Colchuck Balanced Rock
Description
WikipediaColchuck Balanced Rock is an 8,240-foot (2,512-metre) granite mountain summit located in Chelan County of Washington state. Colchuck Balanced Rock is part of The Enchantments within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It belongs to the Stuart Range which is subset of the Cascade Range. Colchuck Balanced Rock is situated west of Enchantment Peak, and east of Jabberwocky Tower and Colchuck Lake. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into the lake and Mountaineer Creek, a tributary of Icicle Creek. The climbing approach is via the Colchuck Lake Trail, then traversing away from Aasgard Pass approximately 400 feet above the lake. The mountain is named for its pyramidal summit which has a top-block that nests, rather than balances, on the summit. The mountain and glacier take their name from the lake, which in Chinook jargon means "cold water".
First ascent
Best months
Hiking score 0–100 · 10-yr climate averagesNeighbouring summits
| Name | Elevation | Bearing | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jabberwocky Tower | 2,085 m | W 265° | 0.6 km |
| Enchantment Peak | 2,597 m | E 102° | 1.2 km |
| Witches Tower | 2,597 m | S 197° | 1.7 km |
| Cannon Mountain | 2,637 m | NE 44° | 1.7 km |
| Dragontail Peak | 2,695 m | SW 218° | 1.8 km |
| Pandora's Box | 2,658 m | SW 218° | 2.2 km |
Climbing routes
nearest first| Route | Area | Grade | From summit |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Tipping Point | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 7b+ | 63 m |
| West Face | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 7a | 63 m |
| The Balanced Rock | Colchuck Balanced Rock | — | 63 m |
| Colchuck Balanced Rock Col (East Lake Side Approch) | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 1- | 63 m |
| Scarface | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 6b+ | 63 m |
| NW Ridge | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 5.6 | 63 m |
| The Scoop | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 6c+ | 63 m |
| Let it Burn | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 7a+ | 63 m |
| Full Tilt (Tempest Wall Free Version) | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 7b+ | 63 m |
| The Tempest | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 7c | 63 m |
| Milk n' Honey | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 6c | 63 m |
| Rikki Tikki Tavi | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 6c+ | 63 m |
| Leche La Vaca | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 6a+ | 63 m |
| Accendo Lunae (LiB/West Face Var.) | Colchuck Balanced Rock | 7a+ | 63 m |
| East Face | Jaberwocky Tower | 4c | 550 m |
| Acid Baby | Aasgard Sentinel | 6b+ | 899 m |
| The Valkyrie | Aasgard Sentinel | 6b | 899 m |
| Heartbroken | Split Personality Boulder | V4- | 1.4 km |
| E/SE Face | Witches Tower | 1 | 1.7 km |
| Gerber-Sink | Dragontail Peak | 5a | 1.8 km |
| Serpentine Arete | Dragontail Peak | 5b | 1.8 km |
| Dragons of Eden | Dragontail Peak | 7a+ | 1.8 km |
| This, My Friend | Dragontail Peak | 5c | 1.8 km |
| Der Dihedral | Dragontail Peak | 5c | 1.8 km |
| Backbone Ridge | Dragontail Peak | 5c | 1.8 km |