Region:
Southern Mountains
Type of climbing:
Traditional
Type of climbing:
Bouldering
To help out with saving this precious climbing resource, please consider Joining the CCC or renewing your membership. You can donate to the Save the Boulders fund to help pay off the loans for the 6 acres we acquired on the West side.
Rumbling Bald is now part of Hickory Nut Gorge State Park. Some of the climbing and bouldering is now out of private hands and protected, but more remains to be done. The CCC asks that you help out as much as possible with future access. Please follow the simple ideals below.
- Leave No trace. Pack out what you pack in. Pick up trash from others
- NO camping at the parking lot or at the crags
- Be courteous and respectful of non-climbers that you see on the mountain
- Patronize local shops and restaurants. Let them know that you are a climber. We need to make the locals undestand that climbers and other outdoors types are a valuable source of tourist dollars.
- Please note that the South side is the only area currently open to climbing
Camping
Visit this link for camping info:
http://www.lake-lure.com/campgrounds.html
Directions:
(From Brevard), take US Highway 64 east through Hendersonville. Keep going as you cross I-26 and continue until you reach the town of Bat Cave. Here, US 64 joins US 74 as you turn to the right. Proceed to the towns of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. This is a popular tourist route in the summer, so be prepared for slow going. As you pass through Chimney Rock and into Lake Lure, look for Boys Camp Road on your left. If you go across a bridge and see a bathing beach on your left, you've gone too far. Take Boys Camp road about 1.5 miles to the top of a ridge. On your left, look for a new parking area.
(From Columbia, SC) (I-26 via I-95 for Floridians): Continue on I-26 toward Greenville / Spartanburg. Just after reaching the NC border, look for exit 36, SR 108 to Columbus/Chimney Rock/Lake Lure. Turn right on SR 108 and continue for about 4 miles. When you reach an intersection with SR 9, follow the signs to Lake Lure (left). Continue for another 10 miles until you come down a hill and see Lake Lure. Go left on Highway 64/74/9 for 4 miles, passing a bathing beach and marina on your right. Take Boys Camp Road on your right and follow the directions above.
Morning Star (front view)
single BD ski pole found by boldfingers, down the hill. call tracy 828-254-1428
Come join us in Lake Lure for another great day at Rumbling Bald. Whether you enjoy the awesome routes or the high-quality boulders, do some tuggin and then come join us for some food and drinks at La Strada restaurant @ 6:00pm in Lake Lure for the Spring Meeting of the CCC and a slideshow from Shannon Milsaps.
See you there!
Andi Cochran has made a fantastic map of our tract of boulders at
Rumbling Bald. She took GPS points on these boulders. So this map is
about as accurate as we'll get. Andi works with Appalachian State's
Geography and Planning Department, but did this on volunteer time. The
CCC would truly be lost without volunteers. Thank you, Andi!
Many thanks to everyone who came out in the less than ideal weather to clean up the boulders and work on the trails. We still need your help to pay off the loans.
Anthony and Zachary talk about the project, what it means, and how you can help
Yesterday (January 6th, 2010), the CCC started the New Year off with the purchase of the West Side Boulders at Rumbling Bald. The closing of the sale occurred in Asheville, NC. This purchase marks the beginning of our newest land acquisition project. This purchase serves as the 4th pilot project of the Access Fund's Land Conservation Campaign, a national initiative to empower local climbing organizations to conserve recreation lands through a loan program to purchase them. With this new initiative, the Access Fund is demonstrating once again they are YOUR climbing future! This project marks our second major land acquisition project. Its exciting for the CCC to conserve of a major bouldering area for climbers of the Carolinas and beyond.
12/6/09 - Chattanooga, Tennessee
As you know the Triple Crown has been a major supporter of the ongoing efforts of the CCC. The Triple Crown Bouldering Series raises money for climbing access organizations, American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. The Triple Crown
Bouldering Series has paid the lease for the Ashboro Boulders for the last 2 years in a row, helped to pay off Laurel Knob and now they have stepped up to support the new Rumbling Bald Acquisition.
Matt de Camara shows why you should donate to support the Rumbling Bald Boulder Project
Raleigh, NC - December 4, 2009 —
The Carolina Climbers Coalition and the Access Fund announced today the intent to purchase and conserve the Rumbling Bald West Side Boulders in North Carolina.
The Access Fund, the national advocacy organization that keeps U.S. climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment, will provide a bridge loan of $72,000 from the new Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign to finance 90% of the purchase price for the 6.12 acre tract that is currently under contract by the Carolina Climbers Coalition.
The two organizations are working together to finalize the purchase of this popular bouldering area from a private developer. Developed in 1999, the parcel hosts 30 boulders with approximately 200 high quality boulder problems. The area sees considerable use from southeast climbers due to its central location to several nearby metropolitan areas, including Asheville, NC; Charlotte, NC; Greenville, SC; and Spartanburg, SC.
Chimney Rock State Park is mandating that all vehicles MUST be parked on paved or gravel surfaces ONLY in the parking area. Overflow parking along the road is NOT permitted or advised.
Once the parking area has filled, NO ADDITIONAL vehicles will be allowed to park in this area. Parking will be available on a first come first served basis from now on. Chimney Rock State Park assures us this is not meant to limit visitors to the area, it is meant to limit the number of vehicles in the area and to provide for emergency vehicle access.
When planning to come to Rumbling Bald, PLAN ON CARPOOLING. If you cannot carpool, plan on meeting friends at the community center in Lake Lure and travelling in as few vehicles as possible.
Chimney Rock State Park has also informed us that they will be closing the lower parking area for restricted use by emergency vehicles and park staff.
