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Elevation: 374 ft
GPS: 39.6359, -76.4121
Google Map · Climbing Area Map
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Shared By: Brad.mering on Oct 22, 2007 · Updates
Admins: Frances Fierst, C S

Description Suggest change

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 Suggest change

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.

Alternatively, take St. Clair's Bridge Rd. to the top picnic area: the King and Queen Seat are just a few hundred meters away.

69 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Rocks State Park

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
V3-4 6A+ PG13
 13
Moby Dick stand start
Boulder
V5 6C
 12
Truck Driver
Boulder
V7 7A+
 4
Truck Driver Sit
Boulder
V10 7C+
 6
Moby Dick
Boulder
5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a
 19
The Crux
Trad, TR
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b PG13
 22
Beginner Flake
Trad, TR
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b
 67
Vertical
Trad, TR
5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b PG13
 12
Green Subtrafuge aka Centrifuge
Trad, TR
5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 67
Strawberry Jam
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 42
Breakaway left
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 36
Breakaway Right
Trad
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a PG13
 15
Strawberry Jam Direct
Trad
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b R
 26
Mike's Finger Buckets
Trad
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 14
Piney
Trad, TR
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 17
Smoke 'n' Ash
Trad, TR
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Moby Dick stand start Purple Trail Bo… > Moby Dick & Trailer B…
 13
V3-4 6A+ PG13 Boulder
Truck Driver Purple Trail Bo… > Moby Dick & Trailer B…
 12
V5 6C Boulder
Truck Driver Sit Purple Trail Bo… > Moby Dick & Trailer B…
 4
V7 7A+ Boulder
Moby Dick Purple Trail Bo… > Moby Dick & Trailer B…
 6
V10 7C+ Boulder
The Crux Biceps Wall
 19
5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a Trad, TR
Beginner Flake Biceps Wall
 22
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b PG13 Trad, TR
Vertical Breakaway Wall
 67
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Trad, TR
Green Subtrafuge aka Centri… Breakaway Wall
 12
5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b PG13 Trad, TR
Strawberry Jam Pinnacle
 67
5.8+ 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad
Breakaway left Breakaway Wall
 42
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad
Breakaway Right Breakaway Wall
 36
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad
Strawberry Jam Direct Pinnacle
 15
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a PG13 Trad
Mike's Finger Buckets Breakaway Wall
 26
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b R Trad
Piney Breakaway Wall
 14
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad, TR
Smoke 'n' Ash Smoke 'n' Ash Boulder
 17
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Trad, TR
More Classic Climbs in Rocks State Park »

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