Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
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43.70263°N / 96.1853°W |
Activities:
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Hiking, Trad Climbing, Toprope, Bouldering |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall |
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Overview
Blue Mounds is one of the Minnesota crags featuring a wide variety of trad and TR climbing on smooth quartzite. The rock sits in Blue Mounds State Park which is home to a bison heard and a strip of natural prairie. Even a few prickly pear cactus can be found here so watch your hands. A Falcon Guides Rock Climbing In Minnesota has lots of good information about routes. The rock is located within minutes of parking or camping.
Getting There
From I90 take Highway 75 north to Luverne. Just after Luverne take a right into the park on Rock County road 20. This will lead you into the main entrance for the park where registration and camping is available. If you are approaching the southern more cliffs you will want to park at the south parking lot for a shorter approach. Take Rock County road 8 past the interpretive center until you see a small parking lot to the left. There are about 12 spots available there.View Larger Map
Red Tape
Blue Mounds is open are free to climb in but please stop by the Park Office to fill out a free climbers permit before accessing the crags. This will allow for the good climber/ranger relations that currently exist there. Also the use of white chalk is looked down upon as it discolors the natural color of the rock, please use a colored chalk or be minimal with your chalk so as to not create ugly marks. If you do please clean them up, a short time with a little water and a brush will solves this problem very quickly.Hazards
Be aware that Poison Ivy grows freely and abundantly here, also as stated above this is the home of prickly pear cactus which are no fun to grab and like to hid on the tops of the cliffs. Wasps can be a fun treat depending on what time of year you are there (spring). The rock is slick so it doesn't take cams very easily however the geometric breaks allow for many nice passive placements. Also be aware the setting up toperops can be an adventure because in some areas it involves some exciting jumps due to the detached nature of the blocks. Many times there is an easier way, so look around before you leap. Be creative with the few cracks to set up TR's, or just use a lot of webbing and wrap a bison. Finally, rock quality is usually very good but in areas like the southern quarry big car sized blocks like to fall off so don't climb there.
The Quarry