Harder Crack Climbs near Boston

I'm visiting a friend in Boston soon but I wanted to get a fix in while I prep for Indian Creek. Anyone have any good recommendations for hard crack climbs? I saw Thee Offwidth and Doug's Roof, wanted to know if there were any more in the area. Looking for things 5.10-5.12ish in about an hour's drive or less. Crow Hill also looks promising

The best crack climbing in Massachusetts is in New Hampshire

But when you make it to Crow Hill, let me know and I’ll give you a catch 

Connecticut Crack at a place no one talks about near Crow Hill goes hard right? I wouldn’t know it’s abov my paygrade, but think so.

Um tight finger seam but layed off so 5.11???
Looky I findy
Then if you could hit Connecticut Corner 5.9? Peapod 5.10b Yosemite Crack 5.8 and those two to the right Bulletproof 5.10maybe?? and Barn Door 5.12offwisth??
Lots of grade guessing and attempts at remembering here

For Gloucester, Zipper is great if you're a fan of 5.6: it's just very aesthetic with great movements.
There is also a 5.8 slime crack over in Oz which I don't recommend.
Pink Floyd wall looked like it had a few nice moderate cracks.

Pawtuckaway is pretty splitter and isn't too far from Boston...

If you're a crack addict you'll love pawtuckaway. Mostly short stuff but a lot of bang for your buck and every size you can think of right next to each other.

if you're trying to get some miles in before heading to the creek, i'd suggest just doing laps on black jack crack in rumney-  don't use the footholds.  crack of pain in pway is a good trainer as well, though decidedly less fun than black jack.

I haven't seen anything near Boston that resembles the kind of sustained jamming on sandstone cracks. For endurance training I'd rather work on cracks in the gym. Central rock cambridge has a variable overhanging crack machine that will surely satisfy your needs in difficulty. Metrorock has three short vertical crack lines, hand, fist, and hard rattly finger.

Nolan Huther wrote: Edited title to be a bit more descriptive of what I'm looking for but I have a feeling that these suggestions are showing that there just isn't what I'm looking for. Since will be visiting Boston I'm not gonna be looking to leave the area, I'll be climbing a little in probably the Cape Ann/Lynn Woods anyway, just was looking for routes I should particularly have on my radar anytime I'm visiting.

BkB Somerville has two TR routes with WideBoys (TM) cracks on them!

Xi Yin wrote: I haven't seen anything near Boston that resembles the kind of sustained jamming on sandstone cracks. For endurance training I'd rather work on cracks in the gym. Central rock cambridge has a variable overhanging crack machine that will surely satisfy your needs in difficulty. Metrorock has three short vertical crack lines, hand, fist, and hard rattly finger.

The metro cracks are such bad off-sizes if you have smaller hands, haha. Good training for hard crack climbing, I guess!

Super curious if anyone does come up with any climbs in the immediate Boston area that match what Nolan is looking for.

Boston to Cape Ann: 1 hr drive
Boston to Pway: 1.5 hr drive

Probably best to climb at BKB if you don’t want to leave the Metro area. Hell, getting into Union might take you a full hour, depending on where you are in the city. 

One little indian in cape Ann is worth getting on, starts with a fist jam and goes down to fingers, it's a Henry barber 10+ so it's definitely a little tough

I’d second Farley. Everything Tom mentioned is at the main area and easy to find. Are they the best trainers for IC- no, but, there’s jamming, they’re aesthetically pleasing, and good practice and fun. Bulletproof is the 5.13 offwidth, and Barndoor is a .10b, probably the most fun .10b I’ve done.

Cat Crack at East Peak near Meriden / Hartford Connecticut is good, but more like 2 hours from Boston.
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106082548/cat-crack
How about Cro-Magnon or Jane at Crow Hill?
https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106126388/fishermans-wall
I recall Under the Big Top at the Quincy Quarries has some jamming, but I'm not sure - has been decades.
It's close to Boston, though.
​https://www.mountainproject.com/route/107068775/under-the-big-top​​​

In general, not a ton of cracks in the region you are looking. With that said:

In Lynn and Cape Ann off top of head, these climbs are cracks requiring crack skills. I’m certain there are more I’m forgetting....: Oingo Boingo V5, thee OW 5.12, Dougs Roof V2, Hybrid V4, Quagmire V2, Kristians Krack V3, Hemlock V6, Man Made Crack V1, Pizza and Beer crack 5.10, Bear Grease V1, (easy, but good jams), The Parlor V5 (thin, sharp, V5), Vertical Rainbow Crack 5.10, X Marks the spot 5.11, unnamed V4 at Cavalry, the V3 next to that....
I think they are all logged on MP. If I think of more, I’ll reply again.

None.   Lots of good bouldering and single pitch climbing, though.  

You're probably familiar with Spider Web in the Daks and Green's Cliff in Conway as you're from Burlington.  Best crack climbing around.  Almost every crack on the East Coast is irregular, though.  While some technique will translate, little here will prepare you for parallel sided cracks void of face holds.  You want to train?  Build a crack machine and hang off ring-locks and arm-bars.  Or just go climbing and learn to send in the desert when you're there.  You might enjoy it to the point where you never leave, or you always go back.  Think I've spent close to a year in Moab..

Rumor has it...MIT campus has some nice crack buildering, so I've heard. Dont get caught! 

Fan Yang wrote: Rumor has it...MIT campus has some nice crack buildering, so I've heard. Dont get caught! 

Where? I only know about the chimneys.

z sweep wrote: One little indian in cape Ann is worth getting on, starts with a fist jam and goes down to fingers, it's a Henry barber 10+ so it's definitely a little tough

This is a great route, but keep a low profile as this is surrounded by private land. 

You could certainly go out to places like Crow Hill and do laps on Jane and Cro Magnon till you get a good burn. As others have said there is nothing in the East like Indian Creek. You won't have problems on anything 5.10 and under at the Creek, but the main focus is to have a good time.