NOTE: As of November 30, this closure has been lifted.
Starting September 12, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will be closing portions of trail and climbing in West Virginia while work is being done to perform rockslide stabilization above US 340. This work calls for rock slope scaling, localized rock bolting, and removal of potential large scale rockfall hazards. Additionally, work will be done to mitigate rockfall. This work is expected to last 90 days.
What climbing areas are closed?
All climbing in West Virginia east of Chestnut Road will be closed. This would include notable climbs such as Loudon Heights, The Frontier, New Dawn Boulders, Potomac Boulders, and PawPaw Overhang.
While the park announcement also mentions this work closing climbing in Virginia, these climbing areas have been closed since 2017 with the Superintendent’s Compendium issued that year. Mid Atlantic Climbers has expressed its disagreement with this closure to the park but has been unable to work with them to lift these closures. Given this, we do not expect the Virginia closure to be lifted with the completion of this work.
What climbing areas remain open?
With the annual peregrine falcon closure having been lifted on August 1st, climbing in Maryland is currently open.
In West Virginia, the bulk of the climbing is closed, but some areas are west of Chestnut Road, such as Giggling Boulders and Moonshine Boulder, are open.
What next?
Mid Atlantic Climbers will continue to monitor the situation and update the community as it develops. Remember that you can always visit our Alerts and Initiatives page to see all access alerts in effect for our area.