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Indiana Climbing Association?

Matthew Jaggers · · Red River Gorge · Joined Sep 2017 · Points: 695

Hemlock Falls/Cliffs is worth a drive to check out. Nothing outrageous, but theres some established boulders. The one really cool wall there is supposedly too close to the waterfall, but it looks really cool.

Blair Bowden · · Indianapolis, IN · Joined Oct 2017 · Points: 896
Tony B wrote:

We definitely were not going there from 1990-1995, and I never did see that guide in the gear locker.  When did that appear?

Kickapoo falls was a place people would occasionally sneak into, and it sometimes had ice, of course.

France park had some cliffs away from the lake itself that were more solid.  I recall very little about that though, and it wasn't spectacular.

I mean, the climbing has to be pretty distant and pretty bad if Purdue kids were going up to Lansing to climb at 'Grand' Ledge.
I usually ran day trips to Springfield Gorge (now closed) and Unlikely Wall, or weekends to Devil's Lake or Red River, and spring break to New River Gorge, Seneca, Sand Rock, etc...
The Biggest loss was Springfield Gorge, which was just across the Ohio Border and had some pretty good (though short) trad lines.

Springfield

Springfield Gorge is now called Mad River Gorge and opened back up in 2018. (Unless you're referring to a different Springfield Gorge?) It sounds like there are plans to open up the north side of the river too. clarkcountyparks.org/mad-ri…

Dylan Pike · · Knoxville, TN · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 555
Reed Hudson wrote: I'd be willing to help out as well! I am the current president of the Purdue Outing Club and getting more climbing in Indiana sounds amazing.

We've done some research ourselves on cliffs around or near the Purdue campus and have found these:

Kickapoo Falls:
http://heartlandbooks.blogspot.com/2016/03/mysteries-of-warren-county-indiana.html?m=1
http://indianaclimber.blogspot.com/2012/02/indiana-climbing-1988.html?m=1

Black Rock Nature Preserve:
Haven't personally checked out yet but might have a couple boulders worth it. We may have a little guidebook for black rock somewhere.

Portland Arch:
Mentioned already,  illegal now but holds some good lines and we have an old guidebook from the 50s

NICHES land trust
Have some undeveloped rock bluffs and need to be assessed for climbability.
Someone on the board used to be a climber we believe, so it may be worth looking into more

Purdue grad here. I explored black rocks back in 2013 and 2014. Its garbage. I TR'd a few short lines (nothing is tall here) and the sandstone is super unconsolidated. Like climbing dried out brown sugar. 

I also walked a bunch of NICHES properties with one of their board members. We didn't find anything worth climbing. Alot more of the garbage sandstone.

ALSO, I explored some rock outcrops around Shoals, IN. These could definitely host some lines with appropriate land use agreements and sufficient cleaning. I remember talking to several residential property owners who let us hike around their land. I moved to Utah before I could pursue this area any further.
.Alex. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2016 · Points: 30
Tony B wrote:

Do you still have the campus 'Buildering' Guide and do the cops aggressively discourage it?  I presume so, but back in the day, they kind of let it happen so long as we stayed off the smoke stack and the parking garages, which we treated as Trad Routes.

I've heard rumblings about a buildering guide but haven't seen one anywhere. We may or may not have started another one. If you still have a copy floating around or know where to find it, that would be awesome to look at. As for parking garages and cops, slaps on the wrist are common and I can neither confirm nor deny if the garages with white chalk marks have been scaled repeatedly.

Dylan Pike wrote                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Purdue grad here. I explored black rocks back in 2013 and 2014. Its garbage. I TR'd a few short lines (nothing is tall here) and the sandstone is super unconsolidated. Like climbing dried out brown sugar.
I also walked a bunch of NICHES properties with one of their board members. We didn't find anything worth climbing. Alot more of the garbage sandstone.

ALSO, I explored some rock outcrops around Shoals, IN. These could definitely host some lines with appropriate land use agreements and sufficient cleaning. I remember talking to several residential property owners who let us hike around their land. I moved to Utah before I could pursue this area any further.

Hey Dylan! I briefly met you as you were on your way out, I started at Purdue in 2014. Hope you and Emily are doing well!

Black Rock in recent times has been a mixed bag, with some people hating it and some people loving it for the bouldering. I tend to lean towards your side, but someone did create an entire mini guidebook linked below for the area. Form your own opinions, fellow indiana climbers.
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/0c01a4_c3f74a0679d84c888a3c970958b85fe4.pdf

A few years ago I met up with Jason with NICHES, and actually heard about your walk about with the NICHES crew. Jason mentioned there's a new property they acquired near Logansport with a promising limestone face, he just needs someone to take a look. I may head that way soon and check it out.

I'm spending the summer here at Purdue while I consider job prospects and a potential master's degree, any chance I can get you to share some info about the Shoals, IN rocks? I'd love to have an excuse to get out of the house and explore a bit.
Dylan Pike · · Knoxville, TN · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 555
.Alex. wrote: I've heard rumblings about a buildering guide but haven't seen one anywhere. We may or may not have started another one. If you still have a copy floating around or know where to find it, that would be awesome to look at. As for parking garages and cops, slaps on the wrist are common and I can neither confirm nor deny if the garages with white chalk marks have been scaled repeatedly.

Hey Dylan! I briefly met you as you were on your way out, I started at Purdue in 2014. Hope you and Emily are doing well!
We are doing well. Thanks for asking!



Black Rock in recent times has been a mixed bag, with some people hating it and some people loving it for the bouldering. I tend to lean towards your side, but someone did create an entire mini guidebook linked below for the area. Form your own opinions, fellow indiana climbers.
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/0c01a4_c3f74a0679d84c888a3c970958b85fe4.pdf
Im glad people are having a good time out there. I had fun exploring, even though the rock quality left me disappointed.



A few years ago I met up with Jason with NICHES, and actually heard about your walk aboutt with the NICHES crew. Jason mentioned there's a new property they acquired near Logansport with a promising limestone face, he just needs someone to take a look. I may head that way soon and check it out.
That would be sweet. They seemed like they were willing to consider allowing climbing on their properties. Some of the NICHES properties that I walked could host some bouldering if people were enterprising enough to brave the friable rock.



I'm spending the summer here at Purdue while I consider job prospects and a potential master's degree, any chance I can get you to share some info about the Shoals, IN rocks? I'd love to have an excuse to get out of the house and explore a bit.

Unfortunately I didn't document the cliffs that I explored around Shoals. Someone upthread mentioned that there is an old guidebook to climbing around Shoals. I'd recommend getting ahold of that. When I explored the area, I marked a bunch of promising locations on a topo map and then drove around and tried to gain access to look at the areas. I don't even remember what I did with that map. I'd start with trying to get a copy of that old guidebook, and looking at a topo map to see what you can find for yourself.


Next time you are out west, hit Em and I up. I've got some sweet new crags I'm working on out in the West Desert if you are interested in checking them out.
Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,679
Blair Bowden wrote:

Springfield Gorge is now called Mad River Gorge and opened back up in 2018. (Unless you're referring to a different Springfield Gorge?) It sounds like there are plans to open up the north side of the river too. clarkcountyparks.org/mad-ri…

It's the north side of the river of which I speak, where we used to climb.  It was then on the property of the Masonic Temple.  But someone setting a TR fell and died and his insurance company unsuccessfully sued the property owner, who then closed the property to avoid hassle.  Or at least that is what I recall of it.
I've been in touch with Courtney Curtner, (President of the Ohio Climbers Coalition) on the climbing history there & will come out when it opens up and help them re-establish names/lines/etc of what was climbed there in the 80's.  It would be good it Purdue has another good climbing outlet too, so hopefully you re-establish there.

Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,679
.Alex. wrote: I've heard rumblings about a buildering guide but haven't seen one anywhere. We may or may not have started another one. If you still have a copy floating around or know where to find it, that would be awesome to look at.

I wrote it, so I imagine I know where to find a copy.  PM me and I'll go look for it & figure a way to get it to you.

Ben Lazar · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2020 · Points: 141
Clifford Marr wrote: 

  • Do you know of places in Indiana (other than Hoosier National Forest, Unlikely Wall, and Muscatatuck) where there is a place to climb?

There's Hanging Rock up near Salamonie State Forest. I don't think anyone has ever climbed there before but it's probably possible to top rope it. It's located on land that is designated as a National Natural Landmark so it's on federal land not state. Which would make it easier to get access due to the fact that state land in Indiana doesn't permit climbing. 

Clifford Marr · · Bloomington, IN · Joined Sep 2019 · Points: 0

Thank you all so much! We've had our first meeting since covid and are moving again. As such, I've created a new post/thread for updates. Please check it out here.

If you sent me a message and I haven't gotten back to you yet, feel free to do it again, I won't be offended. Otherwise, I plan to reach out to everyone in the next few weeks.  

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