Elevation: 913 ft
GPS: 35.24, -81.269 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views: 188,074 total · 1,410/month
Shared By: EricD on Feb 1, 2008
Admins: Aaron Parlier, Steve Lineberry

Description

Crowders Mountain is a state park located in western North Carolina. In fact, it's not too far from South Carolina. The rock is of a quartzite that is similar to the rock found around the state. Its easy approach and proximity to Charlotte make Crowders a popular place on the weekends, and not just for climbers (which leads some locals to call the place "Crowded" Mountain).

The rock quality is pretty good and offers something for everyone. There are numerous top-roping opportunities as well as sport and trad with ratings ranging from 5.5 to 5.13. Cliffs generally face east or west, so finding sun or shade is pretty easy (depending on the time of day), though the thick foliage can make finding sun more difficult.

Lambert and Shull's Selected Climbs in North Carolina is a great book for the area; however, it is not comprehensive. There is plenty to do here, however, since it's easy to top-rope quite a bit.

Keep in mind, this is a state park. Permits are required for climbing and rangers regularly visit the crags and check up on climbers. Permits are free and easy to fill out, so please do this to avoid hassles. Also, there is a gate that opens and closes daily. Please be aware of the time and make sure you leave before closing time.

Getting There

Crowders Mountain is about 30 miles west of Charlotte.

Take I-85 to Exit 13 and make a left off the exit. After this, it depends on where you want to climb. Directions are different for the Hidden Wall and the rest of the areas. Please go to the respective areas to find directions to them.

202 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Crowders Mountain

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a
 79
● Gastonia Crack
Trad, TR
Main Climbing A… > Practice Wall
5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
 65
● Caterpillar
Trad, TR
Main Climbing A… > David's Castle Wall
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 38
● Pleasant Dreams
Trad, TR
Main Climbing A… > Middle Finger (backside)
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 102
● Ooga Chocka
Trad, TR
Main Climbing A… > David's Castle (backs…
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 67
● Holy Guacamole
Sport
Main Climbing A… > Resurgence Walls > Trundlasaurus Wall
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 40
● Overhung and Underrated
Sport, TR
Main Climbing A… > Resurgence Walls > Trundlasaurus Wall
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 110
● Opinionated
Sport
Main Climbing A… > Red Wall
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 52
● Dewey Used To Love It
Sport
Main Climbing A… > Resurgence Walls > Trundlasaurus Wall
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 42
● The Wall
Trad, TR
Main Climbing A… > Practice Wall
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 83
● Electra
Sport
Main Climbing A… > David's Castle Wall
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 29
● Burn Crack
Trad
Main Climbing A… > Practice Wall
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 77
● Master Beta
Sport
Main Climbing A… > Red Wall
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 57
● The Gimp
Sport
Main Climbing A… > Red Wall
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
 51
● Energy Czar
Sport
Main Climbing A… > David's Castle Wall
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
 43
● Desperately Seeking Juggage
Sport, TR
Main Climbing A… > Red Wall
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
● Gastonia Crack Main Climbing A… > Practice Wall
 79
5.5 4b 13 IV+ 11 MS 4a Trad, TR
● Caterpillar Main Climbing A… > David's Castle Wall
 65
5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b Trad, TR
● Pleasant Dreams Main Climbing A… > Middle Finger (backside)
 38
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad, TR
● Ooga Chocka Main Climbing A… > David's Castle (backs…
 102
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad, TR
● Holy Guacamole Main Climbing A… > Resurgence Walls > Trundlasaurus Wall
 67
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport
● Overhung and Underrated Main Climbing A… > Resurgence Walls > Trundlasaurus Wall
 40
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport, TR
● Opinionated Main Climbing A… > Red Wall
 110
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
● Dewey Used To Love It Main Climbing A… > Resurgence Walls > Trundlasaurus Wall
 52
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Sport
● The Wall Main Climbing A… > Practice Wall
 42
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Trad, TR
● Electra Main Climbing A… > David's Castle Wall
 83
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport
● Burn Crack Main Climbing A… > Practice Wall
 29
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Trad
● Master Beta Main Climbing A… > Red Wall
 77
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport
● The Gimp Main Climbing A… > Red Wall
 57
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport
● Energy Czar Main Climbing A… > David's Castle Wall
 51
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b Sport
● Desperately Seeking Juggage Main Climbing A… > Red Wall
 43
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c Sport, TR
More Classic Climbs in Crowders Mountain »

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Photos

Doug Reed on FA of Black Flag Direct 5.13?
Doug Reed on FA of Black Flag Direct 5.13?
 5
base of the practice wall. nice hangout
base of the practice wall. nice hangout
 1
Picadilly Prow 5.11
Picadilly Prow 5.11
 3
View from the top.
View from the top.
 0
FA of Rain Dogs 5.10 near King's Pinnacle back in the 1980s.
FA of Rain Dogs 5.10 near King's Pinnacle b…
 0
practice wall
practice wall
 0
practice wall, BIG CRACK anchor. 5.4
practice wall, BIG CRACK anchor. 5.4
 0
Trundlasaurus Wall is the Black Cave area. That's where Dewey Used to Love It and Idiot Savant are located.<br> <br> Crowders Mountain State Park, North Carolina
Trundlasaurus Wall is the Black Cave area. That…
 0
Sometimes Crowders Mountain is not so crowded.<br> <br> Crowders Mountain State Park, North Carolina
Sometimes Crowders Mountain is not so crowded.…
 0
Lover's Lane 5.11
Lover's Lane 5.11
 0
Burn Crack 5.10 barefoot
Burn Crack 5.10 barefoot
 0

8 Comments

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Joshua McDaniel
Johnson City, TN
Joshua McDaniel   Johnson City, TN
Crowder's Mountain is a really interesting place to climb if you're in the area. The comment in the description that its quartzite is like that of other areas in NC is a bit off. There's really nothing in NC that quite compares. I've never climbed at Seneca WV, but the rock looks similar to these formations (on a smaller scale of course).

Crowders really has a little something for everyone. There's lots of of top-rope options. There's some moderate to difficult sport climbing. There's even a handfull of trad climbs. The low elevation makes climbing at Crowder's feasible during the winter. The main aspects of Crowder's are kind of a southeast (Hidden Wall, Practice Wall, David's Castle, and Red Wall) and west (Middle Finger, Two Pitch Wall) facing. Gumbies Wall/Fortress wall and Backside of Middle Finger sort of stay in the shade during the day.

Don't get me wrong, Crowder's is hot during the summer. However, if you hit Middle Finger or Backside of Middle Finger early in the day and then head to David's Castle or Red Wall late in the afternoon...you can chase the shade. Or do so in reverse during the winter to chase the sun. Jul 3, 2011
Edward Medina
Ridgway, CO
Edward Medina   Ridgway, CO  
I've set to work 'organizing' a lot of the content in this location. I'd like to give credit where credit is due and thank Eddy Ramirez for all the hard work he has put into the photo-topos, route sorting, and descriptions. In an attempt to remove duplicated areas and routes I've consolidated all of Eddy's content into the existing areas. This preserves all the existing material (in some cases consisting of entries, photos, etc. directly from the FA party). I know Eddy feels very personally invested in this crag and I also know he doesn't agree with the way I've combined the content. We've had a few phone conversations since the 're-organization' and he has requested that his submissions be removed from the database. I'm hoping he'll reconsider. I know many people have benefited from his work, and I hope they will be able to continue benefiting. Nonetheless, I strongly feel that the change was necessary. MountainProject is built on the strength of the organization of the climbing areas represented herein, and the duplicated areas were not in keeping with their established model. Jan 18, 2012
Steve Lineberry
Charlotte, NC
Steve Lineberry   Charlotte, NC  
Eddy, I also thought your content was excellent but I didn't enjoy having duplicated areas/routes. I like mountain project because of the level of scrutiny the site and administrators provide, unlike rc.com where the route db is a huge mess. Please reconsider keeping your excellent contributions to the consolidated areas/routes.

Thanks! Jan 19, 2012
Russ Keane
Asheville, NC
Russ Keane   Asheville, NC
This place is surprisingly good. The rock is very nice: Kind of a "coral" feel and shape to it. Grippy and interesting. It seems hollow and flakey, but in the end nothing is really going to break off, and the climbing is varied and fun.

There are a lot of routes here, and it's rather pretty. Dec 9, 2013
Ezra Ellis
Hotlanta
Ezra Ellis   Hotlanta
Have to disagree with the above posters, I would only climb here if you are a local, or can't climb somewhere else.
After 15 years climbing, I have never seen worse rock quality , or more garbage strewn around the base of the climbs (probably from the tourons, not the climbers).
Stay away unless you like trash! Mar 10, 2015
molony
molony  
I think I may have left a chalkbag at David's Castle Wall about a week ago. It's brown and black fabric with a pink Organic Climbing patch. If anyone finds it, I'd appreciate it if you messaged me. Jul 9, 2016
Chris Little
Albuquerque N.M.
Chris Little   Albuquerque N.M.
A little short warning. Somebody said something about vandalism of Burned Crack. The indiginous fauna of the area (rednecks) can be a real hazard. Once a bunch of us were sitting at the bottom of the Red Wall and a beer bottle landed right in the middle of us. Broken glass sprayed like mist at Niagara Falls. We jumped up and ran to the top, but there was no one there. Another time, I was at the top of David's Castle pulling up my rope. Somebody with a distinctive twang yanked on it and said "Pull me up!" They almost pulled me down. My truck was broken into down at the gate, and the rangers assured me that it happened a lot. I think a warning like this should be included in the description above. Jul 27, 2017
Grant Sinnott
Grant Sinnott  
Hey all,

Trey with a white dog named champ was caught stealing climbing gear today. Please check to see if you have all of your gear and stuff. Feb 18, 2018