Michigan Lower Peninsula

Hey, I am looking for any climbing suggestions for climbing near Grand Ledge! Or in the lower peninsula. 

Grand ledge is the best you’re gonna find in the LP. There’s a quarry in alpena area with a few dry tool lines, but other than that nothings really worth driving more than a mile for. Best bets are gonna be Marquette area rock or the red. Terra Firma and Inside Moves are the closest gyms to GL, both located in Grand Rapids. 

In that case I’d take advantage of what he UP has to offer. Silver Mtn and mqt area rock will be the most bang for your buck when considering drive time. The real gem of MI climbing is munising area ice. High concentration of short single pitch climbs with easy approaches. Just a very short season. 

If you're in Alpena then you're in day-trip range to the newly minted Maple Hill! It ain't much, but it's something. Short, steep limestone, many bolted lines. We actually ran into a large crew from Alpena up there a few weekends ago.

Don't forget about Southern Ontario limestone. 

My personal hierarchy of UP Crags for you to check out for roped climbing:

Gold: Silver Mountain (mostly sport), Cliff Drive (mostly trad), AAA (mostly sport), Slug's Bluff (good mix of sport and trad), Carney Crag (mostly sport), and Pinnacle (runout trad or TR). 

Silver: Sunset Gully (mostly sport), Top of the World (sport and trad), Little Loaf, Suicide, Trash Can Crag, Rail Road to Nowhere, Cliff Ridge, Maple Hill, Norwich 

Bronze: Negaunee Slab, Sugar Cube/Sugar Shack, ROTC, 

Bottom Tier: Shawshank/Incarceration, Phils Hill, Glenda's Pile.

For bouldering: My personal favorites are along the lake: Little Presque and Wetmore Beach Areas. 

For Ice: Munising has the best and highest density. 

Other spots to consider in the region: Niagra Escarpment in Ontario. I am partial to Lion's Head for sport and Nemo for Trad. 

Not in the region, but the RRG is basically the home crag for a lot of the lower peninsula. From metro detroit, it is the same distance to the red as it is to a lot of the UP climbing. 

Matt Swrote:

If you're in Alpena then you're in day-trip range to the newly minted Maple Hill! It ain't much, but it's something. Short, steep limestone, many bolted lines. We actually ran into a large crew from Alpena up there a few weekends ago.

Another vote for Maple Hill. It's good limestone reminiscent of OK Corral at Wild Iris. Seventeen routes from 5.6 to 5.11b. Sadly, it's only 30 feet, but we put in steel lower-off hardware to increase the climbing : rigging ratio.

If you climb 5.11 (and 5.10 offwidth, sorry) you can knock out the whole crag in a day. Or camp in the parking lot and take in the beautiful hardwoods for a quiet weekend deep in the magical forest.

John Millerwrote:

My personal hierarchy of UP Crags for you to check out for roped climbing:

Gold: Silver Mountain (mostly sport), Cliff Drive (mostly trad), AAA (mostly sport), Slug's Bluff (good mix of sport and trad), Carney Crag (mostly sport), and Pinnacle (runout trad or TR). 

Silver: Sunset Gully (mostly sport), Top of the World (sport and trad), Little Loaf, Suicide, Trash Can Crag, Rail Road to Nowhere, Cliff Ridge, Maple Hill, Norwich 

Bronze: Negaunee Slab, Sugar Cube/Sugar Shack, ROTC, 

Bottom Tier: Shawshank/Incarceration, Phils Hill, Glenda's Pile.

Placing Norwich in Silver seems generous. I think it belongs near the bottom if for no other reason than to prevent the baiting of mitten climbers who don’t live and breathe Sisu into thinking they can have a pleasant “adventure” at the wicked wich.

Matt Swrote:

Placing Norwich in Silver seems generous. I think it belongs near the bottom if for no other reason than to prevent the baiting of mitten climbers who don’t live and breathe Sisu into thinking they can have a pleasant “adventure” at the wicked wich.

Now that is funny. 

Matt Swrote:

Placing Norwich in Silver seems generous. I think it belongs near the bottom if for no other reason than to prevent the baiting of mitten climbers who don’t live and breathe Sisu into thinking they can have a pleasant “adventure” at the wicked wich.

Despite myths to the contrary, size does matter!

John Millerwrote:

Despite myths to the contrary, size does matter!

While this is largely true, if the quality of the rock is subpar, a longer route is just more painful. There's a reason women *usually* marry men and not horses.

Samantha Dwrote:

Hey, I am looking for any climbing suggestions for climbing near Grand Ledge! Or in the lower peninsula. 

I’m down to climb tomorrow / Saturday in grand ledge if your still up for it!!

Samantha Dwrote:

Hey, I am looking for any climbing suggestions for climbing near Grand Ledge! Or in the lower peninsula. 

I’m down to climb tomorrow / Saturday in grand ledge if your still up for it!!