The Fire Tower Bouldering

Off to the left of the fire tower trail there are a lot of boulders and interesting problems. The local Bryce Dalhaus spent quite a bit of time exploring and documenting problems in this area. The rock quality is generally not as good as the classic areas however a little cleaning would go a long way and there certainly won't be any crowds. Aug 20, 2007

South Mountain has a lot of untapped rock. On the Main Fire Tower Trail, the first rock outcroppings appear about 5 mins up, followed by more rock that stretches up towards the summit. The South Ridge Trail heading north from the summit takes you through an area with short and tall walls and scattered boulders. Here you can find bouldering, trad cracks, and top rope climbs. Feb 25, 2008

Are there any known routes on the big pointed egg shaped boulder probably about 20' high-ish coming up the south ridge trail? Mar 23, 2008

i haven't been out there in months, so i can't quite picture the boulder... if you're heading up the trail from the bottom, is it at the bottom of the hill on the left with 1 or 2 other boulders butting on the left of it? if so, i've never seen chalk on it Apr 2, 2008

So, what's the consensus on documenting climbs in this area? I've found a few fun cracks but I'm debating if they should be left for people to discover by themselves. I'm going to assume they've been climbed before I found them. Jun 29, 2009

I would say it never hurts to document them I havent climbed at The Fire Tower but I believe MP.com should have as many routes as possible, and I think other would agree. As for info about the FA's and name just mention that you dont know the FAist or if it already has a name but someone can tell you info and you will update based on their info. Jun 29, 2009

ive been wondering this about other places too. i mean there is undocumented areas in boulder natural that ive climbed and i know plenty of other people have climbed too, but none of them have names or FA's (not just boulder natural). i think we need "the administrator" and all the other locals to pway to deliberate on the matter. i just dont want to post incorrect stuff up here... Jun 29, 2009

My general opinion is that MP should reflect the local attitude of an area. If the boulders are secret or "hush-hush" then maybe they shouldn't be documented. I want MP to be a positive force in the community. If the area isn't secret, then by all means, add it up. Jun 30, 2009

Posting up routes for the Fire Tower is fair game, but many of them have been climbed by many people without ever being documented which makes it difficult to get correct information. Other areas, such as Yellow Dog and the Microwave Walls are well documented, but very few people venture out there. The only "hush-hush" area is the area being discussed on the Pway page, and that is temporary until a trail can be established and route info compiled. Jun 30, 2009

Cool. I'll be sure to post up after I get a chance to do some cleaning and take some pictures. I have a few places in mind that might be worthwhile. Jul 1, 2009

Got out here today, I'm absolutely blown away at some of the boulders that exist out here, same distance from the car as Boulder Natural really, and some phenomenal problems. Tons of rock, no chalk on anything, ridiculous potential even if most obvious things have been climbed in the past. I'm shocked this area isn't more frequented. There definitely is potential for some very very hard problems. I don't have the underground guide though.

Problem of the day was the 20ish foot unreal perfect layback crack. Jul 13, 2014

Couple old clips I had from my solo session out at Fire Tower earlier this year. This is a pretty cool area that doesn't get a lot of attention so if you're looking to escape crowds and try something different at Pawtuckaway you can do most of the climbs here with 1 or 2 pads. youtube.com/watch?v=JXyY9Wi… Aug 13, 2017