Name of area: Riggins Limestone
Where:West of Riggins, ID
How do I get there from Walla Walla?:Take Hwy. 12 towards Lewiston. Stay on Hwy. 12 past Lewiston and turn south on Hwy. 95 at Spalding. Head south on Hwy. 95 to Riggins. Just south of Riggins, turn west up the Seven Devils Rd. Park at an unmarked forset service road just before mile marker 9 on the Seven Devils road. There is a large Ponderosa pine about 100 yards from the pullout that marks a rough trail. The trail winds down to the edge of the Papoose Canyon Rim and you follow it about 300 yards east to a trail with a rope/handrail. Below that the trail is very obvious and leads to the cave. There are also easier routes beyond the cave proper. About a mile further up the main road are two more limestone bands with 50 or so sport routes ranging in grade from 10a to 14a.
How long of a drive is it? 4.5 hours
What's there?: Sport routes on steep to overhanging limestone. The climbs in the Papoose cave area were established with little or no ethical considerations and consist mostly of chipped and glued super-steep overhangs. Almost all routes are 5.11 and above
Land Ownership: Nez Perce National Forest
Pros:Super-hard routes if you like that sort of thing. Nice scenery. Cool in summer.
Cons: A long drive. Mostly hard routes. Some blatantly manufactured routes.
Comments:There is a lot of potential in this area for some nice moderate sport routes that would require no chipping or glueing. Too bad it's so far away!