Rock climbing in Texas is plentiful – especially if you’re willing to drive.
But for most people, who can only afford their weekends to squeeze in a climbing trip, it can be more difficult to find a worthwhile climbing location outside. While living in North Dallas, I have been able to find a few gem climbing spots! Lake Belton is well known for the bouldering area at Roger’s Park, and there are a ton of awesome routes available along the shore!
If you’ve never climbed outside before – this is a great location for you. There are numerous V0 – V1 climbs for you to try out – and don’t be afraid to push yourself to try all the grades!
If you’re an experienced climber – these routes will challenge you. It’s the kind of location that you’ll revisit over and over, because you’ll find a project that takes many sessions to send.
Table of Contents:
Location
Lake Belton lies within Rogers Park in Belton, Texas. Belton is a 3-hour drive from Dallas and a 4-hour drive from Houston. A wall of limestone surrounds a large portion of the lake – there is where you will find the climbing routes. The directions on Mountain Project should lead you to a street with a dead-end. Park at the dead end and locate your path to the right of the road (towards the lake). You’ll follow that path about 5 minutes until you get to the first set of bouldering routes. You can find almost all of the other climbing routes as you continue down that path.
Once you get to the lake, you’ll need to use Mountain Project or another route guide to find details on how to access each specific crag area.
Scenery
In central/east Texas, you’ll often find climbing routes within a walking distance from a body of water. I love this because then you have the opportunity to take a swim break! If you’re at Lake Belton all day to climb, it can be nice to take a dip in the cool lake water or bring a hammock and set it up next to the routes.
One thing I absolutely loved about this location is the tree coverage. It can get wicked hot while rock climbing in Texas, but the trees at Lake Belton give a ton of shade. I can’t remember worrying about getting sunburned or complaining about the heat at all.
Rope Climbing
Although I have only been bouldering at Lake Belton, I know there are 50 sport climbing routes available there. They range from 5.8 to 5.14a in difficulty, so it does lean a bit towards the more difficult side. I will also say that many of the bouldering routes seemed sandbagged (rated easier than they actually are) to me, so keep that in mind when trying out the sport climbing as well.
Bouldering
There are 112 bouldering routes at Lake Belton, ranging from V0- to V11. Again, my group felt at the end that some of the routes were sandbagged, but many were still very easy. Climbing a few V0s and V1s is a great way to get more comfortable and confident climbing.
Lake Belton was the first place I ever went climbing outside. That’s a big deal! It can be scary to go outdoors. Usually the first time going out to climb ends one of two ways: you either LOVE it and it’s all you want to do, or you decide it’s a no-go. If your first experience climbing outside is not great, I recommend giving it at least 2 more chances before you make a final decision. There are many factors that can lead to the success (or downfall) of a climbing trip. Make sure that you go with people that you trust and actually enjoy being around (this is crucial).
My favorite route at Lake Belton is called Sad Cyclops, and it actually looks like a one-eyed, frowning monster. The description of Sad Cyclops on Mountain Project is “start on a sloping rail and trend right across his face. dont worry, he loves it”. Although I was quite scared to attempt this climb, it helped to image myself climbing across the face of this sad little monster. After sending this route, my confidence jumped and it became easier to try other routes later in the day. Don’t be afraid to just try! With bouldering pads and friends to spot you, you will be okay.
Rock Types
The rock at Lake Belton is limestone, just like the rock at Reimers Ranch (another great Texas climbing location). Limestone is despised by some and adored by others. It definitely won’t break apart in your hands like rock from more arid areas, but it can be slick. The humidity of Texas doesn’t help, as the porous rock will even absorb some of the water and become slippery.
Lake Belton is open throughout the year, however most Texans choose to climb during the fall and winter season. During the coldest time of year, this area can cool down to below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but rarely lower than that. As it warms up, rock climbing in Texas will slow down as people travel north for cooler (colder) routes.
Other Activities
In addition to rock climbing at Lake Belton, there are a few other points of interest. You can go camping, swimming, fishing, and boating on the lake. Keep those activities separate, however. You wouldn’t want to swim in a restricted area and end up getting caught on a fish hook! Ew. And like I stated before, there’s not much stopping you from setting up a hammock on the lake’s edge and relaxing all day. Hammocking Tip: make sure that the diameter of your tree is greater than 12 inches. That will prevent you from doing unintended damage to the tree (or yourself).
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