Mamacoke Island Climbing
Elevation: | 95 ft | 29 m |
GPS: |
41.39189, -72.09896 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
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Page Views: | 12,398 total · 163/month | |
Shared By: | Davis Badger on Nov 6, 2018 · Updates | |
Admins: | Morgan Patterson |
- NO jogging, organized sports, biking, camping, hunting, creating fires or driving vehicles within the Arboretum, as these activities are damaging to the ecology of the landscape.
- Jogging is permitted ONLY on the designated jogging trails between Rt. 32 and the Thames River or the paved roads on campus. Please limit jogging to the areas marked on the Arboretum Jogging Trails.
- Dogs must be leashed at all times. Owners are responsible for removal and disposal of their dogs’ wastes. Bags are provided at the entrance to the Native Plant Collection on Williams Street.
- Don't disturb or remove plant labels, they are used to educate the public and are essential for tracking specific trees throughout their lives.
- Don't remove plant material without permission from the Arboretum office.
- Alcoholic beverages may not be brought into the Arboretum.
In addition to these rules, BOLTING or DEVELOPING the climbing areas any further without express permission from the college is STRICTLY PROHIBITED!
Description
Mamacoke Island is a tidal island (only fully separated from the mainland during extremely high tides) with an array of large gneiss (ancient metamorphic) walls to be explored. Many of these walls can be bouldered, however, some of the higher faces (particularly the Main Wall on the south-western part of the island) could be dangerous to attempt without a rope. THERE IS NO FIXED PROTECTION ON THIS ISLAND, with only a few spots for some decent cam placements on the Main Mama Wall. The tops of all of the cliffs can be accessed by walking around the footpath to the eastern side of the island and then scrambling up a few slabs to reach the upper plateau. Reasonably safe top ropes can be set up using the trees at the top of the cliffs. As of now many of the particular boulders and routes on the walls are unnamed, and undeveloped, but my hope is that by adding this here we can bring some more attention to this hidden gem in the Thames River.
Getting There
From Hwy 32, turn onto Benham Ave. (right if coming north, left if coming south), near the bottom of the large hill there is a small gravel pullout to park BEFORE the train tracks (appox. 41.386593, -72.100566). Continue north along the train tracks on foot until a small trail leads off the right side onto the salt marsh. Continue on the path across the marsh until you enter some small shrubs, the path then splits. Take the left trail to access The Wedding Cake, or the right trail to access the Main Mama Wall and South Wall or East End Boulder. The trail makes a complete loop around the island. (NOTE: the salt marsh is almost always out of the water, but can be a little muddy around high tide)
Classic Climbing Routes at Mamacoke Island
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