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Second Mountain

Virginia > Shenandoah & NW VA Re…
Warning Access Issue: Private property all along the old access road. DO NOT BLOCK GATES OR DRIVEWAYS. DetailsDrop down

Description

A set of incredible boulders on top of a scenic knob just off Rte 33 W, about 15 miles W of Harrisonburg in Rawley Springs. Some hunter and ATV traffic, seasonally, but a beauty location especially in the late summer and fall.

Getting There

Take Rte 33W from Harrisonburg to Rawley Springs. Wind through the S curve above the river. Park at the pullout just past Second Mtn Rd and walk East along Route 33. About 50 yds past the clearing and home on the north (westbound) side of the road, climb the bank at a boulder and cut through the forest to intersect an old game and hunters trail heading right. This will bring you out past the Dyno Cave, Rook Towers, and the Stigmata cracks to reach the Satellite Ranch.

The boulders are divided into two main groups: the Satellite Ranch and the Ridge Boulders. During the summer the Ridge Boulders are harder to find through the thick canopy, though only a few minutes further up the fire road on the right.

The highest concentration of routes are at the Satellite Ranch, located directly on the shoulder of the fire road just above the last S curve.

Second Mountain Boulders

Take Route 33 West out of town to Rawley Springs, passing the little store and rounding a large curve to pass Second Mountain Road.

Turn right on Rocky Run Road, several hundred yards past Second Mountain Road, and follow this to the end, a parking loop. The trail to Second Mountain begins at the back of the loop and soon climbs onto the ridge to the right or east.

Hiking from Rocky Run parking loop to the intersection with the fire road takes 30 minutes, with an additional 15 minute hike up the fire road to reach the Satellite Boulder.

The boulders are divided into two main groups: the 2nd Mountain Proper Boulders and the Ridge Boulders. During the summer the Ridge Boulders are harder to find through the thick canopy. They are only a few minutes further up the fire road on the right.

Routes from Left to Right

V3-4 6A+
 3
● Big Gulp Direct
Boulder
V1-2 5
 7
● Orbit
Boulder
V8 7B
 3
● Turn the Earth
Boulder
V7 7A+
 1
● Thunder Bird
Boulder
V2-3 5+
 11
● Terminator Traverse
Boulder
V6+ 7A
 2
● Tedium
Boulder
V0 4
 8
● Slap Happy
Boulder
V4 6B
 2
● Sarchasm
Boulder
V4 6B
 20
● The Roof Problem
Boulder
V4 6B
 3
● Roof Crack
Boulder
V5-6 6C+
 1
● Goldenbond
Boulder
V3 6A
 11
● Big Gulp?
Boulder
V4+ 6B+
 1
● Ginger Snap Direct
Boulder
V1 5
 13
● Gettin the Groove
Boulder
V5- 6C
 2
● Gassed
Boulder
V6+ 7A
 7
● Forrowed Brow
Boulder
V4+ 6B+
 4
● Duchess
Boulder
V10 7C+
 1
● deraJ
Boulder
V8 7B
 15
● The Bird
Boulder
V4 6B
 3
● Big Time
Boulder
V7+ 7A+
 15
● Worm World
Boulder
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
● Big Gulp Direct
 3
V3-4 6A+ Boulder
● Orbit
 7
V1-2 5 Boulder
● Turn the Earth
 3
V8 7B Boulder
● Thunder Bird
 1
V7 7A+ Boulder
● Terminator Traverse
 11
V2-3 5+ Boulder
● Tedium
 2
V6+ 7A Boulder
● Slap Happy
 8
V0 4 Boulder
● Sarchasm
 2
V4 6B Boulder
● The Roof Problem
 20
V4 6B Boulder
● Roof Crack
 3
V4 6B Boulder
● Goldenbond
 1
V5-6 6C+ Boulder
● Big Gulp?
 11
V3 6A Boulder
● Ginger Snap Direct
 1
V4+ 6B+ Boulder
● Gettin the Groove
 13
V1 5 Boulder
● Gassed
 2
V5- 6C Boulder
● Forrowed Brow
 7
V6+ 7A Boulder
● Duchess
 4
V4+ 6B+ Boulder
● deraJ
 1
V10 7C+ Boulder
● The Bird
 15
V8 7B Boulder
● Big Time
 3
V4 6B Boulder
● Worm World
 15
V7+ 7A+ Boulder

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Jon Hamilton Jared's Traverse V10 Satellite Boulder.
[Hide Photo] Jon Hamilton Jared's Traverse V10 Satellite Boulder.
Brendan Kavanagh
[Hide Photo] Brendan Kavanagh
Jon Hamilton on the Unnamed Roof Problem V4.
[Hide Photo] Jon Hamilton on the Unnamed Roof Problem V4.
Alternate beta to the start to the Unnamed Roof Problem. Jon Hamilton.
[Hide Photo] Alternate beta to the start to the Unnamed Roof Problem. Jon Hamilton.
Arete/crack climb. Sandbag V3
[Hide Photo] Arete/crack climb. Sandbag V3
Jon Hamilton Worm World V8 Satellite Boulder.
[Hide Photo] Jon Hamilton Worm World V8 Satellite Boulder.
Unnamed roof problem.
[Hide Photo] Unnamed roof problem.
Satellite Boulder. Main area
[Hide Photo] Satellite Boulder. Main area
Ridge Boulders Area: What I'm pretty sure is the Couch Boulder (it does look kind of like a couch), as viewed from the Prickly/Nose boulder. The trail leading here is extremely overgrown and hard to follow. Guidebooks say that it's about a 5-10 minute walk from the Satellite Boulder to here, but it's more like 2-3 min. Good warm up boulder. Check out Zook's guidebook and/or Dr. Topo for more info.
[Hide Photo] Ridge Boulders Area: What I'm pretty sure is the Couch Boulder (it does look kind of like a couch), as viewed from the Prickly/Nose boulder. The trail leading here is extremely overgrown and hard t…
The Northern wall of the Slopeback Boulder in the Ridge Boulders Area. The route "Gassed" is here.
[Hide Photo] The Northern wall of the Slopeback Boulder in the Ridge Boulders Area. The route "Gassed" is here.
Old Tree Boulder in Ridge Boulders Area. Easily identified by the titular old tree. The roof problem is in the back of the boulder.
[Hide Photo] Old Tree Boulder in Ridge Boulders Area. Easily identified by the titular old tree. The roof problem is in the back of the boulder.
Ridge Boulders Area: The Old Wall, as viewed from the Southern (right) end. Overgrown getting there, but nice and clear around the wall.
[Hide Photo] Ridge Boulders Area: The Old Wall, as viewed from the Southern (right) end. Overgrown getting there, but nice and clear around the wall.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Andrew Cassidy
[Hide Comment] www.drtopo.com/submitted/2nd_mtn.pdf Jul 20, 2011
bigdan
[Hide Comment] The Dr. Topo guide is good there have been twenty or so good problems done in the area since it was put out, but there are still a lot of projects to go. If anybody is in the area and wants to get out there let me know. Mar 8, 2012
Eric D
Gnarnia
[Hide Comment] The Dr. Topo link is broken. If anyone wants a copy of that guide message me here. Better yet, if someone has a place to upload it to, that would work best. Feb 16, 2016
DCohen
[Hide Comment] Dr. Topo rearranged their website, the topo is now available at drtopo.com/north-america/un… Mar 29, 2016
J Feher
[Hide Comment] Hiking from the Rocky Run parking loop to the fire road takes about 30 minutes. The boulders are an additional 10-15 minutes up the fire road. Jun 24, 2017
Clinton Miller
[Hide Comment] Ahh, sand-bagged mountain. I swung by for a stroll down memory lane. Looks like the new access has reduced traffic considerably. The area is extremely overgrown past the area from Satellite to the Bird. The old trail is pretty difficult to follow, though I imagine in winter it would be more straightforward. If you go check it out you may need hedge trimmers to MINIMALLY clear vegetation. Bring a stiff brush too. On a crisp day, second is top-notch climbing. Sep 24, 2017
EPurpur
Boone, NC
[Hide Comment] Is this area still legally accessible? I went to check it out recently and was met with a lot of "no tresspassing/ violators will be prosecuted" signs. I tried the approach advised here and the one in the old dr topo guide.

This includes for the rocky run parking lot detailed here.

Or maybe I am missing something? Oct 21, 2017
Mike Gray
Smoke Hole Canyon
[Hide Comment] The Rocky Run and Second Mountain Road approaches are somehow no longer public access to public lands.

The North River Ranger District advises that instead of using a direct and easy approach on a road created and maintained by decades of tax dollars, you instead drive out Route 612/and then take 4WD Long Run Road to the point where you can leave your parked vehicle in the backcountry and hike about five miles on an overgrown fire road to reach the boulders.

I guess you can park at Blue Hole and hike up to Slab City and from there to the top. Wear bright orange. Nov 9, 2018
M Cat
Hell
[Hide Comment] So... what’s the current approach for satellite area? Jan 18, 2020
Mike Gray
Smoke Hole Canyon
[Hide Comment] I've heard people say you can still drive up Second Man Rd and park at the gate, just don't block the gate, road, or driveway across the road. You can also take the bushwacking approach mentioned in the OP and access all the bouldering on the SW side of the mountain on your way to the Satellite Ranch.

Hoping to get over there this spring and start contacting landowners and reopening some of the overgrown trails to the Valley's amazing bouldering areas. Jan 18, 2020
Cyrus Crevits
[Hide Comment] We drove up the fire road as far as we could (past all the houses and driveways) and past the first gate. If you do this you WILL need a good 4x4 vehicle with some clearance and larger tires as the road becomes extremely rough. There is a lot of ATV, dirtbike, and offroading traffic once you get up to second mountain. Oct 4, 2021
Dave Jones
[Hide Comment] Looking to make a trip in the near future, plan to drive up Rawley Pike and park in the gravel pull-off just past the entrance to 2nd Mtn. Then hiking the trail to the location given above have there been any issues with parking in the pull-off? Oct 20, 2023