Summary
North Conway, New Hampshire is THE classic traditional climbing corridor of New England. Blessed with an incredible diversity of granite (yes, one area is quite different from the next) and other types of rock (including schist and basalt-like syanite), there are a lifetime of climbs in this little section of the White Mountains alone (and this does not even include Cannon and the areas near Franconia, NH or Rumney, NH at the southern end of the White Mountains.)
The main climbing areas near North Conway are Whitehorse Ledge (shown in cover photo) and Cathedral Ledge, and several other nearby ledges (e.g. Humphrey's), however there are also numerous other areas scattered nearby, some of which are bolted sport areas (primarily on the schist rock).
The town of North Conway is a cute tourist town with all the amenities, including the well stocked local North Conway climbing shop and used gear shop IME (International Mountain Equipment).
New Hampshire is blessed with an abundance of gorgeous mountain rivers. On hot summer days nothing beats hopping in the water after a climb. In the Fall the hardwoods put on their spectacular color show.
Directions
The directions to each climbing area will vary. It is very helpful to get a guidebook (see resources below).
North Conway itself is located off Highway 302 about 2.5 hours northwest of Boston, MA and 1.5 northwest of Portland, Maine.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
In general the grading is old school and the bolts are scarce - this is primary traditional climbing, although some sport can be found.
Beware! Whitehorse Ledge is primarily labeled as trad but on most climbs it is not even protectable by trad. The abundance of runout is so prevelant that the Handren guidebook doesn’t even bother to list climbs on Whitehorse as rated X or R. He simply places a "runout" statement in the introductory paragraph. Almost every climb at Whitehorse is run out, some with 30 feet between protection, others with 160 feet (e.g. Sea of Holes - which we nicknamed "See No Holes" after a severe lack of locations to place pro). Even with climb descriptions, you can’t really tell which climbs are more run out than others. Some of the most popular easy classics on the far right end of the wall have some of the smaller run outs (at around 30 feet between pro).
Also, tricams are a MUST on Whitehorse (and some of the other local areas). Whitehorse has these random holes in the rock that might be able to fit the correct sized tricam. Get a variety of sizes, from small to larger. You will be happy you had them!
Guidebook Resources:
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
The area is best known for its “bulletproof” granite – which basically means super solid (in most, but not all, places) and high density. The granite varies greatly from one cliffband to the next (i.e. Cathedral has very different climbing than Whitehorse, Humpry’s Ledge is different yet).
Whitehorse is a granite multipitch slab-lovers dream (and, as mentioned above, very run out…). Climbs can be as long as 1000 feet. Many of the climbs have bolted belay stations and can be rappelled down, although climbs on the far right side have a well-maintained walk-off path (used by bikes and hikers). Or you can hitch a ride down from a car. In general the friction is good, but it can be slick on popular climbs or different colored sections of rock (lighter versus dark sections).
Cathedral and Humpry’s are featured granite face climbing. Both have multipitch trad climbs, although Humphry’s is a shorter wall than Cathedral.
If you are seeking different rock, check out the nearby Sundown Crag (off the Kanc Highway – HWY 112), which has traditional climbs on shorter volcanic rock called syenite. Syenite looks and feels like the basalt family. It is dark in color, has good features/fractures for protection, and the friction is variable.
North Conway also has some bolted climbs on schist (the same rock at Rumney).
Camping & Accommodations
North Conway is a tourist town so there are plenty of cute hotels and motels. There are numerous private camping areas along the highway as well.
Cathedral Ledge is located in Echo Lake State park. As of this writing parking is paid via donation. Echo Lake State Park does NOT have camping.
Several Federal campgrounds are located along Highway 112 (The Kanc Highway) near the Sundown Crag (Covered Bridge Campground and Blackberry Crossing Campground).
Yeahs
Neahs
Opinion Rating
North Conway, New Hampshire is THE classic traditional climbing corridor of New England. Blessed with an incredible diversity of granite (yes, one area is quite different from the next) and other types of rock (including schist and basalt-like syanite), there are a lifetime of climbs in this little section of the White Mountains alone (and this does not even include Cannon and the areas near Franconia, NH or Rumney, NH at the southern end of the White Mountains.)
The main climbing areas near North Conway are Whitehorse Ledge (shown in cover photo) and Cathedral Ledge, and several other nearby ledges (e.g. Humphrey's), however there are also numerous other areas scattered nearby, some of which are bolted sport areas (primarily on the schist rock).
The town of North Conway is a cute tourist town with all the amenities, including the well stocked local North Conway climbing shop and used gear shop IME (International Mountain Equipment).
New Hampshire is blessed with an abundance of gorgeous mountain rivers. On hot summer days nothing beats hopping in the water after a climb. In the Fall the hardwoods put on their spectacular color show.
Directions
The directions to each climbing area will vary. It is very helpful to get a guidebook (see resources below).
North Conway itself is located off Highway 302 about 2.5 hours northwest of Boston, MA and 1.5 northwest of Portland, Maine.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
In general the grading is old school and the bolts are scarce - this is primary traditional climbing, although some sport can be found.
Beware! Whitehorse Ledge is primarily labeled as trad but on most climbs it is not even protectable by trad. The abundance of runout is so prevelant that the Handren guidebook doesn’t even bother to list climbs on Whitehorse as rated X or R. He simply places a "runout" statement in the introductory paragraph. Almost every climb at Whitehorse is run out, some with 30 feet between protection, others with 160 feet (e.g. Sea of Holes - which we nicknamed "See No Holes" after a severe lack of locations to place pro). Even with climb descriptions, you can’t really tell which climbs are more run out than others. Some of the most popular easy classics on the far right end of the wall have some of the smaller run outs (at around 30 feet between pro).
Also, tricams are a MUST on Whitehorse (and some of the other local areas). Whitehorse has these random holes in the rock that might be able to fit the correct sized tricam. Get a variety of sizes, from small to larger. You will be happy you had them!
Guidebook Resources:
- Jerry Handren’s guidebook, “North Conway Rock Climbs” is the go-to guidebook (yes that is the same Jerry Handren as Red Rocks: A Climbing Guide). You can get the book online or go to IME.
- Mountain Project
- Cathedral Ledge: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105908823/cathedral-ledge
- Whitehorse Ledge: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105909079/whitehorse-ledge
- North Conway: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/110932434/wm-north-conway
- Map of MP White Mountain Region for other climbing areas within a 1.5 hour drive of North Conway: https://www.mountainproject.com/photo/112044781/overview-of-the-wm-areasoriginal-map-from-httpwwwvisitnhgovinformationabout-the-
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
The area is best known for its “bulletproof” granite – which basically means super solid (in most, but not all, places) and high density. The granite varies greatly from one cliffband to the next (i.e. Cathedral has very different climbing than Whitehorse, Humpry’s Ledge is different yet).
Whitehorse is a granite multipitch slab-lovers dream (and, as mentioned above, very run out…). Climbs can be as long as 1000 feet. Many of the climbs have bolted belay stations and can be rappelled down, although climbs on the far right side have a well-maintained walk-off path (used by bikes and hikers). Or you can hitch a ride down from a car. In general the friction is good, but it can be slick on popular climbs or different colored sections of rock (lighter versus dark sections).
Cathedral and Humpry’s are featured granite face climbing. Both have multipitch trad climbs, although Humphry’s is a shorter wall than Cathedral.
If you are seeking different rock, check out the nearby Sundown Crag (off the Kanc Highway – HWY 112), which has traditional climbs on shorter volcanic rock called syenite. Syenite looks and feels like the basalt family. It is dark in color, has good features/fractures for protection, and the friction is variable.
North Conway also has some bolted climbs on schist (the same rock at Rumney).
Camping & Accommodations
North Conway is a tourist town so there are plenty of cute hotels and motels. There are numerous private camping areas along the highway as well.
Cathedral Ledge is located in Echo Lake State park. As of this writing parking is paid via donation. Echo Lake State Park does NOT have camping.
Several Federal campgrounds are located along Highway 112 (The Kanc Highway) near the Sundown Crag (Covered Bridge Campground and Blackberry Crossing Campground).
Yeahs
- Excellent varied climbing on excellent rock
- Abundance of climbs on different rock types
- North Conway is a cute tourist town (traffic can get congested through the main part of town) with all the amenities you’d want.
- Rivers! Swimming!
- Hardwood trees – shade in the summer (although it can still get quite hot on the rock) and color in the fall
- Although some summer days can get toasty, its far enough north to have many comfortable summer climbing days.
Neahs
- Can get busy on the weekends
- Bugs (especially in the spring, but they don’t seem to really go away…)
- Bad runout in places (especially Whitehorse)
Opinion Rating
- It Rocks!