Climb the Callahans

Oregonians have set the bar high for sport climbing— after all, Smith Rock is world class. Knowing this, I shouldn't have been so surprised to find out how well bolted, marked, and maintained the Callahans climbing area was. 

Located 20 minutes outside of Roseburg, these arkose sandstone formations feel hidden away. The forest supplies shade in the heat of day, while the position of the crags 2,000 feet above the valley floor provides a feeling of high exposure for the climber. 
I even ran into Greg Orton himself, the man responsible for bolting some of the Callahans and creating the guidebook. 

The trails were in excellent condition, something I'm inclined not to take for granted as a climber. Each crag had its name posted on a light green wooden sign in front of it. These signs paired with the guidebook made it easy to orient oneself.

The crags are located at the top of a hillside forest. The approach trail ascends through the forest in steep switch backs before it flattens out at the base of the crags. The 3/4 mile approach takes about 20-30 minutes depending on fitness level and amount of gear carried. Follow signs for Touchstone Trail because it turns into the Baseline Trail, running along the base of the crags.
There are more than 38 climbing areas, but the most popular are Mind Planet, Turtle Rock, Schoolhouse, and Trolls Throne.

Topping out Turtle Rock is a must-do and offers an unbeatable view. There are a couple fun 5.9's on the rock. There is a community gear box stashed at the base of Turtle Rock, where it intersects the Baseline Trail. You might find old climbing shoes, extra carabiners, slings, brushes, and maybe even some tape. Just make sure you return whatever you use. This is a great way to help your fellow climbers out, so feel free to contribute to the contents of the box.

My first time at the Callahans, I found that Mind Planet was a good place to start. The Near Side Area routes ranged from 5.10a to 5.10d. More difficult routes can be found on Mind Planet's Denial Wall, ranging from 5.10c to 5.12a. Most of these routes are 2 pitches but can be climbed as a single pitch up to the first set of anchors. Both the Near Side and Denial Wall areas feature huecos, pockets in the rock formed from volcanic gases that have a positive lip. I recommend two routes on the Near Side wall that include some fun huecos: Mind Games (5.10a) and Relativity (5.10a). They are side by side but each has its own unique sequencing. 

Top-rope access is possible on many of the routes in the Callahans. In order to set up top-rope on the lower set of anchors on multi-pitch routes, take a hiker trail to the top of the crag (or lead one of the several 5.7's) and rappel down from the top set of anchors to the first set of anchors. Set up your top-rope anchor and then rappel down the rest of the wall.

The guidebook for the Callahans is called Rock Climbing Western Oregon, Volume 2: The Umpqua (Greg Orton).

Access: From Roseburg, follow Melrose Road until it dead ends into Fournoy Valley Road. Turn right and follow this road for about 5 miles. Turn right onto Touchstone Road. Touchstone Road is paved until turning to gravel on the last 0.3 mile stretch. There will be a small area near the gate to park your car. If the gate is open, do not continue driving to the trailhead. The road beyond the gate belongs to a private logging company and the chances of getting your vehicle locked inside are high (it happened to my friend). From the gate, walk up the road until you reach the Touchstone Trailhead. Look for a wooden foot bridge and a trail leading into the woods from the right-hand side of the road.

Exposure on Mind Planet

The top of Turtle Rock

Far Side Area of Mind Planet

Community Gear Box