Chimney Rock Village Boulders Report: This brand new access trail has been coming along nicely thanks to nearly 100 volunteers who have put in trail building efforts since September. Special thanks to REI Asheville for a 2020 Outdoor Places Grant which helps support work like this. Additional big thanks to the Village of Chimney Rock and the Chimney Rock Fire Department for working with us to acquire recreational easements to build the trail leading to potentially 100 boulder problems. Our awesome volunteer trail builders have also taken a break from moving rocks to climb them once in a while. Come on out and help build the trail and put up some new problems as well! If interested in helping build the trail, email mreardon@carolinaclimbers.org. Beta.
Hickory Nut Gorge State Trails Planning Survey: It is no secret that Hickory Nut Gorge is flooded with rock, yet most of it is closed to climbing. Rumbling Bald, within Hickory Nut Gorge, sees nearly 20,000 climbers per year. North Carolina State Parks have approved a 60+ mile state trail. Nearly 30 miles are built. The remaining location of the trail is up to organizations like us to determine! Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey and let NC State Parks know how much climbing means to you . Let them know why climbing access should be expanded via the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail. Feel free to mention areas in Hickory Nut Gorge that you wish had legal public climbing access like Ghosttown (AKA Round Top), the Attraction Side of Chimney Rock cliffs and boulders, North Side of Rumbling Bald, Cloven Cliffs, and the many cliffs and boulder fields above Main St in Chimney Rock.
Moores Wall Parking Lot: This past year, we received a $13,000 grant from REI and a $3,000 grant from the Access Fund in support of the Moores Wall parking lot expansion. We are now trying to raise funds to meet the estimated $27,000 cost to build. Please contribute if you can. Sauratown is open! High five to climbing access!
Asheboro Updates: Asheboro Boulders now have their third owner over the last three years. Thanks to climbers being great stewards of the land for years, the current owners, the Conservation Fund, have agreed to maintain climbing access for current CCC members! The waiver will now be entirely online and can be filled out here. You must be a current CCC member to enter. We do not own Asheboro Boulders and do not know how long we will have access, but we do know that we are good to go for this year as long as the area is kept clean and untrampled. Please take the utmost care to leave no trace and clean up after fellow climbers if needed.
Rumbling Bald Boulderers: The 100+ car parking lot, built last year by the State Park, has been filling by 10AM on most weekends. The CCC-owned West Side Boulderfield has a constant rotation of dozens of parties per day. While we agree that the Bald is amazing, consider spreading the love to other great bouldering areas nearby like Buffalo Creek, Dixon School Boulders, Curtis Creek, Big Ivy, Eagle Rock (many new problems await!), Stony Bald, Nowhere Boulders, The Village Boulders (open if helping build trail), Bailey Mountain Preserve (just opened and approved for bouldering in 2020, many new problems await!), and much much more. Beta sources are abound, including on our website under "Climbing Areas". Spread out please!
Big Rock: In 2017, we worked with Naturaland Trust to open Big Rock to climbing. Big Rock is a popular neighborhood climbing area. The parking lot is full most weekend days. Recently we have had a neighbor complain about noise at Big Rock. Please keep shouting, music, dog barking, and anything else that will echo down into the neighborhood to a minimum. Be courteous to the neighbors by not speeding, not arriving or leaving during dark hours, and not lingering in the parking lot.
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