Memorial Falls Area, 5.5-5.11a

Overview

Just south of tiny Neihart in the Little Belt Mountains, the Memorial Falls area is a new climbing location with at least six developed/developing crags; development began in 2014 and 2015.

At just over an hour's drive from Great Falls, the nearest large (in Montana terms) city, the area has a remote feel. In two visits there, I have not encountered another climbing party there, though I was there on weekdays and I do know Great Falls-based guides take clients there.

The rock is Neihart quartzite, and according to the Neihart Wikipedia page, this is one of only three places in the world where this rock is found; it is "reddish, coarse-grained sandstone with interbedded dark-green sandstone and shale."

Although the rock tends to be solid, there is choss about, so take care.

To the best of my knowledge, and this is based on information from the MP page, the six crags are as follows:

• Prospector Crag
• Upper Memorial Falls
• Duck Wall
• Twilight Wall
• Tween Wall
• Solitude Wall

MP has little information about this area beyond Prospector and Upper Falls, and the same is true of my pages here, but the MP page suggests that you can find more information at Hi-Line Climbing Center in Great Falls and in a book called The Big Empty: Climbing in Central Montana by Ron Brunkhorst.

Getting There

The crags are about a mile south of Neihart of U.S. 89.

Red Tape

None except any posted regulations.

Camping

There are some Forest Service campgrounds not too far away, and dispersed camping is widely available.