A tricky start yields to easier climbing via a crack under a small roof.  This section handles gear from 0.1" to 2".  Swing left under/around the roof and clip the first bolt.  Place another piece and work up under the second roof, to another bolt.  Head left around the roof and onto the 5.8 slab through three more bolts. 

  On paper this all sounds fine.  The moves off the deck are what give it the grade, though, and they seemed challenging to protect.  Moreover, the route is infrequently touched, so it's a bit more crumbly and dirty than fun.  The slab at the top suffers the most, though the whole line feels somewhat less solid than it should.

Alien Invasion

Event Horizon

Roswell

Probe

Alien Autopsy

We Are Not Alone

Death Star

Young Jedi

ET (Extra Trad)

Earth First (We'll Log the Other Planets Later)

Luna

Cattle Mutilation

Rocketman

Open the Pod Bay Door HAL

Hoss

Solar Flair

Friend or Alien

Take Me to Your Leader

Crop Circles

Black Ops

Sunspot

Abducted

Cosmic Debris

The Mothership

Men in Black

Out of this World

Dreamland

It Aint Human

Lies and Deception

Adam

Wormhole

War of the Worlds

The Eagle Has Landed

Ponderosa

To Boldly Bolt where No Man has Bolted Before

First Contact

Little Grey Men

Resistance is Futile

Alien Observer

Vulcan Mind Meld

Uranus Has Rings

Erased Memory

Close Encounters

Stargate

Shape Shifter

Mars

An unpleasant climb.  The lower section features a wide, slimy (rat-poop smeared) offwidth crack that takes large gear and offers one bolt. 

  Once past the lower portion, the upper half is tough, unrewarding crimping and pinching on nondescript Area 51 crystals. 

  With such great routes as "Alien Observer" and "The Mothership" within 50 feet of this little abomination, it'll be tough to justify climbing this line.

A tall move, similar in nature to that of it's classic neighbor, "The Mothership," kicks off this slabby crimp/tech fest .  If you can't reach the two jugs above the first clip, you may be f'd.   

  If you can, what awaits is a delicate haul up sparse, small edges and pockets with the occasional use of the arete, and a lot of balance and nerve. 

  The crux hits around the 7th bolt, as you're forced off the arete and onto the face where a couple of pockets and 1/2pad crimps - just a little too far apart - await to thwart your redpoint. 

  This is an excellent, varied climb full of exciting, unique movement.  If you're climbing at the grade, it's a toss-up whether you'll find this or The Mothership more worthy.

Follow the crack at the base where pro is needed and pull into a thin face climb.  There are a couple of pesky bulges to deal with to finish on a nice ledge where you can reach the long dangling chains.  Slightly overhung and a pumpy challenge.

Precise, delicate slab climbing on small, sharp holds.  Use the arete and small cracks where helpful, and place gear in a couple of the middle crack sections.

Challenging moves off the deck on pockets and sidepulls give way to entertaining jug hauling and a rest stance.  The final moves surmounting the bulge aren't the crux, but they're tricky, awkward, and a lot less enjoyable than the first 2/3 of the line. 

  The Oregon Rock book suggests that the route goes at 10d, with an eliminate option of staying entirely right of the bolt line for the first two bolts, which goes at 11a.  The latter has a sneaky, committing move getting to second bolt...an attentive belayer, or a stick clip for the second bolt is advised.

A blocky scramble kicks off this sustained beautiful face.  A few moves of low difficulty bring you the middle of the face and a no hands rest.  From here the route becomes very sustained with virtually no rests.  Sequential moves lead up edges to a seam that ends in either a deadpoint or more static beta to a sloping flat 'jug'.     More very sustained crimping leads through a tricky sidepull move and the crux crimping sequence.  A quality headwall finishes on flat edges and crimps and provides quite a healthy pump.     I found this route to be the best I did at the crag, even better than it's classic neighbor Mothership!

Surmount an opening dihedral, work right over a small roof and onto the slabby face above.  What follows is technical slab work on a rock that has fewer holds than you'd expect, and much more lichen and moss than you'd want.  Route/hold finding is a bit of a challenge, and though the movement might seem novel, there's always something that makes the climbing less than enjoyable.

Super fun climbing, great trad placement opportunities.  Even a roof or two to pull!  Exciting stuff, especially if you haven't led too much trad before.

Right off the deck you'll realize this is another of Area 51's stiff 11's.  The opening moves on overhanging blocks with bad feet and a gutsy first clipping stance give way to precise face climbing on small pocketed holds. 

  3/4 of the way up the route you'll be faced with a big crystally bulge to surmount.  The bulge has a great feature larger than your head (that must weigh at least 50 lbs) that provides jugs for both hands.  The moves up and around this overhanging bulge section are the crux... 

  ...but wait, this feature is glued on, with a visible bead of liquid nails (?) about an inch thick all the way around it...and when you yard on it to reach the next holds, it flexes quite a bit.

A fun, blancy slab climb that ends with an easier section with a crack and overhang.  Great movement  on the first 2/3 of the route makes the whole thing worth it!

Moderate climbing for the first couple bolts.  Once on the main face, however, the holds get small and clipping gets interesting.  The moves aren't particularly interesting, but the size of the holds makes this route exciting, and not necessarily in a good way.

A gutsy and demanding route, but it has style.  The first three bolts force exciting moves on crimps and underclings. 

  Attain the ledge, clip the fourth bolt and take a rest. 

  The fifth bolt is up and left on a face with a few very small crimps (one of the better ones is right below the bolt).  Don't miss this clip or you'll deck on the ledge.   

  The crux is the majority of the second face;  movement from the ledge through the sixth bolt on very small, hidden crimps.

A great climb that offers a variety of climbing styles.  Start with a few boulder moves to get over the large bulge onto the face.  Use nice hand cracks and thin crimps to get up to the crux at the small roof.  A heady leaning move off the ledge puts you on the exciting arete to the anchors.

A cool trad line that constantly has you moving right.  The gear placement is decent, and the climbing is pretty good.  The route just seems to gradually get harder as you climb. 

  The crux is 10-15 feet from the top, where the crack straightens back to vertical in an awkward, slightly bulging, and definitely offwidth manner.  You'll be happy if you bring a 4" cam and save it to protect this section.

Clamber up the starting boulder, reach up, around an overhang for the first clip, then move into the crux surmounting the small roof.  Once you've reached the second bolt, the climbing eases down to 5.7 or 5.8 until the very last move. 

  The crux is hard and relatively un-fun, while  the remainder of the route is a completely different grade, and sorely lacking in character.

Delicate, pocket and crimp moves to become established on the arete, followed by easier climbing until you reach the last face.

Demanding, sustained, technical climbing for 2/3 of the route, including long reaches, dynamic movements and tricky balancing. 

  Attain a ledge, move right around a detached block, clip the bolt on the face above.  The crux is the move that establishes you onto that face.  Easier climbing to the anchor (along with a single gear placement) follows.

A short, dirty climb that's over before you've had time to start hating it.  The moves to the first bolt feel a little insecure, but the rest of the climb is pretty straight forward.

A quality climb that offers a variety of climbing and amazing position.  Crop Circles ascends the arete with the blank streak running across it on the face.  The delicate and finger intensive crux comes at the beginning of the arete, but the final bulge at the top is no easy exit.  Lie backs, aretes, lunges, and face climbing; Crop Circles has it all, getting better the higher you go.

Climb up the technical start on the slab right of HAL, and then cross over HAL at the 3rd bolt. Stem your way up until you are forced onto the face. Surmount the bulge crux using creaky, glued on holds, and then continue up through multiple overhung glued on jugs to the anchor. Rather scary due to the glue.

A fun, challenging and technical slab route!  Place a couple of cams near the start, continue up a thin face with reachy moves to a bulge. 

  Surmounting the bulge is the crux.  Once you know the trick, you'll love this route!

Stem up a shallow dihedral for two bolts, traverse right onto a ledge.  Tackle the rest of the the route either by stemming the heavily textured but otherwise sparsely featured dihedral, or grovel up the off-width crack that splits the two faces (former recommended unless you like collecting scrapes). 

  This route offers some uncommon climbing for Area 51, with some pretty exciting moves on rock where stem footholds are everywhere.  The Oregon Rock book notes that it is runout.  It's much more closely bolted than many lines at Smith, however a fall in certain places above the third bolt might result in injury. 

  There is an eliminate version of this route, called "Taken" that is face-only, no stemming.  It's supposed to clock in at 11d.

A less than awesome 5.9 with some strange moves and not a whole lot to redeem itself.  If you're after a good warmup, you'll do better with "Out of this World," but this humble little route will do the trick too.

Oh man!  If you climb anything between 10c and 11d and you're at Area 51, The Mothership is a MUST DO!  Written up as the best climb at the crag in the guidebook, this route is incredibly fun, and will provide plenty of challenge and reward for anyone in this range.  The book does not lie, it's simply that good! 

  It's long, pumpy, full of great moves and has perfectly placed bolts (with the exception of first), there's nothing to dislike here! 

  The first bolt is 25 feet up, and will be an exposed reach for shorter climbers.  If uncomfortable, bring a .5" X4 cam or a larger tricam to place in the horizontal crack just below. 

  Once clipped, the first crux is a highly entertaining move surmounting the bulge. 

  Follow the bolt line left on a thin slab as you work yourself into that awesome crease.  The bolt line then travels up and right in the crease until you hit a small overhang. 

  Make the roof moves and pump your way to the finish on ample jugs

A short and unpleasant route with moves that at some points feel like 5.9 and at other points feel like 5.11, but at no point feels fun. 

  Haul up over a lip to a strange arete/slab climb into a wide crack where you can find anchors...or don't.

A nice warm up route.  Easy climbing to the top of the detached block half way up.  The crux is crossing on to the sharp, slabby face before continuing to the anchors.  The second half feels a bit like sharper Smith Rock climbing.

It looks easy, but the technical slab climbing on the first 2/3 of this route is no joke.  Following is a crux section pulling a lip on a small roof.  Finish the route on  one last slab section, veering left and into the crack just before the anchors.

One of the few moderate climbs in the area. Fun edgy holds among the moss and lichen with a tricky move to get up to the anchors.

A difficult opening move gives way to a relaxed, wide crack.  Half way up the route, take a sit down rest, then launch into the bolted face climb.  The first two thirds of this bolted section climb a fantastic line of crimps and jugs through a shallow overhang.  Once you've pulled the lip, though, "Lies and Deception" earns its grade...and name...easily with a short but thin and technical finish on a surprisingly bald face.  Enjoy the whip! 

  Stellar movement, satisfying holds, and great bolt placement make this route another fantastic Area 51 climb!

I don't know if this route exists. I will gladly take this route description down when someone tells me where this route really is, or if I have mistaken it with "Hoss" next door to it.

Looking up at this intimidating, overhung offwidth crack, it might be hard to believe that "Wormhole" is only rated 5.9...but it really is. 

  The first 40 feet are as rough as they look. It's a grovelly haul, and the crux of the whole route comes in the first 10 feet of the climb.  This first crack is a shared start with "Stargate." 

  Reach the ledge, shake out, walk to the back of the ledge and ascend the fantastic second half of this line.  Stem, jam, use face holds, layback off the ceiling, it's all good, and it's really all there.  Incredibly fun movement, and secure stances for placing big gear! 

  Pull the lip with a little trickery, and wedge yourself into the the widest portion of the crack 15 feet from the top.  Spend a few moments worming your way up to the end, anchors on the left.

I don't know if this route exists.  I will gladly take this route description down when someone tells me where this route really is, or if I have mistaken it with "Men in Black" next door to it.

A fairly innocuous looking, left-leaning crack on the same face as Cattle Mutilation.   Great gear placements, solid feet and plenty of opportunity for hand jamming. 

  Though it doesn't look particularly different from the rest of the climb, the top 1/3 of the route gets more challenging.

A strange little route that's by no means as bad as its neighbor, Hoss, but also by no means fantastic.  Follow the first few bolts through 5.9 climbing.  Once below the large flake, make a few technical moves through the crux.  Then scramble to the anchors on non-descript jugs and Area 51 crystals. 

  This route is very infrequently climbed and has some loose rock and hold breakage potential.  If it were climbed more regularly, it might clean up to a two-star route, but probably not much more.

A challenging route that utilizes small holds, imperfect crack holds and requires some good - and far less than obvious- decisions when finding a line. 

  The first half of the route climbs like a 5.11a in places, but once you reach the 2/3 mark (about at the top of "Vulcan Mind Meld," just to the left), the climb eases to 5.9.

Fun, straight forward climbing.  Some small holds and some harder pulls, but a pretty representative example of Area 51's more moderate side.

Another of Area 51's physically demanding crimp routes.  Limber up those fingers and try to spot the holds ahead of time.  They're all here, just really hard to find while climbing! 

  Tiny ledges on grey rock (with the occasionally re-glued hold).  Sounds a bit dull until you're two clips up. 

  The movement is awesome, and finding those invisible ledges just before peeling off makes this route quite a rush, even if it is short.

A cool face climb requiring lots variety in technique to vanquish.  Jams, crimps, delicate/technical face moves, mantles and pockets.  It's all there, and much more entertaining than it appears.

An incredibly fun route, mostly for the bolted second half. 

  Straight forward crack and face trad climbing for the first half (5.9).  Attain the ledge where the crack runs out. 

  An overhanging, ledgy bolted line follows.  Great left-right movement and huge holds just a tiny bit too far apart to be easy reward you for slogging through the first half of the climb.  Dynamic moves welcome but unnecessary.  Have fun!!!

A few easy bolts gets you under the roof.  A bit of thought (and maybe a fun heel hook) will get you out and around the lip onto the face.  The climb eases from there to the anchors.

Fun, delicate moves off the deck give way to easier climbing.  Great movement all the way up though.

Climb up a face with plenty of cracks for gear placements, and features that make for interesting moves.  Mixed bolts and gear will get you to the top of this fun, varied climb.

Fantastic, challenging and varied climbing!  Delicate face moves, use of an arete, dynamic moves to crimps, an overhang section with blocky holds you can use multiple ways, this route is killer! 

  Begin on a thin, blank face, work your way up using sparse feet small crimps and the occasional arete pull. 

  Move into an overhang and pull the lip onto tiny crimps. 

  The first bolted anchor can be the endpoint here, or you can pull another roof to the final anchor

Stargate has the same start as Wormhole, up the offwidth crack.  At the ledge, half way up, bolt one of the anchors that are affixed there, and begin up the bolted inside face (just around the corner, and to the right of Event Horizon).  Follow three bolts above the midway anchors, and then merge at the last bolt with Event Horizon.  Anchors shared with Event Horizon and Wormhole. 

  The first few bolts of the second half of the route are spaced pretty far apart, and the crux comes early on that face.  It would be pretty easy to miss the first (or second depending on how you count it) bolt and deck on the ledge.

A unique and strenuous climb.  Pull into the route on some crimpy holds on undercut/poor feet.  The first two thirds of the route utilize a shallow dihedral and thin-to-non-existent hands with precise footwork.  Once out of the dihedral, the climbing eases.

Another of Area 51's most solid climbs!  Exciting moves on unique rock.  Plenty of opportunity to stem and even throw in the occasional jam...and even a couple of good rests built in. 

  Climbing the face, without using the dihedral (and, therefore foregoing the rests), raises the grade to 11b.

Area 51 is a sport climbing crag that's located in the forest on the eastern flanks of Mt. Hood.  It's a single cliffband around 60-70ft. high that's composed of nicely featured andesite. 

  There are a few dozen bolted sport routes here that range from 5.7 to 5.13. There is about 30 more routes that require gear of some sort.  The routes are very well bolted with up to date hardware.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Area 51