In my experience, granite rarely forms buckets and when it does form buckets, it's rarely steep. Shagg Crag has all three: steep, juggy, granite climbing.
Located about an hour away from North Conway, Shagg sees a fair amount of traffic, though it is still possible to have the crag by yourself on a sunny weekend. The crag gets afternoon sun and there is little to offer shade, so expect a warm climbing experience. This can be a great thing on sunny winter days, or a curse on sunny summer days. Get up early on warm days and climb until the wall comes into the sun.
Besides Waimea at Rumney, Shagg might be the most stacked cliff in all of New England. If you're looking for endurance-esque 5.12's, I can't think of a better crag. The guidebook lists twelve routes rated 5.12 and almost all of them are quality. Shaggin Wagon (12a), Ginseng Route (12c), Meltdown (12c/d), and Shagg It (12d), stand out as unique classics. If you're looking for routes of a more moderate grade, Shagg might offer enough for a day or so, and The Great Escape (10d) should not be missed.
Getting There
Take rt. 26 to West Paris and turn onto rt 219. Drive 4.8 miles and here you will turn left onto Tuell Hill Rd. Follow this road for 1.6 miles and at the junction continue north on Shagg Pond Rd. You will pass Shagg Pond on your west side. Park at a large pullout on the left side of the road. This is the trailhead. Hike east on Bald Mountain trail till you come just south of a pond at this junction follow to the right up a steep trail for just under a mile. As the trail starts to level look for a path on the right that starts down to the left of Shagg Crag. This hike will take 30 to 40 minutes.
If you came to the crag looking to tick 5.12, Shaggin Wagon is the route for you. This is not to say that the route is easy for the grade--far from it. Shaggin Wagon is all of 12a; however, success depends more on being tall than being strong.The crux is at the bottom after which it's all about hanging on. If you are tall, the first move shouldn't be much of a problem. Expect a deadpoint to a pretty good hold. If you are short...well, ...[more]
Shagg Pond is one of the best cliffs in the country for 5.12 sport routes. If you are looking for technical routes, powerful routes, weird routes, or endurance routes, Shagg has a 5.12 for you.
By Chris Duca Administrator From: Hinesburg, Vermont Dec 12, 2007
Jay-- If you didn't post this area description, sooner or later I was going to have to! Thanks!
Is their a guide book to this area? I know its listed in the rock climbing New England book, but I wan wondering if their was guidebook specifically for this area
By Ladd Raine Administrator From: Plymouth, NH Mar 24, 2008
I happen to have a homemade guidebook complete with FAs and some topos. Feel free to contact me via email if you want a copy.
For the most part Shagg Crag was developed in its entirety by Erik Mushial and Bob Parrott. I have it from the highest authority that the birth of Shagg took place over the course of one summer fueled by bong smoke and cases of warm beer. It would be safe to assume that any given route here, unless established in some later unrelated effort, should be credited as a collaboration of these two great New England climbers.
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