Routes in Bon Echo

Hard to find, a possibly un-repeated 5.0.

Closed.

Shares first pitch with Garden Wall.

Variant first pitch for Tumbling Dice. Possibly not repeated.

Rarely repeated.

Alternate start to Fanny Hill.

Alternate start for Sweet Dreams.

Original ascent with aid on 2nd pitch by M de St Jorre and R.M. Preshaw in July 1982 (at about 5.7, A1). Now free but unknown who freed it.

The obvious, but less pleasant, start to Little Flo.

First pitch is good, rest are crap -- people often rappel off of bolted anchors after the first pitch, and this is one of the few approved rappel points on the cliff.

Alternate ending for The Slab.

A not yet completed route.

1. Pitch (5.8) 27m. Climb up and right past a bolt and onto a blocky ledge then straight up (crux) past a bolt. Go leftwards onto a narrow ramp. Follow this ramp up and onto a 2 bolt belay.

2. Pitch (5.3) - Step up and right across a left facing open book, then around a nose (psychological crux). Traverse right to a ramp, turn left and go up the ramp to a stance just past a large tree. There are very loose rocks on this ramp. Take care not to dislodge them.

3. Pitch (5.3) - Continue up the ramp to the next tree passing the first obvious break to the right. If you take that break to the right, climb the face up to the top. You can also opt for an easier finish by finishing up on the ramp.

Alternate finish to Top Secret

A traverse connecting the top of the first class 5 pitch of Top Secret to the end of the Ottawa route.

Alternate finish to Ottawa Route

Not often repeated.

Possibly never repeated. A short route at the top of the cliff, was originally abseiled into, but that is no longer allowed. Might be accessible by a traverse from the third belay of The Joke.

Alternate last pitch for The Joke -- not often repeated.

First two pitches as per the joke, then branches right.

Accidentally climbed by someone trying to repeat Queer Duck. Rarely or never repeated.

Not often repeated.

Possibly never repeated.

"Mike's Farewell".

Start: about 120m north of the (first) easy way down, at the bottom of a major ramp. The climb generally stays near the outside edge of the ramp.

1. 10m Scramble up the rock spike on the left-hand edge of the slab.

2. 40m Climbing near or on the outside edge, move up to a wide ledge with a good belay.

3. 28m Go more or less straight up.

4. 25m Climb up 3m and move right accross the slab to an obvious crack. Climb up the crack to the pine tree, which turns out to be a cedar (very old -- don't touch). (Variations are possible.)

5. 15m Scramble to the top.

4(a). 5.5 From the end of the third pitch, there appears to be a good crack going diagonally up to the left. It leads out onto the face. Follow the crack up past one cedar to another one. Climb back up and right to get onto the ramp near the end of the last pitch of the regular route. This variation has been climbed accidentally many times over the years.

(Was in the database as "White Pine". There is no such named route at Bon Echo, so guessing the original contributor meant "One Pine", and renamed to that to preserve the ascents.)

Very rarely climbed.

Closed route.

Closed route.

Variation after the first pitch of Calamity

An impressive route for beginners.

Variation middle pitch for Red Groove

Variation for part of 3rd pitch of Red Groove.

Closed climb.

Rarely to never repeated.

Variant end for Popeye. Only been top-roped.

Something of a misnomer and dangerous at the best of times. Take great care to avoid dislodging rocks onto the heads of those below. Beginners should be roped and belayed from above. There has been at least on serious accident due to a fall while descending this route. Turn left (towards the lake) near the bottom.

At the lake side, at the bottom of Easy Way Down, is a good place to wait for a boat pickup. Just to the south of the pickup point is Turtle Rock, the overhanging rock used by kids (old and young) as a diving board.

Turtle Traverse: Start in the water underneath the overhang, climb up and out, mantle, and dive back in. V0.

(40m) Pitch 1: Start near a large cedar tree. Climb up a leftwards ramp on crumbly rock. Protection is poor for the first 15m. You will reach a rusty piton about 30m up the right side of the ramp. You will eventually reach a 2 bolt belay on a small ledge near a large, dead tree.

(30m) Pitch 2: Continue on the slab until you reach a small short wall below two cedar trees. Climb to the right or climb straight up for a harder finish up to a ledge.

Walk across 8m of vegetation on the ledge to a 2 bolt belay right under a (~20m) wall.

(21m) Pitch 3: Face climbing up to a small overhang at 10m. Pull the overhang or duck right for an easier variation. Belay at the top with 1 bolt and gear.

Start on first pitch of Boris, then traverse and finish on 3rd pitch of Moonday.

Perhaps the best 5.5 at Bon Echo.

Goes up the 2nd main diagonal left of the slab/arete of "Birthday Ridge". Look for a bolted anchor on a platform about 2m above lake level.

1. Step right from the platform to the slanting crack(s), and follow them up and leftwards past a cedar tree to a gear belay by some juniper shrubs.

2. Continue up the ramp past a single bolt and then a pin to a slanting ledge with a two-bolt anchor.

3. Continue up and left until you reach a platform below an overhang at the top. Pull this one way or another, or perhaps dodge it to the left. 2-bolt anchor at top.

Not often repeated.

This is Bon Echo's first route, and remains the traditional introduction for beginning climbers. (There is a 5.0 variant.)

Start: the tree-filled gully north of The Pinnacle

1. 15m (4th class) Scramble up the gully and over scree to a pair of large trees on the left. (If you really want a 5.0 climb, scramble further up the gully on the right to the Saucer Lucy and Thin Nick start, then follow 2 alt.)

2. 35m (5.2) Climb the break in the boulders and follow the ramp leftwards up to the ridge. Work your way right up a crack to a ledge covered with loose boulders. Round the nose on the skyline and climb the easy angled wall to a large stance by a silver birch tree (with a 2 bolt belay station).

3. 25m (5.0) Move left up the slab above the the birch tree to a groove which leads to a ledge by some Juniper bushes. Climb left to the ridge and follow it to a ledge with a small strong cedar tree where the angle of the ridge eases. This tree is a good example of the ancient cedars on the cliff. Don't sling -- there's a bolt. Belay here, or continue to the top.

4. 15m (5.0) Prance on up to the top. Belay at the two bolt rap station. Two ropes are needed for the rappel.

2a. 30m (5.0) Climb corners and ledges up and left to the silver birch belay at the end of the standard 2nd pitch.

(Was in the database as "The Birthday Route". No route with that exact name existed, this seemed the most likely match.)

The rap station at the top of Saucer Lucy is the only one at the top of the cliff available to climbers. (If top-roping Saucer Lucy, please use your own 'biners to protect the anchors from wear.)

Massive rock fall has obliterated this route. Description is in guide only for posterity.

Rarely or never repeated.

Near the middle of the cliff there is a detached pinnacle (about the only clear pinnacle on the cliff); this climbs the south (right) ramp of the pinnacle to the top, then steps across onto the main face and up to the top.

Start at the corner of the ramp up to the pinnacle from the south, and generally follows the arete.

1. 40m (5.4) Climb the arete and slab to a large ledge with a bolted anchor.

2. 30m (5.4) Climb the arete to a ledge below a smooth slab, move left onto the face and up some steeper moves to rejoin the arete, then continue up the arete to the pinnacle. Belay to avoid rope drag or enjoy the pinnacle.

3. 10m (5.4) Step across to the main face, and climb to the top, looking left for a two-bolt anchor.

("Pinical" was in the database -- but there was no matching route. I am guessing this refers to the classic "Front of the Pinnacle", rather than "Back of the Pinnacle". Renamed to preserve assents, rather than delete & recreate.)

More direct (and more difficult) finish for The Entertainer

Closed route - pictographs.

Not often repeated.

(May be harder, conditions vary.)

Climb closed.

Start at the first diagonal ramp south (right) of Black Groove.

1. 20m Leave the platform to the left and climb the obvious fault on good holds. Continue up the fault and bear right to a large tree or do a semi-layback right and move left to the tree.
2. 25m Continue left up the ramp. Struggle past a small cedar, and climb straight up to the top.

Also goes as 5.5 A2.

3rd Class. The easiest easy way down on the cliff. Less easy if wet. From the park lookout at the top of Knob Hill, go north and down the first small cliff band, turn left and look for a foot path near the edge of the main cliff. Turn left again. Stay close to the inside edge of the slab for most of the way.