Rocks State Park

BETA PHOTO: Brakeaway Wall; the main wall at RSP. Ro...

Description 

Rocks State Park is about 40 minutes north of Baltimore, and has some of the best trad routes in Maryland. There are three main climbing areas. The main outcropping is called the King and Queen Seat, and hosts the majority of the routes. A small, 40ft pillar juts out from the end of the King and Queen Seat, to form the Strawberry Jam Pillar. Finally, off in the woods to the east is the Smoke and Ash Crag, hosting two short routes. Most of the worthwhile climbs are in the first two areas.

There are about 25 routes and a couple of variations. A couple of them are fairly high quality for the area, and two or three are exceptional by Maryland standards. The grades range from 5.4 to 5.12 and most of the routes can be toproped, either by slinging trees and blocks, or with a bit of gear.

The rock is fairly hard and eats up stopper placements. Cam placements can be a bit tricky due to the flaring rock. The main wall, with the highest concentration of high quality routes gets early sun.

There are few objective hazards in Rocks. There are copperhead snakes in the area, and occasionally popular climbs like Breakaway(5.9) and Vertical play host to wasp nests.

There is some old fixed gear, but all new fixed gear is banned, except by permission of the park ranger. The only access issue is that the park closes at sunset, and you will be fined if you are caught in the park after dark.

Getting There 

Drive north on I-95 to Route 24. Take 24 north about 10 miles. The road will go from a major highway to a small two lane country road. 24 becomes Rocks Rd. About a mile after you pass Cherry Hill Rd. You'll see a couple of parking lots on your left. If you hit a fork in the road with a bridge on the right (St. Clair's Bridge Rd.) you've gone to far. Park a the second lot and hike up the trail until you see the crag.

The Classics

Featured Route For Rocks State Park

Vertical 5.6  MD : Rocks State Park : Breakaway Wall

Super-positive holds all up and down this classic route make it an extremely popular climb. a good place to play for the new leader and the old alike.Follow the prominent crack/flake system that starts in the center of the wall, about 15 feet beneath a small overhang. Pull through it and follow the parallel left-leaning cracks up to the next bulge. Work your way over or around the bulge near the top to the large platform. There are many variation...[more]   Browse More Classics in MD

Photos of Rocks State Park Slideshow

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Tanya climbs Vertical (5.6) at Breakaway Wall, Roc...

BETA PHOTO: At the lower part of breakaway. nice corner featu...