[Hide Comment] as on 3/14/12 the rap station was in fine shape. looks like its been beefed up with two more individual lines of static line. 1 mallion and 1 aluminum rap ring are on the station. Mar 17, 2012

[Hide Comment] Just made my first trip to the Amphitheater last week (April 2012) and the hike in is long but the guide book (Select Climbs in NC) nails the approach. Getting out from the Mummy Buttress is another story. Hike your way back to the east and toward the waterfall (not a heavy waterfall). Take the trail that leads to the HIGH GROUND!!! There is a trail that goes under the falls and it is treacherous. You also have to do some minor climbing to get out, unless we were just really lost. 1 hour and 15 minutes to get in... about 1 hour and 45 mins to get out. Rock was shaded until about 2PM. Apr 16, 2012

[Hide Comment] So we hiked to the Amphitheater to climb "The Prow." not easy to find actually quite disappointed at the guide book. If you come to a point where the trail opens up at a rocky some what flat point, with very large boulders, and the trail turns right, you've gone too far. Oct 2, 2012

[Hide Comment] Re approach: if you rap the gulley between the mummy buttress and the main wall as mentioned in the North Carolina Selected Climbs book, I don't recommend using the rap station built on the SMALL rock at the edge of the drop off. There is a reliable tree a few feet above the rock and this is much safer. Should be possible with a 60m rope. Also watch for the rope getting stuck as you pull.

The Daddy was awesome. Highly recommend.
Oct 23, 2015

[Hide Comment] So, it took me two attempts to get the approach to the mummy buttress gully correct. I followed the instructions in the book...it turns out the Reggae wall is not in fact the back wall of the amphitheater with the waterfall near the top. It is a smaller wall you cannot see until you are down below it. If you come to an overlook with a "gully" on your right with a 10 foot wall near the top of the descent...keep going. There is a steep gully even further back that will take you around and back towards the "slot canyon" gully at the mummy buttress proper. Nov 21, 2015

[Hide Comment] This is a confusing place. But it's fun. Getting to and from the climb is half the battle (maybe more). Totally beautiful. I mean spectacular. The rock quality is superb. Good easy moderate routes. Jun 11, 2016

[Hide Comment] The white rock marking the descent trail into the amphitheater seems to be absent. Jun 3, 2018

[Hide Comment] Someone found the rock and placed it back by the trail. Jun 21, 2018

[Hide Comment] As of 9/28, the white quartzite trail marker for the amphitheater was there and the rap gully was in excellent shape. We did the linville triple in a little over 13 hours car to car by doing the mummy, then the daddy, and then the prow and by utilizing the rap gully. With a 70m, we linked the extended prow (started low) into 3 pitches, the mummy into 2, and the daddy into 3. I'm not 100% sure that linking pitches saves much time if you and your partner are already very efficient at swapping leads / gear as the extra thoughts required to minimize rope drag slows you down from time to time.

We had doubles of everything, but even with linking pitches, we found that we had more than enough gear by the time we finished each climb. You likely don't need more than singles for these climbs as although the pro you get it very good, it can be limited from time to time.

My recommendation is to not underestimate the time it takes to hike in and out. I didn't time it, but I would guesstimate that even if you have all of your gear sorted and knowing who is going to lead the first pitch, by the time you hike in, drop a bag off at the flat rock, hike to the rappel, rappel, and then go to one of the climbs, you are looking at 1.5-2 hours before you are tied in and ready to climb. The hike out from the prow (with exhausted legs and some minor gear sorting at the flat rock) took probably 45 mins-1 hour. Oct 1, 2018

[Hide Comment] The coordinates of the white rock are 35.873N, 081.888W, slightly under 1.25 miles from the Table Rock parking lot. Oct 28, 2018

[Hide Comment] Cool video on the history of climbing in the Amphitheater: youtube.com/watch?v=3P5aRn1… Dec 12, 2018

[Hide Comment] Since it seems very common to do the Linville Triple/Trifecta/Linkup here is a timing of what we did if it helps some for planning:

--We were able to do the whole link in under 11 hrs with decent breaks, no super rush, no crowds, plenty of time for pictures, and decent amount of way-finding in the gully itself.
-It took us 25 mins to get to the trail marker and an additional 35 mins to get to the start of the Mummy.
-Rappel at the back of the Mummy Buttress is easy and can be done with a 50m rope. There is a concern your rope can become stuck when pulled.
-The Prow P3 and P4 can be linked but communication becomes an issue


0706 - Left parking lot
0730 - Arrive at White Rock trail marker to amphitheater
0810 - Arrive at base of climb
0840 - Start climb on The Mummy
---Link P1 and P2, stop at large belay ledge, P3 to ledge with trees then scramble at top to get to rap gully
1030 - End Mummy (1h 50m)
1100 - Start Rappel
1140 - Start Daddy
---Link P1 and P2, short pitch P3 through direct variation. Link P4, P5. Party in front of us
1340 - End Daddy (2h) followed by nap
1420 - Start Rappel again
1540 - Start Prow
---P1, Free P2, Link P3 and P4
1700 - End prow (1h 20m)
1730 - Hike out
1740 - Back at white trail marker
1804 - Back at Car Apr 25, 2019

[Hide Comment] For 1850 feet of climbing try knocking out the Quad: the Mummy, the Daddy, Good Heavens, and finish it off with the Prow. Makes for a great long day. It was my first time climbing in the Amphitheatre and an amazing day, I highly recommend it! Aug 12, 2019

[Hide Comment] Topo map to the Ampitheater
caltopo.com/m/JPAV May 7, 2021

[Hide Comment] My buddy Brandon and I just did the Linville Triple (12/15/21) in about 11.5 hours car to car, and it was an amazing time. I want to provide some beta for those that are unfamiliar with the area.

The flat rock is about 10-15 feet down the left hand turn that takes you to the rap-gulley, so don't expect it to be right off the trail. Furthermore, there are no cairns on the flat rock but the flat rock is an obvious step-up. The trail continues on the other side.

At the end of the mummy buttress trail, there is a small down climb spot that leads to the rap-gulley. We were not aware that the trail included a small down climb, so this confused us until Brandon scouted the area past the down climb.

The rap-gulley has rappel rings that are affixed to the backside of the mummy buttress, and they are bomber as of this post. Moreover, the rappel is probably only 40 or 50 feet from the bolts to the ground.

Brandon linked the first two pitches of the prow (starting from the higher start) with a 70 meter but experienced some intense rope drag and found himself a bit off route because the second pitch is a sea of slab. Additionally, while belaying, I had to simul up to the first gear placement in a horizontal slot (about 30-40 ft up) in order for Brandon to reach the end of the second pitch. As such, I would not recommend linking those two pitches.

We used the rap-gulley all three times and left our gear under a roofy boulder just above the trail that leads down to the rap-gulley. So, for the last route (the prow) we wore our backpacks for the climb. Dec 16, 2021