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The Crown

New York > Adirondacks > Lake Champlain Region

Description

This small cliff packs a punch. The left side has a 25' horizontal roof that forms an awesome amphitheater (The Fountainhead, Judgement Day, and Ain't No Thang are here), and the right side has a wall above a terrace that overhangs 30 degrees beyond vertical. Suffice to say, there's nothing easy here. The cliff is named for the crown-shaped contours on the USGS map.

The Crown is located west of the Northway near Exit 30, and takes about 45 minutes to approach. It's far enough away that you can't hear the highway.

Getting There

Park at the King Philips pullout at Exit 30, and walk to the King Philip Spring Wall. Once at the base of the cliff, turn left (towards the Northway) and walk to the (climber's) right end of the cliff. Then go southwest parallel to the Northway. Skirt the west side of a marsh, then into a trough parallel to the Northway. On the far side of the trough, follow a trail west crisscrossing a stream, across some slabs, to the head of the valley. The Crown is the obvious overhanging wall that towers above the notch at the head of the valley.

Routes from Left to Right

5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a
 1
The Fountainhead
Trad
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b
 3
Judgement Day
Sport
5.12a/b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6a
 4
Ain't No Thang
Sport
5.13b 8a 29 IX+ 30 E7 6c
 4
Off The Couch
Sport
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
The Fountainhead
 1
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a Trad
Judgement Day
 3
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b Sport
Ain't No Thang
 4
5.12a/b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6a Sport
Off The Couch
 4
5.13b 8a 29 IX+ 30 E7 6c Sport

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Climber on The Fountainhead (11d), a route that breaks the horizontal roof at the left end of The Crown.
[Hide Photo] Climber on The Fountainhead (11d), a route that breaks the horizontal roof at the left end of The Crown.
Right side of The Crown, with ropes on several routes.
[Hide Photo] Right side of The Crown, with ropes on several routes.