5 Great Places to Climb
By Amy Reinink
Great Falls and Carderock: Located at C&O Canal National Historical Park and Great Falls National Park in both Maryland and Virginia, these are the “go-to spots” for area rock climbers, says Diana Flores, marketing director for Earth Treks Climbing Centers in Rockville and Columbia. They’re popular for their proximity to the Washington metro area (Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center is a 20-minute drive from Bethesda), but also for their wide variety of beginner-friendly routes. As a result, they’re packed on summer weekends, so “I’ll get there at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to make sure I get a good spot,” Flores says. (www.nps.gov/choh/)
Annapolis Rock: You’ll have to hike about two miles on the Appalachian Trail to get to Annapolis Rock, a massive rock formation located a few miles off Interstate 70 near Damascus, about an hour from Bethesda. Even so, climbers flock here to tackle such classic ascents as Fein’s Roof and Black Crack. With a variety of traditional and top-roping routes, this destination is sure to please a range of climbers with differing abilities and goals. (www.potomacmountainclub.org/content/view/251/109/)
Sugarloaf: The quartzite rock formations near the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, located about 40 minutes from Bethesda in Dickerson, Md., attract multitudes of hikers each weekend. The rock formations throughout the park also make Sugarloaf a destination for climbers. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club suggests traditional or top-rope climbing at some areas near the base of the mountain, such as Devil’s Kitchen, about 40 yards from the East View parking area, or Middle Earth, near the West View parking area. (sugarloafmd.com)
Northwest Branch: For informal bouldering, hike along the Northwest Branch Trail, where you’ll alternate between scrambling over huge rocks and hiking along the packed-dirt trail. This is a great pick for outdoors enthusiasts of mixed ambitions: Reluctant climbers can stick to the trail, which parallels the northwest branch of the Anacostia River for more than 10 miles north of downtown Silver Spring, while their companions venture off the path to the rocks beyond it. (www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkTrails/trails_MAPS/NorthwestBranch.shtm)
Seneca Rocks, W.Va.: You won’t spot many novices at this climbing mecca inside Monongahela National Forest. Strong intermediates and experts flock to this 900-foot, sheer quartzite formation above the North Fork River, which offers nearly 400 established routes (and which provided a dramatic backdrop for an episode of USA Network’s Covert Affairs last year). Traditional-climbing enthusiasts will find the three-hour drive from Bethesda well worth it. “This is a destination climb,” says Adam Smartt, manager of Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Va. “There are people who drive hours and hours to get there; we’re lucky that it’s an easy day trip away.” (www.fs.usda.gov/mnf)
Where to Learn
Your first climbing outing is no time to wing it. Check out one of the area’s climbing gyms for outdoor lessons at C&O Canal National Historical Park. Most classes are offered every weekend throughout the summer, and last all day. Here are a few:
Earth Treks, Rockville, 240-283-9942, www.earthtreksclimbing.com; $95 for members, $115 for nonmembers
REI Rockville, 301-230-7670, www.rei.com; $90 for members, $110 for nonmembers
Sportrock Climbing Centers, Alexandria and Sterling, Va., 703-212-7625, www.sportrock.com; $100 for members, $125 for nonmembers.
Climbing Terms
Traditional, or “trad” climbing: Climbing with no preexisting ropes or anchors. In this style of climbing, climbers place anchors, rope and all the other gear they’ll need to protect themselves as they ascend, and remove it when they leave.
Top-roping: A climber uses a rope attached to an anchor—often a tree—at the top of a route for safety. A belayer at the bottom ensures that the climber, attached to the rope via a harness, will not fall more than a short distance.
Bouldering: Climbing a short rock face without ropes or anchors. Some climbers set up “crash pads,” similar to gymnastics mats, below the climbing area for protection from falls.
