This site is not a complete guidebook. It is intended to give the reader an overall introduction to the area and to provide accurate and updated information for a sampling of some of the area’s better climbs, but this site presents less than a third of the documented climbs at Darrington. Completely omitted here are many fine climbs, mostly in the 5.9 to 5.10 range, and some aid lines that approach a big-wall experience. In addition, some excellent crags with ten or more routes on them do not appear here at all.

Mini Guide
A mini gide in PDF format here: Darrington Intro 2015. This does not include any of the newer routes in Squire Creek but it will offer the visitor a good introduction to Darrington climbing and includes the most easily accessible and straight-forward climbs in the area.

CD Guidebook
The most comprehensive Darrington Guide yet produced is available in an E-Book produced by David Whitelaw and Dave Burdick, in November, 2003. The “book” provides detailed descriptions of the routes along with excellent topo drawings. In addition, it contains descriptive information and even topos for some of the approaches, and many great photographs. E-mail to:   dwhite5522@aol.com.

Older Guidebooks
Darrington climbs are presented in Washington Rock Climbs (Falcon Press, 1999), the Traveller’s Guide (Washington Mountain Alliance, 1999), and Volumes I and II of Select Climbs in Washington (Mountaineers Press, 1993 and 2000), but fully half the routes in the Darrington area have not been published anywhere and these books are either out-of-date or inaccurate even as to the older classics. 

Online Resources
Web pages containing trip reports and photos related to Darrington rock climbs are numerous but the following three sites in partcular offer descriptions or useful information for climbers headed there to climb:

climbingwashington.com
(with pictures, a story, and corrections to the year 2000 Falcon guidebook).

Scott Presho’s Site
(with pictures and a topo for Ginsu, noted higher up on this page)

CandS Site
(a “unique” site containing (among other things) pictures of Squire Creek Wall).

Online Guides:
 • Index guidebook
 • Deception Crags guide
 • Vantage web page.

The Washington Mountain Alliance and the Seattle climbing store, Pro Mountain Sports have sponsored efforts to upgrade old anchors, especially on Three O’Clock Rock. Jim Nelson, the owner of Pro Mountain Sports, is familiar with Darrington climbing and can offer equipment advice.