Cooke City – Rock Climbing Experience

Description

Climb in the Upper Clarks Fork  near Cooke City!

Climbing on the Beartooth Highway near Cooke City

Discover the world class rock climbing just outside of Cooke City near the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park!  We offer half-day, beginner-friendly guided experiences for people of all backgrounds and ability levels that want to try their hand at outdoor rock climbing in a beautiful setting.

From June through August we offer two half-day rock climbing experiences per day, a morning session from 8am-12pm and an afternoon session 1pm-5pm.  You can climb a mixed group at a discounted rate if you don’t mind climbing with other parties, or you can have a private session with an added fee.  These rates include all guiding and technical climbing gear needed for the day with no extra charges.  The experiences take place at several climbing locations south of the Wyoming border near Cooke City.  These venues are close to the road with minimal approach hikes so you can maximize your time climbing.

Our rock climbing experiences in Cooke City are perfect if you’re looking for a fun and accessible way to explore the vertical world under the tutelage of a professional mountain guide.  All of our local climbing guides are experts at their craft, know the terrain they guide exceptionally well, and are kind, supportive people who will help you stay safe, have fun, and push yourself to new heights!

Why rock climb in Cooke City with us?

Our rock climbing guides are certified professionals, talented climbers, and good teachers.  They are also humble, personable, and overall great humans to be around in the mountains.  Our guides are experts at providing safe, supportive, and inclusive climbing experiences for people of all backgrounds and ability levels.  Additionally, our rock climbing guides live and climb in the Cody/Cooke City area throughout the year, which is a major advantage because they know the places they guide extremely well.

Itineraries:

We offer two half-day rock climbing experiences per day in the summer months as long as we have guide availability.  We offer a morning session 8am-12pm and an afternoon session 1pm-5pm.

Morning Session Itinerary 

• 8am – Meet your guide at the Pilot Creek parking lot and gear up for the day
• 8:15am – Drive or hike to climbing area
• 8:30am – Arrive at climbing area, guide conducts safety orientation and hangs topropes
• 8:45am – 11:30am – Toprope climbing on variety of climbs and rappelling
• 11:30-11:45am – Clean up climbing area and start hiking back to car
• 12pm – Arrive back to car, debrief with guide, done for the day

Afternoon Session Itinerary 

• 1pm – Meet your guide at the Pilot Creek parking lot and gear up for the day
• 1:15pm – Drive or hike to climbing area
• 1:30pm – Arrive at climbing area, guide conducts safety orientation and hangs topropes
• 1:45pm – 4:30pm – Toprope climbing on variety of climbs and rappelling
• 4:30-4:45pm – Clean up climbing area and start hiking back to car
• 5pm – Arrive back to car, debrief with guide, done for the day

Location:

Our rock climbing experiences in Cooke City take place in the upper Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River area. The Clarks Fork is home to some of the best granite climbing in the eastern Rocky Mountains, ranging from casual roadside single pitch crags to epic big walls.  There is a wealth of easily accessible areas with excellent climbing for people of all ability levels with incredible views of both the Beartooth and northern Absaroka ranges.  Some of our favorite areas to climb in the upper Clarks Fork include the Skinner Crag, the Land Before Time, the Party Dome, and the Reef.

Climbing in the upper Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone

Logistics:

Air transportation: Cody has an airport serviced by United Airlines.  You can also fly into neighboring Billings or Bozeman, Montana (where flights are often cheaper) and rent a car to drive to Cooke City.

Ground transportation: We do not provide livery services between the meeting place and climbing areas, so you’ll need to have your own ground transportation.

Meeting location:  You will meet your guide at the Pilot Creek parking lot.

Equipment:  Many climbers choose to bring their own gear, but we can supply you with all of the technical rock climbing equipment you need for this course free of charge.  However we do not provide basic hiking equipment such as backpacks, hiking shoes, or clothing.

Cody-based rock climbing guides:

Our talented team of climbing guides includes some of the most prolific climbers in the region who are at the forefront of climbing development in Wyoming.  Most importantly our guides are skilled teachers who are patient, kind, and helpful to people from all walks of life as they learn new skills.  Their top priority is making you feel safe and supported as you take on a new challenge.  Feel free to request a particular guide for your course.

• Zach Lentsch – Zach Lentsch is an avid climber, guide, and owner of Wyoming Mountain Guides. A Bighorn Basin native, Zach has been exploring wild parts of northern Wyoming for as long as he can remember. In addition to running the business and designing Wyoming Mountain Guides’ suite of climbing programs operating across the state, Zach works extensively in the field and guides a wide range of trips ranging from introductory programs to advanced rock, ice, and alpine trips on challenging terrain. Zach is also a passionate developer of new climbing routes with over 100 first ascents across Wyoming, including the longest ice climb in the state (Ultralight Beam WI3+ 1000m) in the Wind River Mountains, the longest sandstone rock climb in the state (The Fall of Satan 5.10 C3 250m) in the Bighorn Mountains, and a high concentration of rock, ice, and mixed climbs in the Cody area up to 5.12, WI6, and M9 in difficulty.  Zach is an experienced teacher and works hard to integrate as much technical and environmental education into the climbing experience as possible while also prioritizing safety and having a great time together.

• Dane Steadman – Dane Steadman is a skilled multi-disciplinary guide with significant accomplishments including the first guided ascents of Pilot Peak and Stinkingwater Peak, guided ascents of Cloud Peak, Gannet Peak, Granite Peak (MT), guided ice climbs in the Cody area up to WI6 in difficulty, and guided rock climbs across the state of Wyoming up to 5.12 in difficulty.  Dane is also a very driven and talented climber whose main focus is exploratory alpine climbing both in Wyoming and in the greater ranges.  Notable climbs of his include the first ascent of Technicolor Super Dream on Mt. Huntington in Alaska, the first ascent of the North Face of Pik Alpinist in Kyrgyzstan, the second ascent of Titanic on Torre Egger in Patagonia, and several first ascents of hard ice and mixed climbs in the South Fork of the Shoshone River Valley up to WI6+ and M11 in difficulty.  What’s more, Dane is incredibly personable, patient, professional, and really fun to be around in the mountains.

• Andrew Lamb – Andrew Lamb is rock and ice climbing instructor, experienced alpinist, and competitive ice climber from Worland, WY.  Andrew has instructed rock and ice climbing programs in Bozeman since 2022 and has recently relocated to the Cody area.  Some of his proudest ascents include the Japanese Couloir on Alaska’s Mt. Barrill, Winter Dance and the Nutcracker in Hyalite Canyon, and significant solos throughout the Greater Yellowstone.  He is also a talented competitive dry tooler who competed with the US National Ice Climbing Team.  He considers his greatest strength as a guide is his “attitude of positivity and optimism for all the aspects of the mountains, whether that be the hauling, the patience and respect for clients, the teaching of technical skills or the grit needed to work through tough situations environmentally, physically or emotionally.”

Booking and payment:

You can view each of our guide’s availability on the calendar above.  To book your experience directly via our website, you need to first select a guide and choose from available dates.  Then to finalize your booking we require a 25% deposit, which is non-refundable.  The remaining balance is to be paid two weeks before the course and is non-refundable if you cancel within two weeks of the program.  If you do cancel last minute on your own accord and want to transfer your credit to another course or trip, we do charge an additional 30% rescheduling fee.  However in case of bad weather or a medical emergency we will waive the rescheduling fee.

Contact Us:

Interested in a rock climbing experience in Cooke City?  Please send us an email with your name, contact info, and a brief description of when and where you’d like to take the course. Feel free to ask us any questions you might have about the course!