Granite Sports Places To Climb

  • Custer State Park

    • Multiple rock climbing routes with varying degrees of difficulty and technique. There are several climbing areas within the Park. The entire area is a very popular one for rock climbers in the area. Located within Custer State Park, most areas are easy to find.

    • Cathedral Spires

      An awesome and confusing cluster of granite towers up to 4 pitches long. Most of the classics are moderate routes, but there is a smattering of difficult routes(usually runout, definitely not a sport area). Herb and Jan Conn did a heroic job of developing the area back in the 40s and 50s, adding commiting routes up to 5.8s in their Converse high tops.

    • Middle Earth

      Middle Earth is truly a scene from a J.R.R. Tolken story. The scenery is incredible, with lush pines, perfect crystalline granite, and Sylvan Lake. Most routes were established by Herb and Jan Conn, Dr. Peter DeLannoy, Cindy Tolle, Paul Muehl, and a handfull of others. The area is a testament to the traditional climbing style these people practiced. Most routes were put up on lead, so be prepared to take advantage of natural protection that abounds (chickenheads, cracks, be creative). The routes range from 5.4-mid 11's. Camp at one of the various campsites in the park, but Sylvan Lake campground has showers. For eats, visit Custer or Hill City. For a day off, hike Harney Peak, the highest point in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains. There is some very good bouldering here, too.

    • Needles Bouldering

      The Needles has plenty of excellent bouldering, and potential for more. John Gill was very active here, and has a few dozen classics, including the Thimble. Unfortunately some raisin-balled coward took a hammer to the holds on one of the more classic boulders(the Mood Swings boulder) and destroyed several hard classics. Why would anyone do something like this?

    • Needles Eye

      This is a cluster of spires and fins along the Needles Highway at the Needles Eye. The Needles Eye and the Thimble are two of the most famous and historic climbs in South Dakota. There are many other good climbs just downhill, and good bouldering as well. There's a Needles Eye Area disclaimer though, any spire directly off of the parking area should be climbed before 10am or after 5pm (in the summer months) due to the high tourist count in the area. If this becomes a problem, climbing in the area will be completely closed due to the problems it creates with traffic.

    • Needles Eye

      This is a cluster of spires and fins along the Needles Highway at the Needles Eye. The Needles Eye and the Thimble are two of the most famous and historic climbs in South Dakota. There are many other good climbs just downhill, and good bouldering as well. There's a Needles Eye Area disclaimer though, any spire directly off of the parking area should be climbed before 10am or after 5pm (in the summer months) due to the high tourist count in the area. If this becomes a problem, climbing in the area will be completely closed due to the problems it creates with traffic.

  • Mt. Rushmore Area

    • Chopping Block

      Chopping Block is another sport/trad area of one-pitch climbs, and contains many of the hardest routes at Rushmore, including a Todd Skinner 13d/14a. A large number of moderate routes exist, and the finest boulder in the Rushmore area is also here.

    • Emancipation Rockphormation

      This is the large wall on the backside of Mt Rushmore and also includes Dire Spire, the prominent trident shaped spire above the road. Mostly trad climbing on good cracks.

    • Middle Marker

      Middle Marker consists of a few large formations in between Emancipation Rockphormation and the Monster Area. Middle Marker itself is the large massif just off the road, and has several classic routes.

    • Monster

      Monster is a complicated area of fins and spires in between Middle Marker and the South Seas. A guidebook is highly recommended to find your way through this confusing maze.

    • South Seas

      Mostly thin face routes on sharp granite. Most of the routes are sport, but there are also plenty of trad and mixed lines as well. This area also has some of the best moderate climbing in the Rushmore area.

  • Rapid City Area

    • Cliffs of Dune

      The Cliffs of Dune is a relatively unvisited and undeveloped climbing area on Norris Peak Road, about 8-10 miles west of Rapid City.

    • Experimental Forest

      Incredible Quality Quartzite Bouldering

    • Falling Rock

      Falling Rock is a limestone canyon about 6 miles from Rapid City. The climbing is on edges and pockets on vertical to slightly overhanging walls that are around 40 feet high. There are toprope anchors on most of the routes, and many are bolted for leading as well. Most climbs fall in the 5.8 - 5.11 range. The North Rim is a great place to climb in the winter, as the sun shines directly on the wall and the area is well-protected from the wind. It gets almost too hot here in the summer, and wasps nesting in the pockets and cracks can be really annoying - there's even a route on the North Rim named for this minor inconvenience.

    • Packing Plant Boulders

      These are a series of boulders and small cliffs along the hogback ridge in the middle of town. Most people go to boulder at the Vegan Boulder, an excellent overhanging boulder on the other side of the Meat Packing Plant (which burned down in the spring of 2002), but there is also more bouldering and toproping further up the ridgeline.

    • Rock Maze

      The rock maze is a fantastic bouldering area on perfect sandstone not far from Rapid City. The outer portions of the maze have great problems and the inner corridors are fun to explore. This is also a popular party place, so watch for broken glass and haul out a bag of trash if you have a chance.

  • Spearfish Canyon

    • Skeletal Remains

      Routes generally short to medium in length. This is a good area for a number of moderate routes in one small area. This was the first area established within Spearfish Canyon, and can be climbed year round

    • Skyland Boulders

      Many easy to desperate problems. Good quality but sometimes sketchy top-outs

    • Spearfish Canyon Ice

      There are several very nice ice climbs along the Spearfish Canyon Highway. All can be topropes or lead, and some even have fixed anchors on top. There is a fair amount of new route potential for mixed routes here.

    • Sunshine Wall

      The Sunshine Wall is a relatively new climbing area near The Thunderhead wall. There are routes all over these cliffs, and some routes are still working projects. BRING YOUR STICK CLIP! Almost every route here was designed for one, and not using it can be suicide. This place is great to climb at in the fall through spring, but, as the name implies, it gets HOT here in the summer. Like Falling Rock in the central Hills, wasps can be a little pesky in the summer as well..

    • The Wall of Oz

      The routes and the setting at The Wall of Oz are spectacular. There are only four routes and they all start off of an exposed 3-4 foot wide ledge that runs the length of the wall on the side of a steep hillside.

  • Badlands:

  • Devil's Tower: