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| Elevation: | 338 ft |
| GPS: |
43.5804, -71.7188 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
| Page Views: | 12,667,782 total · 63,357/month |
| Shared By: | Jay Knower on Oct 11, 2006 |
| Admins: | Jay Knower, M Sprague, Lee Hansche, Jeffrey LeCours, Jonathan S, Robert Hall |
Description
New Hampshire is the Granite State. The state motto is "Live Free or Die." Need more be said?
Actually though, the rock in this state comes in many forms, from the rounded boulders of *Pawtuckaway in the South to the clean fractured granite of *Cannon Cliff in the North. We even have a world class sport climbing area, though the cliffs at *Rumney are mostly schist. On the other side of the mountains, North Conway has its own scene and two of the best trad cliffs around. Cathedral and *Whitehorse Ledges are just minutes from town. All of this within a state that is small enough to fit into some of your National Parks out West.
Whether you consider yourself a hard core traditionalist or a sport climbing wunderkind, there is a wealth of climbing to be found in this small state. Plus, there's some die-hard Libertarian blood around here, so don't expect to pay any taxes. And fall around these parts can be pretty close to heaven.
New Hampshire's Regions
The Monadnock Region is home to fantastic rock and ice alike. Hewes Hill, Marlow Profile, Bear's Den, Fall Mountain, Keene RR Cut, the Cheese Cut. What's not to love?
The Merrimack Valley hosts one the best cliffs in the south... unfortunately there's restricted access due to it being at an air force site where they still find unexploded ordinance (Joe English Hill). I guess we've still got Rock Rimmon, ey? Jokes aside, *Pawtuckaway is the southern NH crown jewel - world class bouldering accompanied with great trad and ice climbing.
The Southeast / Seacoast part of the state also has a nice bouldering. The highest concentration can be found around Exeter. Don't miss Stonehouse Pond for some climbing and a swim.
The Lakes Region has undergone some major development in the New Durham Area, specifically at Longstack Precipice and Devil's Den by the Chinos Mountain Club. *Rumney is located within the Lakes Region map but is such a popular destination we've kept it on the main page.
The White Mountains region holds the majority of New Hampshire's climbing with a mix of sport, traditional, and outback alpine experiences. We've broken this region into subareas (prefixed with WM) based on pockets of climbing areas, frequently named after the notch or town they are near. A rough overview map of the White Mountain region is here The most popular areas (*Cannon Cliff, *Cathedral Ledge, and *Whitehorse Ledge) are currently listed on the main page.
The Great North Woods region has seen more activity recently with routes on North Bald Cap, Outlook and Mt Forist, although it may be better known for areas in the * NH Ice and Mixed section. This region still has less documentation than the White Mountains but there is certainly plenty to explore here.
Getting There
Manchester hosts a major regional airport and would be the airport of choice for areas in the western part of the state (Rumney, Cannon etc. about 1 1/4 hr drive).
Portland, Maine has a good airport, and is only about 1 1/4 - 1/2 hr drive to areas like Cathedral and Whitehorse in the eastern part of the state. [Take Maine Rt 22W to Rt 114N to Rt 25W to Rt 113N to Rt 302W in Fryeburg ME, then 302W into North Conway; do NOT take Rt 302 all the way, esp. in summer)
The Boston airport is less than a three hour drive from most points in the state.
Ethics
For those needing to study the Forest Management Plan 2005, last revised 2009, there is the link. The most climber relevant sections are (section-page) climbing: 1-14, 1-15, 2-22, 2-23, 3-15, 3-77>78 wilderness:1-22, 3-9>18, 3-47
Vegetation
New Hampshire has no shortage of vegetation growing on the rock. While climbers should try to be respectful of the local flora, sometimes it feels like we are fighting a losing battle with the mosses, bushes, and trees that continually try to engulf the rock. It's not uncommon to find that a cleaned route has returned to its original scruffy state after only a year of neglect. The remedy? Get out and climb the routes!
Classic Climbing Routes at New Hampshire
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