Elevation: 205 ft
GPS: 44.6999, -63.5889
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Shared By: The Mitt on Dec 6, 2006 · Updates
Admins: Greg Hughes, Will Bland

Description

Nova Scotia, the land of the sharp granite. The bouldering is second to none and has become a real destination. The roped climbing is generally short and technical. Trad routes outnumber sport routes, grades are steep, and the gear can be sparse. The rock is mostly on solid granite, though there are some other rock types, notably the basalt climbing in the Valley-Fundy Region, and the greywacke in the Halifax region.

Halifax is the most populated area in Nova Scotia and therefore has the most climbers. The majority of climbing development is also currently around this area and generally a 20 to 40 minute drive from the city. Much of the roped climbing is in Musquodoboit area but there are also excellent cliffs in the Terrence Bay area, while the most established bouldering is near Peggy's Cove.

The majority of the information found here has been sourced from the 2002 guidebook "Nova Scotia Rock" by Sean Cassidy.

A new guidebook to rope climbing was published in 2019 and covers 50 crags in 5 regions throughout Nova Scotia. Samples and details can be found at rockclimbingnovascotia.com/

While this website serves as an online resource for roped climbing in NS, an excellent bouldering resource can be found at  cnsmobeta.ca/

Climb Nova Scotia is the climbing governing body in NS. Their website can be found at  www.climbnovascotia.com 

Getting There

Most of the climbing is in and around the largest city of Halifax, with several major cliffs in Cape Breton.

382 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Nova Scotia

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
WI5
 3
New Brunswick Pillar
Ice
WI5-
 3
Siren's Song
TR, Ice 3 pitches
V4 6B
 4
The Bear
Boulder
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 13
See With Joy
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 3
The Heavy Petter
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 4
Low Tide
Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 3
InSpired
Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 6
Black Diamond
Trad
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 11
All the Rage
Sport
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 12
Taming the Shrew
Sport
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b PG13
 3
Pyramid
Trad
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 8
Ludicrous Anachronism (LA)
Sport
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 3
[Redacted]
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 5
The Golden Egg
Sport
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b
 3
Transformer
Sport
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
New Brunswick Pillar Moose River Ice
 3
WI5 Ice
Siren's Song Amethyst Cove
 3
WI5- TR, Ice 3 pitches
The Bear Dover Island > Warm-up
 4
V4 6B Boulder
See With Joy Sorrow's End
 13
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad
The Heavy Petter Columbus Wall
 3
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad
Low Tide Chebucto Head
 4
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
InSpired Cape Clear > Bear Cave Gully
 3
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
Black Diamond First Face
 6
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Trad
All the Rage Sorrow's End
 11
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Sport
Taming the Shrew Castle > Watch Tower
 12
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport
Pyramid First Face
 3
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b PG13 Trad
Ludicrous Anachronism (LA) First Face
 8
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a Sport
[Redacted] First Face
 3
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a Sport
The Golden Egg Castle > Gatehouse
 5
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
Transformer Sorrow's End
 3
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b Sport
More Classic Climbs in Nova Scotia »

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