Merrimack Valley Climbing

The Monadnock Region and Southeast / Seacoast climbing areas now have their own sections! *Pawtuckaway is still reachable from the NH homepage.

Southern NH holds some pretty cool climbing, it just tends to be smaller and wide spread. Mini-cliffs and small pockets of boulders exist in nearly every town, they range from sweet hidden gems to chunks of stone nearly worth developing but more likely to be "discovered" by each new generation of climbers and forgotten about.

A few quality standouts include the impressive but neglected Rock Rimmon in Manchester. 100 feet high and home to over 60 routes, mostly on the easier side of the scale. I am convinced that if it were in a wilderness area this would be one of the most popular beginner crags in NH and it's more difficult routes would receive the attention they deserve. As it is, the urban residents have effectively claimed it as their own.

Dumplington Hill (The Dump) is a place I have never climbed but I have gone once or twice to look around. As i type this im once again wondering why I have never climbed there, Force of habit perhaps? It's granite cliffs and boulders are like those of pawtuckaway but without the crowds.

The more you explore the smaller areas in the southern part of the state the more you will see that it isn't always necessary to drive an hour or more to get some good cragging. We are in a state that holds plenty of options for a quick after work session. If you aren't near any of the areas listed above simply step off the beaten path... This is the granite state after all.