Overview
Liberty Bell stands guard over Washington Pass, and all climbers driving over Highway 20 stop to drool. First is the East Face, with it's steep big wall climbs. Then comes the South and West faces with modest climbs in the 5.6 to 5.9 range, a peak baggers dream. Finally, is the mercifully short approach, especially for a Cascades climb. It is very popular with climbers during the summer months, and you might get stuck behind another group on the wall. The Liberty Crack is listed in the book "The 50 Classic Climbs of North America", which includes routes such as Denali's West Butress, the North Ridge of Mt. Stuart, and the Nose of El Capitan.
Getting There
Drive 1 mile west of Washington Pass on the North Cascades Highway (WA 20). Pull in and park at the Blue Lake trailhead. The approach to the Beckey route is about 2 miles.
For the Beckey and other South\West routes:
Stay on the trail for a little longer than you may think, after a couple of small false trails the main climbers trail/trough comes into view. As with most climbers 'trails' it goes pretty much straight up. If you find yourself teetering on scary slabs, you're lost. The gully, if not snow filled is a fine place to die from party induced rockfall, so wait until it's clear, and take a helmet.
For the East face routes, Liberty Crack and Thin Red Line:
Park after the hairpin curve, and hike up through trees. It takes about an hour to get to the base of the routes.
Red Tape
A Northwest Forest Pass is required. There is a debate about the legality of such a fee for low impact use of federal land, but most people meekly pay the fee, not questioning the authority. While this is not the place to express my views, you can participate in the debate by refusing to buy such a pass, and contesting any fines you may incur. So far there is no climbing fee, but......
Camping
There are campgrounds on either side of Washington Pass. The closest is Lone Fir on the East side of the Pass, about a 10 minute drive from the Blue Lake parking. Klipchuck and Early Winters campgrounds are further away, on the east side. Check with the Okanagen National Forest for more information. OkanoganNationalForest
Mountain Conditions
Liberty Bell lies just east of the Cascade Crest, so it misses some of the worst of the moisture laden fronts that slam into the Western Cascades. Summer thunderstorms occur now and then as well. Rock comes into condition in May, and lasts until the Autumn storms, which usually arrive in October. The approach gully to the Beckey route is often filled with snow until late June, making an ice axe, and possibly crampons neccessary. It's possible to climb the Beckey route after a recent rain , the parts that stay wet, such as the chimney, are not that difficult.
Rugged folks that want to climb in the winter face a 16 mile approach because the road is closed, plus some significant avalanche risk.
Liberty Bell is made of mostly solid granite, which is not quite the quality of Yosemite, or peaks in the Stuart Range, but most of the popular routes are pretty clean.
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