Mount Erie — Zig Zag
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Zig Zag is one of the classic moderate multipitch lines at Mount Erie and one of the longest on the mountain — ~200 ft of 5.7 trad over 2–3 pitches up the Main Wall, starting in a prominent right-facing corner where the approach trail meets the cliff. Right-facing corner + hand-traverse, then slabs and a rightward crack to a small bulge/roof crux (good pro); belays include a big horizontal-growing cedar. FA Killien & Kloke 1963; heavy traffic, some pitches retrobolted. Sea-level, in-town crag — great WFH day.
🚗 Getting there & comms
Trailhead: Mount Erie Main Wall climbers' parking, Heart Lake Rd
From I-5 at Burlington take SR-20 W ~15 min toward Anacortes/Deception Pass; at the roundabout head toward Deception Pass, bear right on Campbell Lake Rd, then turn at the Mount Erie Grocery onto Heart Lake Rd. Base parking is a pullout on the E side ~1/8 mi N of the grocery. ~1.5 hr from Seattle.
⛽ Last services: Mount Erie Grocery at the Heart Lake Rd turnoff for snacks/water; full services in Anacortes ~10–15 min N.
📶 Cell signal: Generally good LTE — low-elevation, within Anacortes city limits — a viable WFH-weekday crag with cell at/near the base. Patchy on shaded walls.
🧗 Routes
🥾 Approach · descent · season
Approach: From base parking on Heart Lake Rd, take the climbers' trail to the Main Wall; the trail meets the cliff at the prominent right-facing corner that starts Zig Zag, left of Snag Buttress. ~10–20 min uphill.
⬇️ Descent: Options: (1) rappel the route on the chain/bolt anchors, (2) scramble the gullies to the Mt. Erie summit and walk down the road/trail, or (3) continue up Springboard. Gully scrambling is loose with route-finding — most parties rappel or walk off from the summit.
🗓️ Season: March–October best (Olympic rain shadow gives dry-spell potential year-round); bring layers. Rock is slow to dry, greasy when wet.
🎒 Gear & food
Rack: Single trad rack, pro to 2 inches (nuts + cams to ~#2); 2–3 chain/bolt anchors on route; extendable slings for the zig-zagging line.
Ropes: Single 60m (lead + rappel by stations).
✅ Before you leave the trailhead
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🏕️ Land · camp · water · permits
🪧 Land & passes: Mount Erie Park / Anacortes Community Forest Lands, City of Anacortes (Fidalgo Island, Skagit County).
📋 Permits: No climbing permit; public recreation land. Park only in designated pullouts — don't block the white private gate or driveways.
⚠️ Hazards · fire · emergency
- Runout slab on P1/P2 with sparse pro — long-fall potential
- Loose/dirty rock, esp. the low-5th upper pitch and gully exits
- Vegetated ledges + lichen after rain; greasy in the wet season
- Rappel/scramble descent has loose rock + route-finding
- Cedar-tree belay anchors — inspect before trusting
- Popular crag — rockfall from parties above on weekends
🆘 Emergency contacts
- Emergency (Police/Fire/SAR/Ambulance) 911 — Skagit County SAR dispatched only via 911/Sheriff
- Skagit County Sheriff (SAR request) 360-428-3211 — Coordinates SAR for Mount Erie
- Island Hospital (nearest ER) 360-299-1300 — 1211 24th St, Anacortes — ~10–15 min from the TH
🌤️ Live conditions
Auto-updated 20h ago · °F · tap a link for the mountain-specific picture ↓
👀 In the field
Tap any for ID, edibility & first-aid.
📍 Nearby & other interest
- Springboard (continuation off the top of Zig Zag)
- False Impressions (5.8), Intimidator (5.10a) — sport
- Snag Buttress (right of the Zig Zag start)
- Powerline Wall (sunny, fast-drying)
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