The ground rules for climbing location "yeahs" and "neahs"
- Each location will receive an opinion rating - "It Rocks!", "Worth It," "Meh," or "Trash."
- Each crag has its own personality with unique advantages and challenges, which are highlighted.
- It is tempting to list “beautiful” as a “yeah,” but that is true for a lot of crags. I allude to beauty and scenery in the summary. You can also (sometimes) tell by the photo. If the place is a dump, then that will be listed in the “neahs” and rated as "Meh" or "Trash.
Summary
Schist rock, sport climbing, southern White Mountains of New Hampshire – those are the key words for Rumney. Other words that paint the picture of this place are deep woods, lots of swimming holes, small towns, nearby camping, busy on the weekends, and great trail infrastructure.
Rumney consists of numerous, small rock outcroppings along and up a mountain. Although Rumney has hundreds of climbs, each outcropping in and of itself is fairly small, with around 10-20 climbs per wall. If you put in a full day of climbing, you will likely crag hop to several different walls.
Although the crags are buried in the trees, summers can be hot and muggy and, surprisingly, the forest provides limited relief. Many of the cliffs also rise above the trees, so the black rock can get quite warm as the day goes on. On hot days, though, the nearby river provides a blast of cool, post-climbing fun. New England does frequently provide cooler summer days, so watch the weather to nab some summertime sends. Fall, when the temps cool and the hardwood forests turn color, is a particularly popular time of year.
With the woods comes biting bugs. Each insect seems to have its season, but the worst is in the spring and early summer.
Directions
Rumney rock climbing is very close to the small town of Rumney (about 10 miles NW of Plymouth, NH). The climbing is located off Buffalo Road, west of the town (turn left). You can park at the American Alpine Club Campground (on the left side of the street) or in the Forest Service parking lot (on the right side of the street) to access the climbing.
There are fees for both places. If you have an America the Beautiful pass, then you can park in the Forest Service lot for free.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
Rumney is a sport crag and the bolting reflects it. For the most part, climbs are well protected, but, as with any place, there is the occasional poorly placed bolt (aka decking potential) or small run out.
The following guidebooks are available (listed alphabetically):
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
The rock at Rumney is schist, a dark sedimentary rock with lots of swirling, interesting layers. Up close the layers almost look like the bark of a tree and sparkle with mica. The look of the rock is mesmerizing during a climb.
The rock looks deceptively featured from the ground, but holds tend to be at odd angles and may appear better than they actually are. With the frequency of climbing at Rumney, there are plenty of chalk marks to show you "a way," not “the way." A chalked hold doesn’t always indicate the best option, so the puzzle of the climb still awaits you.
The style of climbing is technical funky (not necessarily straight forward, odd body angles), mostly vertical face, roofs and overhanging routes are scattered about. There is the occasional lower angled, slabby climb.
Camping
There are numerous camping options. One, the American Alpine Club (AAC) Rumney Rattlesnake Campground, is within walking distance of the climbing and adjacent to the river (swimming and your bath). Because you can walk from the campground, you can save money on the Forest Service parking fees (if you have an American The Beautiful Parks pass, parking is free in the Forest Service lot.)
The AAC campground does not have showers or bathrooms with running water for the campers (it is a little more primitive than their other campgrounds). There are a couple of porta potties near the camping area, which is basically an open field you drive onto and pick your spot. There are some trees for setting up tents in the shade, but much of the camping area is a grassy field. The AAC campground does have a communal barn area with wifi and electricity for charging devices. There is also a small co-ed bunk house with a kitchen and bathroom. The pricing is per person (with member discounts), so it can add up if you are with a larger group.
If you want to camp and want running water and a hot shower, you will need to drive about 5-10 minutes away to one of the other private campgrounds. Mountain Pines, located off highway 25, is a small, private campground with individual spots scattered in the woods and along the river. It has a nice bathroom and shower. It is also priced per person, but if you mention you are a climber they will give you a discount.
There are numerous other nearby campgrounds with amenities.
There are also some small Inns in the town of Rumney and larger chain hotels 10-15 miles away in West Plymouth, Plymouth, and Campton.
The town of Rumney is quite small, with a basic gift/grocery store and a couple of restaurants. Larger grocery stores are located about 8-10 miles away in West Plymouth, so plan accordingly.
Yeahs
Neahs
Opinion Rating
It Rocks!
Schist rock, sport climbing, southern White Mountains of New Hampshire – those are the key words for Rumney. Other words that paint the picture of this place are deep woods, lots of swimming holes, small towns, nearby camping, busy on the weekends, and great trail infrastructure.
Rumney consists of numerous, small rock outcroppings along and up a mountain. Although Rumney has hundreds of climbs, each outcropping in and of itself is fairly small, with around 10-20 climbs per wall. If you put in a full day of climbing, you will likely crag hop to several different walls.
Although the crags are buried in the trees, summers can be hot and muggy and, surprisingly, the forest provides limited relief. Many of the cliffs also rise above the trees, so the black rock can get quite warm as the day goes on. On hot days, though, the nearby river provides a blast of cool, post-climbing fun. New England does frequently provide cooler summer days, so watch the weather to nab some summertime sends. Fall, when the temps cool and the hardwood forests turn color, is a particularly popular time of year.
With the woods comes biting bugs. Each insect seems to have its season, but the worst is in the spring and early summer.
Directions
Rumney rock climbing is very close to the small town of Rumney (about 10 miles NW of Plymouth, NH). The climbing is located off Buffalo Road, west of the town (turn left). You can park at the American Alpine Club Campground (on the left side of the street) or in the Forest Service parking lot (on the right side of the street) to access the climbing.
There are fees for both places. If you have an America the Beautiful pass, then you can park in the Forest Service lot for free.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
Rumney is a sport crag and the bolting reflects it. For the most part, climbs are well protected, but, as with any place, there is the occasional poorly placed bolt (aka decking potential) or small run out.
The following guidebooks are available (listed alphabetically):
- Mountain Project: Rumney
- Rumney Climbing Guide Book (2017) by Ward Smith
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
The rock at Rumney is schist, a dark sedimentary rock with lots of swirling, interesting layers. Up close the layers almost look like the bark of a tree and sparkle with mica. The look of the rock is mesmerizing during a climb.
The rock looks deceptively featured from the ground, but holds tend to be at odd angles and may appear better than they actually are. With the frequency of climbing at Rumney, there are plenty of chalk marks to show you "a way," not “the way." A chalked hold doesn’t always indicate the best option, so the puzzle of the climb still awaits you.
The style of climbing is technical funky (not necessarily straight forward, odd body angles), mostly vertical face, roofs and overhanging routes are scattered about. There is the occasional lower angled, slabby climb.
Camping
There are numerous camping options. One, the American Alpine Club (AAC) Rumney Rattlesnake Campground, is within walking distance of the climbing and adjacent to the river (swimming and your bath). Because you can walk from the campground, you can save money on the Forest Service parking fees (if you have an American The Beautiful Parks pass, parking is free in the Forest Service lot.)
The AAC campground does not have showers or bathrooms with running water for the campers (it is a little more primitive than their other campgrounds). There are a couple of porta potties near the camping area, which is basically an open field you drive onto and pick your spot. There are some trees for setting up tents in the shade, but much of the camping area is a grassy field. The AAC campground does have a communal barn area with wifi and electricity for charging devices. There is also a small co-ed bunk house with a kitchen and bathroom. The pricing is per person (with member discounts), so it can add up if you are with a larger group.
If you want to camp and want running water and a hot shower, you will need to drive about 5-10 minutes away to one of the other private campgrounds. Mountain Pines, located off highway 25, is a small, private campground with individual spots scattered in the woods and along the river. It has a nice bathroom and shower. It is also priced per person, but if you mention you are a climber they will give you a discount.
There are numerous other nearby campgrounds with amenities.
There are also some small Inns in the town of Rumney and larger chain hotels 10-15 miles away in West Plymouth, Plymouth, and Campton.
The town of Rumney is quite small, with a basic gift/grocery store and a couple of restaurants. Larger grocery stores are located about 8-10 miles away in West Plymouth, so plan accordingly.
Yeahs
- The rock – it’s solid, it’s pretty, it’s unique, friction is good, and the climbing is technical funky
- The setting – it’s pretty in them there woods. The climbing definitely has a rural feel.
- The nearby swimming holes are awesome.
- Trails are well maintained with stairs built for the steeper sections.
- You can avoid crowds by climbing on the weekdays or being willing to hike further and higher.
Neahs
- Hmmm, I’m hard pressed to come up with some neahs…
- Bugs – which can be avoided by time of year or copious amounts of repellant if you want to climb in the spring.
- Busy on the weekends – but what awesome crag isn’t?
Opinion Rating
It Rocks!