Climbing Locations

Mountain Project Map

City Parks

Shepherd Mountain

Located in Ironton, Shepherd Mountain features granite boulders just outside of the downtown Ironton (1.75hrs south of STL). The rock type feels similar to Silver Mines and gives a true Missouri mountain experience. 

Climbing here is free but you can also buy a shuttle pass that will take you to the top of the mountain (see the mountain park website).


Additional Resources:

Private Areas

Boogerboo Bouldering

Located in Farmington, Boogerboo features sandstone bouldering near Pickle Springs (1.25 hrs). The main wall features problems that are >25 foot highballs, however there are some shorter options. Please approach with several crashpads and spotters. This area was made possible by EMCA in Late Oct 2023.


Additional Resources


Robinson Bluff

Located in Cadet, Robinson’s features dolomite limestone bluffs that run along Big River (1.5 hrs south of STL). Robinson has over 200 routes and a few bouldering problems.

Additional Resources:

Sage Mountain

Located in New Haven, Sage features sandstone bouldering and short sport climbing routes (1.5 hrs west of STL).

*includes camping


Additional Resources:

Mark Twain National Forest Recreational Area

Silver Mines


Located in Fredericktown, Silver mines features granite lightly finer than Elephant Rocks. This place stays cool due to the running river that splits the area into two sections. (1.75 hrs south of STL)

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Elephant Rocks State Park


Located in Ironton, Elephant Rocks features large grained granite bouldering. (1.5 hrs southwest of STL) Most of this area feature concrete paths but plenty of tourists so please remain mindful of the shared space. This park is well-established with very few project lines left.

Additional Resources:

Guide books

Johnson's Shut-ins State Park


Located in Middle Brook, Johnson's Shut-ins features Rhyolite routes and boulder problems. (1.75hrs southwest of STL). This Park is Seasonal.

Johnson shut-ins climbing is only allowed the day after Labor day(day after the first September Monday) to the Wednesday before memorial day( Wednesday before the last Monday in May). Please fill out a waver here.

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St. Francois State Park


Located in Bonne Terre, this park features short limestone sport climbing, trad climbing, and boulders. (~1 hr south of STL) This area tends to provide a cooler climate with the many rivers around the park. Please fill out a waver here.

Additional Resources:

Washington State Park

Located in DeSoto, Washington State Park sits just upstream from Robinson Bluff on HWY 21 with a handful of limestone routes. (1 hr southwest of STL)

Most of the routes here are difficult compared to the majority of routes in East Missouri.  Please fill out a waver here.

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Conservations Area (Proceed With Caution)

Rockwoods Reservation


Located in Wildwood, Rockwoods Reservation can be found in an abandoned Limestone quarry. (40 mins west of STL)

This area is located on Missouri Conservation land and is in a very delicate state with constant traffic nearby. Acquiring access to this area has been a difficult road and due to the area’s location it has quickly become a popular climbing spot. Parking is very limited here so please be courteous and help us maintain our access by climbing responsibly. 

Additional Resources:

Gym Climbing

In this section, we want to briefly mention indoor locations. Despite this group being outdoor focused, it feels wrong not to mention the indoor climbing gyms available in Eastern Missouri. 

We plan on setting up a "visiting hour" for each gym (if permitted) where we take off our climbing shoes and sit with whoever wants to talk. We aren't some distant group who operates in the shadows. We are in the "Show Me" State and hope all of this proves the value of our organization. We are here for MO.

We would also like to share any local businesses for climbers. If you have a local business in East Missouri and you provide rock climbing equipment we would love to mention you to help support your business free of charge.

Indoor Gym's websites and locations in East Missouri:


Updated  3.14.2024