Click to View the Full Thread

Author	Message Text
Savage Voyageur	05/29/2017 09:05PM   I found this about climbing in the BWCA, you might know this but others might not. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, carved long ago by glaciers, is filled with beautiful basalt and anthracite bluffs and vistas surrounding pristine lakes. Safety first! Keep in mind that the Boundary Waters is a true wilderness experience. You will be far from any roads, far from any telephone, and far from any hospital. Cell phones do not work in most of the BWCA. The Forest Service does not automatically initiate searches if a party does not exit as planned. Risky behavior can and has caused deaths in the BWCA. With that said, it is not recommended to climb in the BWCA. It is not banned, however. If you choose to rock climb in the BWCA, please use caution and plan ahead. Let people know where you are going and what your itinerary is. Bring a first aid kit and be knowledgeable in first aid. Consider renting a satellite telephone (available from Buck's Radio Shack in Grand Marais). Do not climb alone. Do climb with other experienced climbers. Beware of loose rock and poorly rooted vegetation. Do not climb without previous experience. Do not climb in wet conditions. "Leave No Trace" ethics apply to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Motorized drills and fixed bolts are not allowed. We ask that you consider the BWCA a bolt and chalk-free zone.
barms	05/31/2017 12:39PM   Arlo, Im kinda looking for the same thing. In a couple weeks I am heading up to EP41 and hoping the nw corner of Brule has climbable rock. Which is close to winchell. I could let you know what I find after I return.
loonboyarlo	05/30/2017 09:38PM   Thanks you two! Anybody else have any pictures buried in the old photo albums? Been digging through the archives on this site and found a few good shots already! Help a guy out?
jpj577	06/23/2017 02:19PM
jpj577	06/23/2017 02:20PM
loonboyarlo	05/29/2017 06:28PM   Hey All, First ever post here––jumping right in! I have a seemingly odd request- I am looking for photos of the cliffs of Winchell lake. Could you share them here? I am a rock climber and I plan to make a trip up there this summer; I am trying to figure out if there are any possible routes, and what gear I might need to bring. The more pics the better, the more detail the better! I've seen some pictures that have been posted already, curious what else is out there. Also if anybody has any knowledge of climbing in that area, I would love to hear about it! Thanks, Arlo
TuscaroraBorealis	05/29/2017 07:26PM   Welcome to bwca. com! Probably not as detailed as you're hoping for? But, check out this thread from the 'Cool spots in canoe country' forum.
Spartan2	06/02/2017 10:46AM   These may not be any more helpful than those already posted, but I'll add them anyway. We have been on Winchell twice, but I only have photos of the cliffs once, from our long trip in 1992. Not great quality photos, but the only two I have that would qualify as showing the cliffs.
WinstonRumfoord	06/02/2017 09:55AM   We frequent Winchell, and I just wanted to say I think it would be really, really cool to see people rock climbing while paddling through!
MikeinMpls	05/31/2017 01:50PM   Are you looking for close ups or pics from a distance, such as the other side of the lake? Mike
cowdoc	05/31/2017 06:38PM   Have fun
jfinn	05/31/2017 09:26PM   I am (was) a climber and usually checking out lines when I can. I don't recall thinking of those cliffs as anything other than a choss pile. While taller than anything in the BWCA that I have seen, they offered nothing that I would think worthy of carrying a trad rack that far. If you find out different, let me know! Now there are certainly plenty of options for short routs, often very steep, in many areas of the BW. Personally, I would climb at one of the several north shore crags like Carlton Peak or Palisade Head that has quality routes to scratch that itch. Neither are out of the way at all and can get tied into the trip. Whatever you decide, there is a strict ethic in the BW. No chalk! John
inspector13	05/31/2017 03:26PM   Just curious. Have you checked out the mountainproject website?
ducks	05/31/2017 03:40PM
cowdoc	05/31/2017 08:17PM   forgot view from the top (we took the "path" up around the west end)
shuz	06/10/2017 06:02AM   When I was on Clearwater I thought of this thread. Good sheer cliffs on this lake that are higher than Winchell. Also you could rent a motor boat for heavy climb gear and still camp inside the bwca. Be safe.