Climbing Near Wiley Ford, West Virginia

Except for the vultures soaring high above, you are likely to be at this beautiful cliff above the city of Cumberland alone. At about a mile in length and up to 200 feet high this rock face is home to many adventurous routes ranging from single pitch 5.easy to multipitch 5.10+. Bolts are rare so you will have to rely mostly on tree anchors, and route finding skills will definitely be called upon. The crux of these climbs for many climbers will be locating the routes. The thick foliage can be very disorienting. Walk-offs are possible in some locations, but rappelling from the top is more practical for single pitch top roping, especially at the Far Wall.The cliff faces southwest and gets afternoon sun, so it can be pleasant most of the year, although it gets very hot during the summer. Fortunately you'll be climbing above Will's Creek all day and it has great fishing and some sweet swimming holes!Mark "Indy" Kochte has produced several quality Maryland area guide books as well as an on line guide. This on line guide will be immensely helpful for climbing at the Narrows. indy-adventures.net/climbin…Parking note. There is usually no problem parking at the intersection of Piedmont Street and Wills Mt. Rd. The end of Columbia street has plenty of parking and is only about a 100 meter walk to the trailhead. Don't park on red lines and avoid the immediate church area on Sundays. Say hello to the locals and tell them what you are up to. They will be interested and being friendly can only help our access. Park near the intersection of Piedmont Ave. and Wills Mtn. road and hike up the road to the first switchback. Follow the trail from here up to the clifftop trail and turn right, following this north to the vacant Artmore Plastics building. Walk a couple hundred yards past the building to the iron gate and go left on the trail just beyond the gate. Follow this trail up to the small meadow at the edge of the cliff. This overlook is "Moonshine buttress" and Sunshine buttress is the first buttress to the left (south). The Solar System buttresses are located to the right (north) along this clifftop trail. Alternatively, you can continue up the road to the last switchback and look for the trail that heads uphill toward the cliff. Follow this trail to the clearing above Moonshine Buttress, or follow other trails to various points along the clifftop.A Shot=er way into Funland is to take Piedmont toward the railroad tracks (left) turn , follow down the hill, turn right onto Zihlman Way. Zihlman dead ends. There is a trail marked with a yellow blaze, fifteen minutes walk up the trail to Funland. You cannot park at the dead end,  drop gear park further up and walk in.

The One Pitch Wonder section starts about 40-60' right of Free But Worth It in Funland. A handful of routes wind their way up through and/or around overhangs and roofs. From the Front Porch (See The Narrows Beta Photos), follow the trail to the right for 15 feet to a Y in the path (Stay slightly than the trail on which you approached). Both forks are roughly 20 feet from the walls of the Funland area. Take the right fork of the trail which will take you under "Monk" and "Free But Worth It" from the Funland area. The One Pitch Wonder wall starts about 40'-60' right of "Free But Worth It".

Same vein of rock as Seneca, but with horizontal striations. Great place to learn to lead and get experience. Approach: 15 minutes Parking on Piedmont, walk down to the bottom of the hill and head right back onto a small path. You'll follow a path up the side of the mountain until you see an overhanging rock with a chair beneath it. Go past this rock and chair and follow the path up and right.