The USA is home to some of the best big wall climbing locations in the entire world.
Our understanding of what is classified as a big wall and what isn’t has been shifting in the recent decades.
Previously, the term “big walls” referred to steep cliff faces that were impossible to climb in a single day. Today, climbers like Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell are sending some of the largest walls in the world in only a few short hours.
So, for the purposes of this list, we will be including walls that are steep, long multi-pitch routes that can be climbed like a big wall (hauling gear, staying on it overnight hundreds of feet in the air, or camping and taking multiple days to send the route).
Every wall on this list has routes over 650 feet long and will provide climbers with a fantastic big wall climbing experience.
While some walls in the United States are longer than a couple of the walls on this list, they are less than vertical and are more slabby (like Whitehorse Ledge).
These long slabby walls are not ideal for having a traditional big wall climbing experience and therefore were not included on this list.
If you are wondering where the top 50 places you must go rock climbing before you die, you can check out the top climbing destinations in the world here. Without further ado … let’s get into it!
Below are the 10 Best Big Wall Climbing Locations in the United States
10. Cannon Cliff, Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire
Height/Prominence: 740 feet (225 m)
Popular Route(s): VMC Direct Direct (9 pitches), Whitney Gilman Ridge (6 pitches)
Starting off the list is Cannon Cliff (formerly known as Profile Mountain). Cannon provides climbers with fantastic routes on incredible granite.
It is not higher on this list because Cannon is known to have many eroded gullies and frequent rock fall. On top of this, it is very remote and bad weather has been known to move in climbers without warning.
That said, you will be hard pressed to find better granite climbing in the Northeastern US.
9. Cathedral Ledge, Echo Lake State Park, New Hampshire
Height/Prominence: 700 feet (213m)
Popular Route(s): The Big Plum (33 pitch traverse), The Prow (6 pitches)
Cathedral Ledge is one of the most popular spots for multi-pitch trad climbing in New Hampshire. Its central route offers big wall aid route climbing reminiscent of Yosemite.
Some climbers have even touted Cathedral Ledge as the best trad climbing center in the US due to its easy access and hundreds of routes. For big wall climbing however, I believe there are a few others that are better than it.
8. Looking Glass Rock, Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
Height/Prominence: 869 feet (265m)
Popular Route(s): The Glass Menagerie (7 pitches)
The Looking Glass Rock may be the shortest big wall on this list but it certainly still deserves to be on it. It is a huge granitic pluton located in the Appalachian Mountains and has been termed “the closest thing to Yosemite outside of Yosemite”.
Looking Glass provides climbers with the best multi-pitch free-climbing in the Southeastern US. It provides well protected areas and pristine granite for all big wall climbers.
The only thing preventing it from being closer to the top of this list is its short stature. The longest route on the pluton is only 650 feet.
7. The Eagle Wall, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
Height/Prominence: 1,000 feet (305m)
Popular Route(s): Levitation 29 (9 pitches), Eagle Dance (11 pitches)
The Eagle Wall is a 1000-foot wall of pure sandstone. It got its name due to the eagle shaped portion of discolored rock approximately one quarter up on the wall.
Eagle Wall is home to what most consider to be the best route in all of the Red Rock Canyon – Levitation 29. It is reported that Lynn Hill has even heralded this route as her all time favorite.
It should be mentioned that this wall is made of sandstone which does not handle water or rain well. Sandstone has been known to break off when wet and climbers should refrain from climbing it during/after a rainstorm.
6. The Incredible Hulk, High Sierra, California
Height/Prominence: 1300 feet (396m)
Popular Route(s): Positive Vibrations (12 pitches), Red Dihedral (12 pitches)
The Incredible Hulk may be the first big wall in California to make our list, but it certainly won’t be the last. It is located in the Sawtooth Range of the High Sierra.
The Incredible Hulk is absolutely massive and provides climbers with a variety of pristine granite routes to choose from. The crack climbing in particular is superb.
This wall can honestly lay claim to being one of the biggest and baddest granite walls in the entire High Sierra.
5. The Rainbow Wall, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
Height/Prominence: 1200 feet (366m)
Popular Route(s): The Original Route (14 pitches)
The Rainbow Wall is home to some of the best big wall climbing in all of Red Rock. With almost too many fantastic big wall routes to choose from, The Rainbow Wall is deservedly in the top 5.
The Original Route has been heralded as one of Red Rock’s finest routes. All of the history associated with it makes it a huge draw for big wall climbers all over the US.
As with The Eagle Wall, The Rainbow Wall is made of sandstone and is subject to fragile rock conditions when wet.
4. Streaked Wall, Zion National Park, Utah
Height/Prominence: 2,000 feet (610m)
Popular Route(s): Tale of the Scorpion (9 pitches)
The Streaked Wall is without a doubt the most captivating and intimidating wall in Zion. It has a continuously overhanging face almost 2,000 feet in length.
If you are looking for big air, you came to the right place.
As with the Red Rock walls, The Streaked Wall is made of sandstone and is subject to permanent damage when climbed on after raining. For the integrity of the routes and the climber’s safety, it is best to not climb on it when wet.
3. Notch Peak, Sawtooth Mountain, Utah
Height/Prominence: 2,200 feet (670m)
Popular Route(s): Western Hardman (12 pitches), Book of Saturday (12 pitches)
Notch Peak is perhaps the most underrated wall on this list. It is the highest limestone cliff in North America and the second highest vertical drop in the United States (number 1 on this list is the highest vertical drop in the United States).
Climbers need to be careful when climbing this masterpiece to watch out for potential rock fall and need to place their gear with discretion.
2. Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California
Height/Prominence: 4800 feet (1463m) above the valley floor
Popular Route(s): Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome (23 pitches)
Just missing out on the top spot and coming in number 2 on our list is Half Dome. Yosemite is home to some of the best big wall climbing in the entire world, not just the country. The amount of climbing history in Yosemite is truly amazing and draws climbers from all over the world to make a pilgrimage there.
The huge vertical granite slabs overlooking the valley are magnificent and terrifying. It is crazy to think that Alex Honnold was able to free solo Half Dome in under 3 hours.
If you are looking for one of the best big wall climbs in the entire world, look no further than the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome. It is 2,200 feet of pure big wall, granite climbing.
1. El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California
Height/Prominence: 3000 feet (914m)
Popular Route(s): The Nose (31 pitches), The Dawn Wall (32 pitches)
This should come as no surprise to anyone. El Capitan is the clear cut number 1 big wall in the entire United States and the quintessential big wall climb of the world.
It is a straight 3,000 foot drop off of the summit to the valley. Staring up at something so large and frightening is impossible to put into words.
It is absolutely legendary and home to the hardest big wall climb in the entire world – The Dawn Wall.
If you read this and are wondering how the American walls compare to big walls across the world, check out the 10 best big walls in Europe.