The climbing scene continues to grow in northwest Montana. With new urban boulders, a fresh guidebook and a new bouldering gym, climbing’s popularity is on the rise. With more new routes and more climbers in the mountains, we all need to do our part to ensure the upkeep of our crags for everyone to enjoy.
A brief history of northwest Montana climbing
Climbers top-roping at the “Kooc Crank”, a climbing festival at Stone Hill in the 1980s.
Paul Clark installed the first bolt at Stone Hill in the early 1980’s, marking the beginning of the sport climbing movement in our corner of the state. The crag became popular for its steep, clean lines right next to the highway. Since that initial hardware was drilled, climbers from the Flathead and Canada have continued establishing lines around Lake Koocanusa. The latest guidebook update listed more than 500 routes.
In the early 2000’s, locals began developing the crags near the Stillwater River. Nearby development in the Stillwater State Forest continued. Brett Eckert published The Point of Rocks (POR) Guidebook in 2016, which listed more than 200 routes.
Other climbing areas were developed during this time, including Kila Crags and Lost Wall. Bad Rock Canyon, despite its name, continues to reveal great new boulder problems and short, pumpy sport lines.
Check out our areas page for more information on these crags.