Bouldering in Gold Bar
The small town of Gold Bar may not turn many heads as motorists pass it on State Route 2. Yet the hills surrounding this little PNW city offer some of the very best climbing in Western Washington.
Boulderers in the Greater Seattle Area know and love this neck of the woods for its giant granite rocks, which are ideal for sending.
The best place to go bouldering is up past Reiter Pit on Reiter Road. The bouldering fields are accessible by a forest service. Load up your chalk and crash pads and get ready to climb!
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=c9ed1250bea0ef3bc33541902e0c0e3f 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=84575abd429a56729b892ef5c8d5d42e 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=20c9555c5df37a16642e9db3ec03c141 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=9cb66551419b1ae7f1d52209a2ec716c 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=cfffa783a9d72e6cd6db9c3d924c4faf 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=c819b85be73fb36fd3c444b69b23896a 1440w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=16390abf836cf6df2f52946c19cce464 1920w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=5e2434ee1b62346348a1d788b0ea5dc9 2560w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/mark-mcgregor-Ns8trMR4Om8-unsplash-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=ac97112ddbded2dc091c5dbf68b4ac51 3024w)
One fun thing about bouldering -– the rocks have creative names like Beam Me Up, Summer Solstice, or Samurai. This is part of the carefree spirit that pervades bouldering culture. The bouldering scene was more like a subculture until about a decade ago. Twenty years ago, rogue rock climbers were seen as eccentric at best, neurotic at worst. That popular stigma has begun to change. Social media influencers and the prevalence of indoor climbing gyms have taken bouldering from a niche activity to something mainstream and edgy. There are hip clothing lines that are part of the lifestyle. There are digital acolytes to be accumulated by influencers, for better or worse.
With this in mind, it’s important to tread lightly when foraying into the backcountry of Snohomish County. Please remember to be safe and to leave no trace. There are parts of the Gold Bar area that don’t receive cell service, so please tell a friend or a loved one where you’ll be before heading out into the woods in search of big climbing rocks.
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=46c7bbc07b01a242a441a82b1177dc3e 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=3770c332d4088a810063635a4ac41aaa 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=25c15d3b4c73a0e5addfffe25d68f8cd 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=d37422bee8ffa68ad12cf09436ddbff0 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=d911cb19ecaad5fb442410035ddce2f4 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=7e180a6bebcabae6bb1b857aa556ec2b 1440w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=3a8dd54c213fd4562fc4d2d7cb2a5338 1920w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=2613830af43e02520c7174f358ba6f8b 2560w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/amy-gatenby-ziuCUW69y28-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=bf2bc75e8efe4fc1cf471bef487ac5a4 3840w)
Want to get started, but don’t know how or where to cut your teeth?
Before you go, you may want to first practice your skills at a more controlled environment like an indoor climbing gym. We recommend either Vertical World (the very first climbing gym on the world) in Lynnwood or Summit Climbing Gym in downtown Everett. Either place also offers shoes and chalk and chalk bags – essentials for boulderers. Once you've honed the basics it's time to hit the hills, crash pad in tow.
See you out there!
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/SeattleNorthCountry_SummitClimbingGym_Landscape-1200x600.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=320&q=80&w=320&s=8e17a643f295cf0fb7bbc37485ed64f6 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/SeattleNorthCountry_SummitClimbingGym_Landscape-1200x600.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=540&q=80&w=540&s=a3419877af6e55de29ef2878e4224c0b 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/SeattleNorthCountry_SummitClimbingGym_Landscape-1200x600.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=768&q=80&w=768&s=7bbd58f1affdd9b3511f90158c12da02 600w)
Visit the Summit Climbing Gym in Everett to hone your bouldering skills.