Sleeping Giant  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Lat, Long:  41.4259, -72.8977 Map Page Views:  6,303. Good page?    Administrators:  CaptainMo, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  John Peterson on Feb 25, 2006 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event

The start to Wiessner's Rib

Description 

Sleeping Giant is a Connecticut state park just north of New Haven, next to Quinnipiac University.

The Giant was THE climbing area in CT until an accident closed the cliff for decades. The Giant is now back in
business and offers many different areas for climbing. Do not trust any fixed protection here as it is probably 70 years
old! Rock can be loose, and poison ivy is abundant. The chin contains some enjoyable routes put up by the likes of Fritz Wiessner, Jim Adair, John Reppy and Sam Streibert. The cliff faces east and gets great early morning sun. Recommended routes include:
Wiessner’s Rib (5.6), Yvette (5.9), Frenchman’s Cap (5.9), Defender (5.11), Bolted (5.9), and Rhadamanthus (5.10). There is even a 600-foot right to left traverse of the cliff, The Warehouse Run (5.7), put up in 1934.

Other crags are found scattered around the Giant. The left knee (just below the tower) has a number of good route to 50' and also features a small free-standing pillar.

Approach the chin via the main trail from the parking lot. A 10 - 15 minute hike gets you to the talus at the base of the cliff. Descend by the blue trail which runs across the top of the crag.

Getting There 

Directions to this area can be found at the state park website, dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/parks/sleepinggiant.htm

Check the RMF website, www.raggedmtn.org, for more information about this crag.

The Classics

Featured Route For Sleeping Giant

Frenchman's Cap 5.9  CT : Central CT Traprock : Sleeping Giant

To the right of Wiessner's Rib is a prominant prow. This is Frenchman's Cap. You can either start by climbing Yvette (a classic 5.9+ crack in the slab below the prow) or scramble on the left to a belay below the main buttress.Follow a broken buttress above, finishing to the right passing several old pitons to the crux overhang at the very top. Often toproped but a well protected lead(edit-well protected if you lead 5.9R)....[more]   Browse More Classics in CT