Climbing Near Wells River, Vermont

South facing granite extrusion with horizontal cracked ledges. Many 150ft sections to climb along the rock bands of mostly white Quartzite like rock that are separated by narrow wooded gullies. Very steep, clean, solid, most climbs are very protective and very easily climbed (the hardest being about 5.6). Deceiving because from the ground they look challenging. Can be seen from route 25 in East Haverhill in the far away distance north is the distinctive ridge line. Also lower in this area west is a long slab on Black Mountain that I have heard has been climbed but I haven't and don't know how besides climbing Black Mountain trail and descending from it's summit to get there. Not much to climb on Black Mountain summit ledges. Four of us did top rope some short climbs there in 1981. I am not going to list all the climbs that I did on Hogsback. There were about a bakers dozen or more. I'll just say that I went up every rock band originally as free solos. The central section does have some short finger cracks for the start but after the cracks are slabs to climb that are a bit problematic because of accumulation of pine needles. Jim Shimberg joined me once for a day of doing the climbs that I thought were the best in 1987. Great view in all directions from the ridges top. Note- See Sept 2010 comment by Chuck Woodman for what certainly seems like an easier approach; just watch out for the fact Chuck’s map might be interpreted as having the approach ending ( the little climber ikon) on the north ( fire road 190) side of the ridge while the climbs are actually on the south side ( “Rt 25 side”)  R Hall, Admin, NH Bradley’s original approach….Take Lime Kiln Road to the right turn onto Page Road until you can turn left onto Blueberry Mt. Road and park where you can legally park. Hike north east at least four miles hoping you don't miss it. Best done when there are no leaves on the trees. I went in the late fall. Should pass by a junk yard of dozens of model T fords. Hardwood forest and many rolling hills. It's a bitch or epic to get to it. Good luck.

work in progress - areas in Oliverian Notch region, on the western edge of the White Mountains From Concord head north on I-93 and take exit 26 onto Rt 25 (Tenney Mtn Hwy) west like you were going to Rumney. Stay on 25 past Rumney and the towns of Wentworth and Warren (the town with the missile). From there see the individual area directions. Owls Head will be the obvious big cliff on your right off Rt 25 once past Warren.

"It's basically the lovechild of Cannon and Whitehorse, but there are actually well protected climbs here." - Eli BuzzellA high quality version of this photo can be found here: Google Drive (original photo from Bob Hall) Owl's Head is a 600ft south facing granite cliff. It is situated in Oliverian Notch. Owl's Head has a couple of dozen or so rock climbs of moderate to desperate friction slab climbing. It has a few ice climbing routes in the winter.Beavers have moved into the neighborhood after the pasture and before the hardwood forest. These beavers have really made a mess of what was once a simple stream crossing. So plan on getting wet and muddy. There is also a brook that must be crossed in the middle of the pasture that isn't shallow and usually has a fast current. Another access is at the boating ramp road, where it meets Rt.25. Walk until your at the end of the pasture and follow the pasture's edge to the beaver brook swamp section streams to cross. This is national forest property now. I used to enter this way 20 years before the beavers created the wet lands and swamp.When you get to the woods follow logging roads towards the cliff but it is best not to approach the cliff from it's central eastern side. Find the wide sandy logging road and remain on it (be careful of reforestation pine trees knee high to a grass hopper on the road) until you are heading north towards the cliff. Where it ends there are small cairns to follow near to the logging road on the central slightly east side below the base of the cliff. It is an easy short hike to the base. 2021 Update - See Comment - a path has been made from the parking pull-out on Rt25 to the cliff. The pull-out is on the north side of the road shortly after passing the Appalachian Trail crossing. On the west side are the easiest climbs (for the most part) to the central buttress that separates the west from the east side or the owls nose or beak and known as the nose. The east side of the nose is primarily harder routes but a few easier lines do exist on the most eastern side. It should take less than a hour to be at the base of the cliff.Owls head is definitely not for everyone to enjoy. Even the easiest routes have long run outs and route finding difficulties. Because many of the steepest climbs were bolted and the cliff is south facing, the bolts not made out of stainless steel tended to wear out quickly. Therefore much of the bolts placed in the 1980's and early 90's are rotted. There are several trad climbs without any bolts and a few rotting pitons on them.Owl's Head has been climbed since the late 1930's up the center nose buttress area by Bert Jensen and his companions. The Dartmouth Outing Club (D.O.C.) utilized the cliff continuously for decades. It has had advent visitors since Jensen's first ascents over much of the cliff for traditional climbs.The main boiler plate slabs are 400 feet east side. Top of it used to have a bolted rappel line I established in 1986 (not stainless steel). Other areas of the cliff you must walk off and down to get back to your car unless there are trees to do multiple rappels down. The best way to walk off is by heading up and then east after the cliff's summit until you can steeply descend just past the cliff's east side. This will bring you back to the base of cliff. It is easier to avoid the base and head south east through the woods to ridge above talus field before heading west to the logging roads that brought you in. Climbs on west side are descended best by the western summit until passed the cliff. If heading down before cliff ends careful descent down is needed and the talus rocks many are loose dangerous footing.Lots of climbs after 400ft of steepest rock become closer to 4th classing between boulder problems because of the short low angle walls, slabs and tree ledges 200 feet down from the summit. This is an area of caution because of loosened rocks and possibly boulders from freeze/thaw and expansion of rock from tree routes.Owl's Head was the cliff utilized by Audubon to reestablish Peregrine Falcons to N.H. The project was successful and abandoned on Owl's Head around 1988, and wise to check with the fish and game department on whether or not there's any Falcons nesting each spring. Red tail hawks nesting near here was more common.Rock climbs will be described starting on the western side and finishing on the eastern side. To keep it simple furthest west of the nose buttress will begin with W1 for west and closest east of the nose will begin with E1 for the eastern side. When no doubt of the identities of the Route's names and climbers are known by me I'll add that information.Prior to the newest ascents and some of them from the late 1980's. These dates I only know of vaguely who did what but not exactly where the details of bolt protection and their metal are unfortunately unknown, especially into the early 1990's. I have had extensive activity at Owl's Head though. I was a regular there. By doing much I found many vintage pitons, that came out with my fingers, and also a few masonry industrial expansion bolts.All of the climbs moderate to severe face/friction routes on this cliff are run out, but similar to Whitehorse slabs they are considered well protected. There are two newly bolted climbs on the boiler plates center east side and I don't know the rating and length to the climbs.Owl's Head during the winter of 2008-09 had at least four distinctive rock slides. These slides fortunately had little to no damage to the bolted climbs, but climber beware, I've heard of at least one bolt being flattened high up on a climb right of Revelations. I just became aware of this climb from David Powers (an enthusiast of Owls Head climbing and it's history). The climb was done by Paul Duval. Paul Duval like myself was actively doing climbs through the 1980's and was still actively climbing here in 2000 up to recently. I forgot his name until I read about his fatal rappel climbing accident. I'm sure some of the climbs I've listed by name of the climb and unknown first ascent are Paul's climbs. Expert climbers have broken bones from falling. There have been no fatalities here.Rock Climbing New England by Stewart M. Green is an excellent book for facts and topographic photos of many routes here and other off the beaten track ledges are in this 432 pages book. Take Interstate 93 to exit 26 (Plymouth/Rumney) onto Route 25. Follow route 25 west for 24.5 miles through Rumney, Wentworth and Warren to a gravel pull-out on the right (north) side of the road across the street from mile marker 16. From the pull-out, take the obvious gravel path into the woods. After a short downhill walk you'll reach Oliverian Brook. Cross here either rock-hopping during dry spells or wading across during high water. Once across the brook, continue on the obvious trail a short distance to a trail junction. Turn left and quickly head out of the woods and into the old overgrown apple orchard. From here, you'll need to pay attention to the bright orange flagging tape marking a wandering path through the high grasses and scattered apple trees eventually bringing you across a small beaver house/dam and back into the woods. Once across the dam, the trail becomes obvious again and easy to follow as it winds gently uphill to the base of the cliff (just below the "Nose"). 30-40 minutes from the road.Alternatively, drive another .2 miles further west along 25 to another gravel pull-out (this one with a killer view of the cliff). This is the "fast but wet" approach. Look for a small National Forest Property Boundary sign. There's a faint trail that starts behind this sign. Follow the trail downhill to the marsh. Follow meandering deer trails through the marsh aiming north and slightly west staying out of the wettest bits as best as possible. Eventually you'll come to the edge of the flooded section of Oliverian Brook. Walk left (west) until you can cross the beaver dam to the far side. Once across the dam, bushwhack directly uphill 200 yards until you hit the regular approach trail. Continue along the regular approach trail for the final uphill push to the base of the cliff. This approach can be done in 20-25 minutes but is very wet and muddy (you'll need very tall boots to stay dry).