Moore's Wall

Sauratown and (faintly) Pilot Mountain can be seen...

Description 

Located just a short drive from Winston-Salem, Moore's Wall is the premier climbing destination of piedmont North Carolina. With its beautiful quartzite rock and juggy overhanging lines, Moore's more than holds its own with other great NC areas like Looking Glass. Featuring excellent single- and multi-pitch climbing on north-facing cliffs, it's a cool choice for summer climbing.

Moore's Wall is the home of some of the earliest climbing in North Carolina; its first recorded ascent went up in 1959. Carolina pioneers like George DeWolfe put up numerous first ascents through the 1960s. The 70s saw development at a higher level as climbing gear improved; Bob Rotert and others established routes like Air Raid and Wild Kingdom, among the hardest routes in the state at the time. Tom Howard was another prolific FA artist, with routes like the classic Zoo View to his credit. And climbers owe a debt of gratitude to local legend Tim Fisher, not only for his numerous first ascents, but his efforts at maintaining climber access to the cliff.

Like most NC destinations, Moore's is primarily a trad area. One distinguishing feature of climbing here is the adventurous nature of the descents; don't look for convenient bolted rap stations at the topouts of most routes. A typical rap station consists of fixed pro, slung trees or chocks, or a combination of these. And just finding the rap stations can be a real easter egg hunt, involving scrambling and downclimbing. Be prepared!

As part of Hanging Rock State Park, Moore's Wall is subject to park regulations, including climber registration (free). Camping is available in the park. There is also a campground in close proximity to the climber parking lot on Moore's Spring Road (bring earplugs).

Getting There 

From Winston-Salem, take US 52 north for about 13 miles to exit 122 (Moore-RJR Drive). Follow this road east for about four miles to NC 66 and turn left (north). Continue on 66 for almost seven miles to Moore's Spring Road (SR 1001). Turn right on Moore's Spring and continue a short distance to another right turn on Mickey Road. Follow this almost a mile to Charlie Young Road and turn right. After a short distance, you'll come to a parking lot and trailhead kiosk for the Tory's Den trail.

Continue up Charlie Young Road past the Tory's Den parking, then take a dirt road off to the right (Hooker Farm Road) for less than a half mile; turn right at the handy brown "Climbers Access" sign onto another dirt road and continue a short distance to a gravel parking lot on the left. In addition to a registration kiosk, this new climber's parking lot sports a unisex bathroom and a water pump for last-minute fills of the water bottle.

The approach from the climber parking lot is fairly aerobic, gaining about 500' of elevation in a 20-minute hike. Follow the trail past the kiosk to where it reaches the gravel power line road; turn left on this road and hike up to a park sign on the right pointing to the Sentinel Buttress trail. At this point, you can turn right and follow the trail up to the crag at the base of Washboard, then turn right to get to the Sentinel Buttress. If you're heading for the Amphitheatre or the North End, continue up the power line road a short distance to another park sign pointing out the trail; this trail will bring you to the far left end of the Amphitheatre (Wailing Wall).

Access Issues 

Sections of Moore's Wall are subject to closure for nesting peregrine falcons. This is set seasonally; for more details, check the Carolina Climbers Coalition web site.

The Classics

Featured Route For Moore's Wall

Quaker State 5.11a  NC : Moore's Wall

This is the obvious crack feature in the center of the left Amphitheater wall. Great climbing with an exciting crux at the top. The centerpiece of the area and one of the best routes at Moores. ...[more]   Browse More Classics in NC

Photos of Moore's Wall Slideshow

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BETA PHOTO: Moore's Wall from the fields below.