Access Fund worked with the landowner, local partner organizations, and the U.S. Forest Service to permanently protect Alphabet Rock and Icehouse Boulders.

Funds from Access Fund's Climbing Conservation Loan Program were used to purchased the 11-acre private property that includes Alphabet Rock and the Icehouse Boulders, as well as the initial access path to Givler’s Dome and outlier crags on adjacent USFS lands.

Together, these granite cliffs and outcrops feature more than 40 historic cracks, slabs, faces, and hueco-filled roofs, ranging in difficulty from 5.7 to 5.13, as well as dozens of challenging boulder problems. Residential development has been increasingly butting up against recreational use in Icicle Canyon for years, threatening future public access. Fortunately for climbers, Alphabet Rock landowner Scot Brower kept much of his property open to public access for the past three decades, but he decided to sell a portion in 2016. Brower reached out to Access Fund, on the recommendation of Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT), about subdividing and purchasing the portion of his property that contains Alphabet Rock and Icehouse Boulders. With the property secured by the option agreement, Access Fund and partners were able to secure severed mineral rights, complete USFS appraisal work, and finalize the transfer process.

The property will be transferred to Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, marking another success story for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.