oooops... moved to Maryland, not the big apple

Hey, I recently posted that I was moving to the city - from Boulder - but ended up in the DC Metro area (Maryland to Virginia). I'm looking at West Virginia, and other local areas (are there any?)

Share your wisdom, peeps!!

Joni

Old Rag and Seneca Rocks. I'm sure there's closer stuff too, but those are the big ones that come to mind. You'll want to hit old rag by early spring before the foliage fills in, otherwise you'll be bushwacking thru stinging nettles to get to the climbs.

Where in MD did you end up? Carderock and Great Falls are worth getting to know. Often crowded and there are some decent gear leads (I've never seen anyone, other than my self, on the sharp end at Carderock - make sure no one throws a rope down on top of you). They are the best local spots. Don't forget Old Rag for not too far of a drive road trips too. I preferred the Colombia Earth Treks to the Rockville one. It is smaller but the people were generally more friendly and they have a handful of cracks. NW Branch is a little silly but worth an hour or so of your time. Don't put too much effort into getting there and watch out for gangbangers, crack heads and drunks. Bring your spray paint. If your caught up on your immunizations there are some fun jumps into the creek. Climbing around underneath the Beltway bridge about 1/2 mile down stream is a good bit more exciting, though I doubt it is legal.

Rocks State Park and Sugarloaf Mtn., both in Maryland, are also both fairly nice local spots.

This guidebook is worth getting if you will be in the area for a little while; it covers a selection of areas within reasonable distance: amazon.com/gp/product/15604…

+1 on the no hurry to Northwest Branch. More likely to see families than crackheads but I have definitely seen a guy taking a bath bucknaked in the creek. I trail run in it anyway sometimes. Doesn't seem to be as sketchy as its rep.

Carderock and Great Falls are the meat & potatoes of many climbers in the area with weekend trips to the destinations already mentioned further afield. I would definitely get to know the rock a bit before leading at a place like Carderock or Great Falls for that matter. People do it (I hear) but I've also seen how the rock degrades WHILE people aid on it. Personal choice like the entire sport I suppose.

If heading out to Carderock be aware that the crag is under increasing pressure and not everybody is happy about it. My *understanding* is that the Park Service feels that all the climbing is having an impact on the trees, which have been dying as of late. There have been increasing tensions between groups of climbers with guides and private climbers as well. Its a small crag and well loved. Similarly Great Falls just had a study finished about climbing impacts on informal trails and vegetation. I would say some climbers are holding our breath and hoping for the best. Trying to pitch in with clean-up days etc.

Wannabe wrote:+1 on the no hurry to Northwest Branch. More likely to see families than crackheads but I have definitely seen a guy taking a bath bucknaked in the creek. I trail run in it anyway sometimes. Doesn't seem to be as sketchy as its rep. Carderock and Great Falls are the meat & potatoes of many climbers in the area with weekend trips to the destinations already mentioned further afield. I would definitely get to know the rock a bit before leading at a place like Carderock or Great Falls for that matter. People do it (I hear) but I've also seen how the rock degrades WHILE people aid on it. Personal choice like the entire sport I suppose. If heading out to Carderock be aware that the crag is under increasing pressure and not everybody is happy about it. My *understanding* is that the Park Service feels that all the climbing is having an impact on the trees, which have been dying as of late. There have been increasing tensions between groups of climbers with guides and private climbers as well. Its a small crag and well loved. Similarly Great Falls just had a study finished about climbing impacts on informal trails and vegetation. I would say some climbers are holding our breath and hoping for the best. Trying to pitch in with clean-up days etc.

you mean to say that people gang top roping off of trees is no good for them? not in CT, our top rope anchor trees are just fine...

Jon Moen wrote:Rocks State Park and Sugarloaf Mtn., both in Maryland, are also both fairly nice local spots. This guidebook is worth getting if you will be in the area for a little while; it covers a selection of areas within reasonable distance: amazon.com/gp/product/15604…

Rather than paying for a guide that is so broad it's lacking at times IMHO you could check out some beta here:

potomacmountainclub.org/con…

In the interest of complete disclosure I'm a member of this club but the beta is offered to the community as a service so no worries there.

Cheers

Wannabe wrote:More likely to see families than crackheads but I have definitely seen a guy taking a bath bucknaked in the creek.

Sounds like the place has cleaned up a bit. Certainly was not always the case. Nice positive news. I think I have lead about every crack at Carderock and found the gear/rock to be pretty dang bomber. Maybe a little tricky on sandbagged routes like Sterlings. Good solos on the cracks when no ones around. I believe its a pretty old Gneiss.

OP: Where in the DC area did you end up moving to? This will have some impact on which local crags will be most convenient. Also, what style(s) of climbing do you like (bouldering? trad? etc.), and at what level? This, again, will determine crag recommendations.

I lived in Annapolis for a long time (this was where I learned to climb), and often climbed with DC folks. For weekend climbing in that area, there is the standard decision of "staying local" versus going to West Virginia. If you only have one day free to climb, or if there is only one day of good weather predicted for the weekend, you'll find yourself going to one of the various local DC crags, such as Carderock, Great Falls, Sugarloaf, etc. These are generally small-ish toproping crags, but are actually pretty nice as far as local crags go. They are also surprisingly close to the city, yet in nice settings.

If you have 2 full days free to climb, you'll probably want to go to West Virginia; this is where the good stuff is. For bouldering, Coopers Rock is great. For trad climbing, Seneca is a gem. For sport climbing, you can go to Franklin for decent-quality sport climbing about 3 hours away, or drive the long haul to the New for the best sport around.

As a climber, the MD/DC area isn't a great place to live, but it isn't terrible either. It certainly isn't Boulder, but it still has much better resources than a lot of cities. Gyms are good, too; the DC area has put out some really good climbers by virtue of its gyms.