Jocassee Gorges Bouldering Climbing

The Jocassee Gorges are a remote and secluded 250 square miles of southern appalachia found in the mountains of Pickens and Oconee Counties of South Carolina. Within the Jocassee Gorges are numerous boulderfields, some big and some small, with a variety of problems to choose from. Bouldering is the only legal climbing related activity, as roped climbing is specifically mentioned as illegal in the Jocassee Gorges Management Plan...a meeting with the CCC and SCDNR state leaders around Thanksgiving 2010 verified that bouldering IS NOT the same thing as roped climbing and therefore will be managed as hiking/scrambling around (actually DNR called it "hiking on rocks") and not climbing!

Among the bigger boulderfields in the Gorges are the Bearfields and Jedi Boulders, each with around 300 problems and Lighthouse with 150 routes or so...followed by Little Eastatoee, Beasley Gap, Sasquatch, Pow Wow, Waterfall and Ghost Town. In total, there are well over 1000 established routes, from Vb-V9, in the Gorges (not including the 100's of deep water bouldering routes on Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee)! Not only is this the best kept bouldering secret in the Southeast, but the area also provides incredible mountain and road biking, whitewater and flatwater kayaking, backpacking, camping and all around wonderful outdoor experience. For more details on routes at Little Eastatoee, Beasley Gap, and Sasquatch in the Jocassee Gorges and Granite City, North Side of Looking Glass and Nowhere Boulders in Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests...check out the Upstate Bouldering Guide (second edition will be printed before winter 2013...http://upstatebouldering.blogspot.com/2013/01/upstate-bouldering-guide-is-sold-out.html ) and for current news on new areas, routes, access and trail days, check out UpstateBouldering.blogspot.com!