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Hitchiti Boulders

Georgia

Description

** Looking for someone local to take over this page.  Contact myself or Admin above. **

This is a group of boulders located in the Hitchiti experimental forest just northeast of Macon. This is public land so there are no known issues with access. There is a hiking trail and a forest service road that lead down to the Ocmulgee River. There is also a gravel lot to park in across the street from the trail. You usually will not see too many people down there but you'll see hikers every now and then.

The area is comprised of some pretty coarse granite boulders that follow the river, set into the sides of the hill. They are hard to see from on top. Grip is not a problem here. Be prepared to have your fingers chewed up if they aren't hard as nails already. There are six larger boulders and many smaller ones. We've tried at least 10 routes and there may be more. A lot of the rocks stay wet unless there has been an extended dry period.

The best time for bouldering here is fall through spring. In the summer, the heat is just a bit much and the poison oak and ivy and the mosquitos and snakes kind of take the fun out of it. Almost all of the rocks get some afternoon sun but it does stay pretty shady as they are set back in the trees.

Getting There

From Forsyth, Georgia take Hwy. 18 east towards Gray, or from Macon take Hwy. 87 (Riverside Dr.) north. At the intersection of Hwy 87 and 18 (you'll see a caution light and a convience store), take Hwy. 18 east towards Gray. You will cross the Ocmulgee river. A few miles after crossing the river take a left onto Jarrel Plantation road. Proceed about one mile, park in the gravel parking lot on your right. The trail head is across the road.

The trail begins at the sign-in; it is 1.5 miles long and deadends into a forest road which is one mile long and brings you back to the start, making a nice 2.5 mile loop. The trail is scenic, but if you're here to climb, take the road in, it's shorter. Where the road forks, go left. At the end of the road the trail will be on your right. The trail parallels the river.

About 200 yards down the trail from the end of the road, the boulders will begin to be visible to your right stretching back into the woods along the hills. Enjoy!

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Working my way up Split Decision (Sloper)
[Hide Photo] Working my way up Split Decision (Sloper)
Middle of Oakleaf Hydrangea (Under cling and Crimp)
[Hide Photo] Middle of Oakleaf Hydrangea (Under cling and Crimp)
Trying to work my way up Super B
[Hide Photo] Trying to work my way up Super B
River picture on the way in, with some of Falling Creek Boulder in the back ground.
[Hide Photo] River picture on the way in, with some of Falling Creek Boulder in the back ground.
Super B, a fun V4
[Hide Photo] Super B, a fun V4
Size comparison of Boulder 3 and 3A
[Hide Photo] Size comparison of Boulder 3 and 3A
"Falling on a Dirty Mattress" on Boulder #6
[Hide Photo] "Falling on a Dirty Mattress" on Boulder #6
The #3 Boulder group
[Hide Photo] The #3 Boulder group
Boulder #1
[Hide Photo] Boulder #1
Rock quality at Hitchiti.
[Hide Photo] Rock quality at Hitchiti.
Ocmulgee river near the boulders in Hitchiti Expermental Forest
[Hide Photo] Ocmulgee river near the boulders in Hitchiti Expermental Forest
Rock quality on Super B
[Hide Photo] Rock quality on Super B

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

[Hide Comment] My parents lived near here when I was in college and I always suspected there'd be something around. Thanks for digging those boulders up and sharing. Dec 2, 2008
[Hide Comment] There is enough to keep you busy if you can't go north. There have been a good many folks climbing here before but I haven't found much info. I hope to have the time to put up more info about boulders around the Macon area. Dec 10, 2008
[Hide Comment] Hitchiti Boulders are great! There are a lot of problems yet to be worked out and the rock quality is very good. I've had no snake, bug, or poison ivey issues yet this spring - check the spot out! It'd be great to meet some other climbers out there. Apr 24, 2012
Owen Murphy
Fort Collins, CO
[Hide Comment] Went here last weekend before February. Had a fun time coming up from Florida. We used to have to drive at least 6 hours to be near rocks but now we only have to drive 3. Top outs are rad and theres some cool finger crack problems to be worked. The grade here is a bit easy though. We felt that V4's here were closer to V1s. A few rocks are rated well though. Jan 30, 2014
[Hide Comment] Finally made my way back to Hitchiti after a long time being away. It's currently pretty wet and most everything except for the #3 boulders have gotten a lot of moss and lichen on them now. The top outs seem a little more grown in too. Super B was still in good shape though. If you go, try to wait for a dry spell and bring a nylon brush. Jan 16, 2015
[Hide Comment] My girlfriend and I just visited Hitachi yesterday. This place is in bad shape right now. The trail and road (road especially) are very overgrown. It made the hike in and out pretty miserable (it is also the middle of summer so that didn’t help). The boulders are in okay condition. The top outs are pretty overgrown and there is moss on most of the rock. The area needs some upkeep for this to be an enjoyable place to boulder. Aug 5, 2018
[Hide Comment] Glad you were able to make it out Logan T and welcome to the normal state of summer bouldering in Mid GA! These boulders do not see a lot of visitors and their location lends itself to wet rocks and moss. A sunny winter day (Nov - Feb) are some of the best times to visit Hitchiti or Juliette to me. The hikes are better, the bugs - snakes - ticks are mostly gone, and the temps are much nicer. The rocks will be much drier as well. Overall, Juliette is a better summer location (but it's just as hot). Aug 28, 2018
[Hide Comment] After a nice long run in Georgia my family and I have move out to Colorado. I was glad to see this area get documented a little and get a few more climbers visiting. If anyone would like to take over ownership of this page or the Juliette Boulders page I think that would be a good thing. I think the best thing to do would be contact the Admin (saxfiend) at the top of the page and we can coordinate a swap. Aug 28, 2018
Jesse Montgomery
Seattle, WA
[Hide Comment] My wife and I recently moved out to middle Georgia. We checked out Hitchiti Boulders yesterday (its probably the closest climbing near us). Most of the problems required a bit of cleaning, but there is definitely some quality rock out here and lots of potential for development. We are always looking for people to climb with so hit me up if you are one of the few climbers in this area! Oct 22, 2018