the northeast side of the river. The Green Acres wall is actually on the northwestern side of the river just south of Rodeo Flips wall and straight across from the dam. It is accessed 1 mile up Highway 21 west from Warm Springs Avenue, then to an unmarked road on the left just opposite of E. Lake Forrest. This will lead you to a large parking area, which is the site of an Oregon Trail interpretive center. From there, you’ll hike toward the canyon on a dirt road alongside power lines, and then onto splinter roads. Be sure to take the left most route along the canyon rim until it begins to climb along a single-track trail. Rock Type: Basalt, as well as volcanic stream and lake deposits (pilocene).

7

Idaho, Boise

00 :10 hrs
0.1 mi
50.60327 ft
Various

This is Boise's most popular place to climb so it's usually pretty busy on the weekends. The Short Cliff's area offers great quality columnar basalt rock climbing. This is the first cliff band on the north side of the river and you'll want to park at the diversion dam lot then hike up the hill. Please be sure to stay on the trails to avoid future access issues, and avoid poison ivy also when hiking in the area. Have a standard rack of gear, quick draws, wired nuts, and cams. Location: Lucky Peak Canyon, Boise, ID.

8

Idaho, Boise

00 :14 hrs
0.3 mi
52.73297 ft
Various

This is Boise's most popular place to climb so it's usually pretty busy on the weekends. The Mid Cliffs area offers great quality columnar basalt rock climbing, and it's situated just south of The Short Cliffs with over 60 climbs. There are a lot of traditional routes here at this wall, along with a few sport routes. Please be sure to stay on the trails to avoid future access issues, and avoid poison ivy also when hiking in the area. Have a standard rack of gear, quick draws, wired nuts, and cams. Location: Lucky Peak Canyon, Boise, ID.

9

Idaho, Cassia County

00 :07 hrs
0.3 mi
43.20862 ft
Various

Follow the Flaming Rock Trailhead to a fork at the upper end of the rock and stay left to the switchbacks, and then go towards the South Fork of Circle Creek. Some classics such as Tribal Boundaries and Firewater are located here. Rock material: Granite.

10

Idaho, Cassia County

00 :03 hrs
0.1 mi
7.100952 ft
Various

These routes will rise from about 90 to 150 feet with a mixture of traditional and sport lines. The sport routes are mostly slab with some face climbing along with several great crack climbs. The granitic rock can be seen right off the road and it's a very quick approach.

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