And the rock made my jaw drop... At least what i could see from the parking lot. Arrived late i guess, but the lot was full (which it wouldnt have been if some of you could park) and the rangers were leaving tickets on all th cars parked along the road. Waited an hour and a half for someone to return to the lot so My son and i could snag a spot, to no avail. Drove home 2 hours pissed off and dissapointed. So close.

Any tips on where to park if the lot is full? I really want to go back.

The parking is just super limited, and that's about all there is to it. You can get there super early and that's the best way to guarantee a space. Carpooling, or shuttling from the Lake Lure visitor center is the best way to conserve space.

Haven't tried it myself but saw some guys park in the pay lot in Chimney Rock and hike the couple miles up to the Bald. Awesome place. Too bad I had to return to reality this week.

you can park byt he town offices and bike up the road...they are located just across the bridge after the turn if coming from 64.

I'm sorry that you had to deal with this. Really the best solution is to get there early, usually before 11 is a good guideline.Other than that above replies have it. Really sorry again.

They need to line the parking lot. It's sad but true. When people all get there at the same time, they all park while people are standing around and car doors are open. This causes the big gaps that you saw between cars.

That said, if you just get there early you'll be OK. It's worth it. Sorry you had to do the drive home without having climbed.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll just have to make sure to get there earlier. I was excited to find how easy it was to get there. I climbed a lot in nc when i lived here the first time, but RB was closed due to access issues much of that time. Really appreciate all the work that has been done to reopen and protect access.

A general rule of thumb is to get there before 9:30-10ish on non-working days. You'll usually be fine then.

11 is too late for weekend days...get there by 9:30 or dont expect to climb. I quit going on the weekends and just hit the Bald during the week during prime season.

How hard/easy would it be to find a partner in the parking lot (both weekdays and weekends)?

Difficult. Although people do hang around the parking lot in the morning, nobody is really looking for partners. Most people just boulder when they are without a partner.