Baldy Rock Climbing
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Elevation: | 585 ft |
GPS: |
41.14522, -74.16491 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 5,349 total · 53/month |
Shared By: | kenr on Dec 27, 2015 |
Admins: | Morgan Patterson, SMarsh |
Access Issue: As of November 2021, there are new parking arrangements. Please follow this guidance.
Details
The current parking area is now limited parking, subject to the following guidelines:
No parking weekdays before 4pm. (Use Saltbox Parking Area at these times).
Do not block pump station access gates at any time.
Be careful not to hit or disturb manholes or other infrastructure.
The Saltbox Parking Area is a new resource, available on weekdays and weekends. Don't bushwhack or create new trails from this area.
Torne Brook Road and the trailhead remain a no-parking area. This is to ensure access for emergency personnel.
Inconsiderate or illegal parking here could lead to permanent closure.
No parking weekdays before 4pm. (Use Saltbox Parking Area at these times).
Do not block pump station access gates at any time.
Be careful not to hit or disturb manholes or other infrastructure.
The Saltbox Parking Area is a new resource, available on weekdays and weekends. Don't bushwhack or create new trails from this area.
Torne Brook Road and the trailhead remain a no-parking area. This is to ensure access for emergency personnel.
Inconsiderate or illegal parking here could lead to permanent closure.
Description
South-facing slab in upper cliff a ways east from Tower Wall, just West (left) from Albion sector, with obvious mid-platform between its lower and upper sections.
The routes are short, so no individual route tends to get many quality stars. But each route has interesting climbing, and with some cleverness in setting top-rope anchors, can efficiently get a lot of good easy/moderate climbing by visiting here (especially when combined with Albion sector).
A bit tricky to reach its base or main mid-platform as of 2015. Perhaps easiest to rappel or lower in from top anchor (perhaps after doing some Top-Rope climbing in the Albion sector). Or an experienced trad leader could belay the other climbers across from the Albion main base mid-platform.
The obvious main mid-platform slopes toward a dangerous cliff drop-off around it. So if have any doubts about the carefulness or focus of some participants, good idea to tether them - (One way to do that would be hang a fixed rope down from an anchor at the top).
Top-Roping: To set up a top anchor, traverse right (East) under the base of the Shadow Castle and Devonshire sectors, and continue past a steep loose gully and under the Jumble Hotel crag, almost to the base of the Puzzle Palace crag. Scramble up the steep left-trending gully (careful of loose sections) on the left side of Puzzle Palace, then horizontal Left (SouthWest) along the top of the cliff past above Albion slab, scrambling down below the top about twenty feet SouthEast.
... or ...
Top anchor could also be reached by going out around way southeast to the top of the Tower Wall, then walking NorthEast along the top of the cliffs, then scrambling down below the top about twenty feet SouthEast.
... or ...
Make a Trad lead of the Ballroom route.
warning: The rock on and around this cliff has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber.
. . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).
The routes are short, so no individual route tends to get many quality stars. But each route has interesting climbing, and with some cleverness in setting top-rope anchors, can efficiently get a lot of good easy/moderate climbing by visiting here (especially when combined with Albion sector).
A bit tricky to reach its base or main mid-platform as of 2015. Perhaps easiest to rappel or lower in from top anchor (perhaps after doing some Top-Rope climbing in the Albion sector). Or an experienced trad leader could belay the other climbers across from the Albion main base mid-platform.
The obvious main mid-platform slopes toward a dangerous cliff drop-off around it. So if have any doubts about the carefulness or focus of some participants, good idea to tether them - (One way to do that would be hang a fixed rope down from an anchor at the top).
Top-Roping: To set up a top anchor, traverse right (East) under the base of the Shadow Castle and Devonshire sectors, and continue past a steep loose gully and under the Jumble Hotel crag, almost to the base of the Puzzle Palace crag. Scramble up the steep left-trending gully (careful of loose sections) on the left side of Puzzle Palace, then horizontal Left (SouthWest) along the top of the cliff past above Albion slab, scrambling down below the top about twenty feet SouthEast.
... or ...
Top anchor could also be reached by going out around way southeast to the top of the Tower Wall, then walking NorthEast along the top of the cliffs, then scrambling down below the top about twenty feet SouthEast.
... or ...
Make a Trad lead of the Ballroom route.
warning: The rock on and around this cliff has not been climbed much yet, and much of the rock is still breakable and loose -- so the belayer and other people should stand far away from underneath the climber.
. . . (Lots of vegetation on this rock as of 2015. Be prepared when climbing to navigate around protruding trees and branches, and dealing with holds slippery with grass, lichen, moss, dirt).
Getting There
As of 2017, a reasonable way to reach it is to have at least one member of the party go to the base of the upper slab of the Albion sector (see directions below). Also have at least one experienced leader go to the top of Tower Wall, then NorthEast along the top of the cliffs until make visual contact with the other climbers at the base of Albion, then set up top anchor which can be shared with Albion sector and east side of Baldy upper slab for Top-Roping.
... or ...
There is an exposed 4th class move between the base of the Albion upper slab and the base of the Baldy upper slab. An experienced leader good at rigging trad protection could belay the other climbers across that.
Because of difficult vegetation as of 2015, the easiest approach to the main base platform of the Albion upper slab is to first go to the base of the Puzzle Palace crag, then walk about 200 feet left horizontally WSW under steep left-trending gully and Jumble Hotel crag, then under another steep gully and Devonshire slab and Shadow Castle sectors, past the corner to an eight-feed wide flat platform below the upper slab.
How to get to Puzzle Palace: See the detailed instructions on the Perched Ramparts area page.
... or ...
There is an exposed 4th class move between the base of the Albion upper slab and the base of the Baldy upper slab. An experienced leader good at rigging trad protection could belay the other climbers across that.
Because of difficult vegetation as of 2015, the easiest approach to the main base platform of the Albion upper slab is to first go to the base of the Puzzle Palace crag, then walk about 200 feet left horizontally WSW under steep left-trending gully and Jumble Hotel crag, then under another steep gully and Devonshire slab and Shadow Castle sectors, past the corner to an eight-feed wide flat platform below the upper slab.
How to get to Puzzle Palace: See the detailed instructions on the Perched Ramparts area page.
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