UPDATE August 11, 2015: All climbing routes at Harpers Ferry/Maryland Heights are OPEN. Thank you for your cooperation.
UPDATE June 2, 2015: The National Park Service has expanded the closure to include the ABC Ramps. See new picture below.
The National Park Service has instituted a temporary and partial closure of Maryland Heights. All climbing routes on the Sign Wall and The Gully are closed to protect nesting Peregrine Falcons. This temporary closure does not affect routes on other parts of Maryland Heights (Union Walls, ABC Ramps, Train Tunnel Wall, Confederate Walls, etc).
From the Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park memo:
“A pair of Peregrine falcons is attempting to nest on the cliff face of Maryland Heights… to the left of the old Mennen’s sign. To protect the nesting birds from inadvertent disturbance or harassment, areas in and around the cliff face of Maryland Heights will be closed effective April 10. The areas will be closed to all visitor use, including climbing activities, along the cliff face area. The climbing areas affected by the closure include all the routes in the Gully and Sign Wall sections. These areas will remain closed until approximately five weeks after the chicks take their first flights, or fledge, from their nests.
The park will be monitoring the birds’ progress and will adjust the restriction as necessary. Mid Atlantic Climbers will update this post with any new information