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Summertime wildlife closures

Original Post
Shannon Campisi · · Atlanta, GA · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 66

I'm a fairly decent sport climber and a beginning trad leader, and I'm trying to plan a climbing-oriented summer vacation for my family. I'm running into alerts at all the places I've considered, though, regarding closures for wildlife protection during the times we would be able to travel.

Can anyone recommend a destination I could consider for our journey where there are a decent number of easy-to-moderate routes that won't be subject to closures during the summer months?

Thanks!

Matthew

Rick Carpenter · · Marion, NC · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 1,315

Many places in NC have some closures due to falcon nesting but....the nests have high mortality and the closures lift once they fail and usually the entire cliff lines/classics or trade routes aren't closed. Check any number of places on the interwebs (such as the CCC or USFS page) to get site specific maps. A little research on your part would make this easy.....

Shannon Campisi · · Atlanta, GA · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 66
Rick Carpenter wrote:

Many places in NC have some closures due to falcon nesting but....the nests have high mortality and the closures lift once they fail and usually the entire cliff lines/classics or trade routes aren't closed. Check any number of places on the interwebs (such as the CCC or USFS page) to get site specific maps. A little research on your part would make this easy.....

Right, I've been reading a lot about "closures are lifted due to lack of nesting", etc., but that makes it difficult to plan a summer vacation. I wouldn't want to travel to a National Park, for example, and then find that the closures are still in effect for the duration of my time there. 

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115

What region are you looking at for the trip? Are you thinking about going to a distant destination (a trip out west) or staying in the southeast? This will narrow down suggestions.

amarius · · Nowhere, OK · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 20

Both RRG and NRG should be OK. Hot, but not closed to climbing due to wildlife. Both have water based activities close by. NRG has decent white water, there is Summersville lake to both kayak and SUP. You can even engage in pay-sanctioned deep water soloing.

Jack Servedio · · Raleigh, NC · Joined Feb 2016 · Points: 35

Also even when there is nesting going on and they shut down an area - it's normally not the whole area - just where there are/could be active nesting sites. It's not like you would plan to go to Red Rock or Yosemite and then find out the entire parks are closed down. Just check shortly before you go. If you are staying in the Southeast (or even just going to NC for that matter) - they are so many places that are all within 30-60 minutes of a major area like Winston-Salem or Asheville.

Shannon Campisi · · Atlanta, GA · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 66
JCM wrote:

What region are you looking at for the trip? Are you thinking about going to a distant destination (a trip out west) or staying in the southeast? This will narrow down suggestions.

Hi, JCM.

Doesn't matter much, honestly. Closer would obviously be easier to do, but if there is a great destination that meets the criteria farther away, I'm all for considering it.

Tapawingo Markey · · Reno? · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 75
Matthew Campisi wrote:

Hi, JCM.

Doesn't matter much, honestly. Closer would obviously be easier to do, but if there is a great destination that meets the criteria farther away, I'm all for considering it.

Meets your criteria of if/when falcons will be nesting at a hypothetical crag at some location in the United States? You’d be doing yourself a service by doing your own research and then bringing crab specific inquiries to the forum so folks could actually help. 

Rick Carpenter · · Marion, NC · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 1,315
Matthew Campisi wrote:

Right, I've been reading a lot about "closures are lifted due to lack of nesting", etc., but that makes it difficult to plan a summer vacation. I wouldn't want to travel to a National Park, for example, and then find that the closures are still in effect for the duration of my time there. 

It makes it very easy to plan haha. If you look at the areas that are actually closed you will find that it isn't a significant portion of any given area (with the exception of big lost cove but that one is above your pay grade). The closed areas are documented and tend to be very un-ambiguous and only change when a closure is lifted. Do your research and you will find easy answers close to GA. OR not, stay home haha.

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
Tapawingo Markey wrote:

Meets your criteria of if/when falcons will be nesting at a hypothetical crag at some location in the United States? You’d be doing yourself a service by doing your own research and then bringing crab specific inquiries to the forum so folks could actually help. 

Now there are crab-closures? 

Tapawingo Markey · · Reno? · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 75
FrankPS wrote:

Now there are crab-closures? 

Liberal Californians...

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
Tapawingo Markey wrote:

Liberal Californians...

No kidding. What's next - outlawing Styrofoam? :)

Shannon Campisi · · Atlanta, GA · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 66
Tapawingo Markey wrote:

Meets your criteria of if/when falcons will be nesting at a hypothetical crag at some location in the United States? You’d be doing yourself a service by doing your own research and then bringing crab specific inquiries to the forum so folks could actually help. 

Without having much experience with closures due to wildlife, and after having looked into Elevenmile Canyon in Colorado, Acadia National Park in Maine, and several of the crags on the New Hampshire coast, seeing the same kinds of summertime restrictions in all of these locations, I thought I'd ask the question. 

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,374
Matthew Campisi wrote:

Without having much experience with closures due to wildlife, and after having looked into Elevenmile Canyon in Colorado, Acadia National Park in Maine, and several of the crags on the New Hampshire coast, seeing the same kinds of summertime restrictions in all of these locations, I thought I'd ask the question. 

As stated above, closures are usually for raptors and not all that large.

An example: you listed Acadia NP. Okay, so I searched that on MP. On the MP page is a link to a press release by the NPS. That, let's me know the areas the park closes. 

Back to MP. I notice one of those areas, and click it. In that description, it tells me that "the right side is seasonally closed for nesting peregrines". Not the whole area, not the whole island, not the whole park.

Generally, this is how it works around the country for these bird closures. Locally, we already have a closure, but it is one small part of the whole. As the birds move in, there will be more, but again, only a part of the whole.

By the way, peregrines nest in downtown Boise, and other cities. I, for one, love hearing them screaming through the downtown skies!

Hope this helps, and have a great vacation!

Best, Helen

Tapawingo Markey · · Reno? · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 75
Matthew Campisi wrote:

Without having much experience with closures due to wildlife, and after having looked into Elevenmile Canyon in Colorado, Acadia National Park in Maine, and several of the crags on the New Hampshire coast, seeing the same kinds of summertime restrictions in all of these locations, I thought I'd ask the question. 

For sure, I wasn’t giving you a hard time for asking but just letting you know that if you don’t mention specific areas (which you did in your reply) you’re not going to get much in the way of information.

Josh Squire · · East Boston, MA · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 66
Matthew Campisi wrote:

I'm a fairly decent sport climber and a beginning trad leader, and I'm trying to plan a climbing-oriented summer vacation for my family. I'm running into alerts at all the places I've considered, though, regarding closures for wildlife protection during the times we would be able to travel.

Can anyone recommend a destination I could consider for our journey where there are a decent number of easy-to-moderate routes that won't be subject to closures during the summer months?

Thanks!

Matthew

Squamish? Squamish. Squamish! 

You're welcome.

Josh

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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