Acadia Closures

Heading up to Acadia this weekend and I noticed that the Precipice Trail is closed for Peregrine nesting. I am assuming this means that all climbing areas in the Precipice area are out as well. Does anyone have any other recommendations for (very) moderate multipitch options?

Also- bonus points- how far of a walk are the Otter Cliffs from Blackwoods?

Decent walk from Blackwoods to Otter Cliffs. Not out of the question. I think it would be about 2 miles if you hike along the park loop road from BW. Bring some bikes and it will make it easier, except you'll be going against traffice which is illegal I think.

All of the climbing on the South Wall remains open during the falcon closures. The access trail to the climbing is well to the (climbers) left of the actual Precipice trail which is part of the closure area. Man, I'm super jealous. I have worked in the area the past 4 seasons and won't be heading back this year. Amazing climbing!

Some other fun multi-pitch climbing can be found on the south bubble. Lots of easy stuff, but there are a few harder climbs on the upper left portion of the cliff. You can run a ton of laps on that face cause it is mostly very very easy. Too bad its too early for the blue berries. You can usually graze along that whole cliff later in the season.

Shameless plug for Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School. They sell guidebooks, gear, etc. and have excellent knowledge of climbing on the island. 228 Main St.

Have fun up there!!!

I may possibly see you there if I get my shit together and the weathers good. Lottsa good stuff at the Precipice, Bubbles arent bad, and I wasent a huge fan of Otter Cliffs. Plus, most of the commercial guiding happens at Otter Cliffs.

bostonsendage wrote:Heading up to Acadia this weekend and I noticed that the Precipice Trail is closed for Peregrine nesting. I am assuming this means that all climbing areas in the Precipice area are out as well. Does anyone have any other recommendations for (very) moderate multipitch options? Also- bonus points- how far of a walk are the Otter Cliffs from Blackwoods?

As already has been stated the official closure - which has been going on for ~30 years - doesn't impact the documented (in the guidebook) climbing. If you were to walk all the way to the right most climb described in the book - Wafer Step - you would see the signs and tape marking the start of the closed area beyond that.

Fastest way to "walk" from Blackwoods to Otter wold be to put a rope over your shoulder and stick out your thumb.

Some of the super classic precipice moderates such as the story of O, wafer step, old town, etc... are all good to go even during the closure right now. Park at the start of the trail on the right side of the road maybe a half mile (this is just a guess) past the precipice parking lot and it's a very quick and easy approach to the crag. There is no parking lot there, just pull over as far as you can, there will likely be some other cars there.

If you really want sea cliffs without crowds hit the great head during low tide, the precipice when high tide comes in during the day and then go set up at otter cliffs around sunset when the crowds clear out. This worked for us really well this past weekend even though otter cliffs were packed beyond belief during the day. We were practically alone there for a few hours before sunset with only one other group of three climbers sharing the wall.

Cant wait to go back. What an awesome place. Bring lots of webbing for anchors, you will likely need to extend many of the top ropes at the great head and otter.

EDIT: oops, just noticed you said it was for this past weekend which means you probably went already, but I hope my info helps someone in the future at least

While peregrine falcons are defending nesting territories, Jordan Cliffs, Valley Cove, Precipice, and a portion of the Orange and Black Path will remain temporarily closed."

The Rock Climbs of Acadia guide book from 2015 says nearly all of the South Wall is open. It is just beyond and north of Wafer Step on Central Slabs that is closed for falcons.

Looking for some clarity on this before I decide what month to go. Thanks. 

The South Wall is, invariably, open during the Acadia falcon closures.

A map of the 2017 closure area is available here, and it's quite clear that it excludes the South Wall (well, the South Wall isn't marked on the map, but it's all well south of the line).

https://friendsofacadia.org/news/peregrine-falcons-return-nest-acadia-national-park/

You might even do better to head to Acadia DURING the falcon closure, to the extent it keeps away any of the non-climber traffic, for whom the Precipice is a big draw.

anotherclimber wrote:

While peregrine falcons are defending nesting territories, Jordan Cliffs, Valley Cove, Precipice, and a portion of the Orange and Black Path will remain temporarily closed."

The Rock Climbs of Acadia guide book from 2015 says nearly all of the South Wall is open. It is just beyond and north of Wafer Step on Central Slabs that is closed for falcons.

Looking for some clarity on this before I decide what month to go. Thanks. 

"Trails" are closed, not cliffs.  And "Jordan Cliffs" is a trail name, as is Precipice.

As has been already mentioned, the huge majority of South Wall routes are unaffected by the peregrine closure.  Cliffs that are closed as a result of this closure include the Parking Lot Buttress, 60 Foot Wall, and the Pleasure Dome.  Beech Cliff is usually on that list as well, but not this year.  Those are all pretty obscure crags, but there is some really good climbing out there, particularly on the Parking Lot Buttress.  Matt Ritter's route, Legion of Decency, is one of the best pitches anywhere on the island.

Unfortunately the peregrine closure at the Precipice area seems to last for almost the entire season--much longer than similar closures in other areas of the Northeast, thus effectively making those routes off-limits to most visitors. My feeling is that the Rangers are prolonging the closure for longer than necessary so  they can use the location for educational purposes not to protect the birds.

Thanks for the clarification folks! Grant, thank you for posting your comment. Your recently purchased guide book is excellent! I like that there is typically more than the bare bones information that I often see in other guide books and the color photos and printing is so well done. I think that I'd like to also have the option to explore Parking Lot Buttress, 60 Foot Wall, and Pleasure Dome when I'm there, such that I will have to be there after the falcon closure lifts. Should I be planning for worst case, midway through August as the latest the closure goes to?  Thanks again.

Thanks!  Glad you like the book!

The lifting of the closures totally depends on whether or not the chicks hatch successfully.  A few years ago the Precipice opened up in early July when, for whatever reason, the chicks didn't make it.  Either way, the longest the ban lasts is through the first week or so of August.  It is definitely cool to be there at a time to check out those crags (you'll have them totally to yourself), but there is still plenty of climbing to be done during the ban.  There's even plenty of lonesome climbing out there too - North Bubble has a real gem on it.  Hell, you don't even have to get obscure to climb by yourself.  Great Head and Canada Cliffs are usually wide open, and even on the South Wall, there's always plenty of open routes that are just as good as the trade routes.  

Grant, 

You're welcome, and thank you for the response. That is exactly the information I needed to see. Hard to believe some of these other crags in Acadia hardly get climbed on. I appreciate the advice very much. 

rtuck06 wrote:Also- bonus points- how far of a walk are the Otter Cliffs from Blackwoods?

With the brand new trails from Blackwoods down to Otter Cove and continue to the Gorham Mtn Tr, a hike down to Otter Cliff is not bad and you don't need to walk on the road at all. 1.5 mile total maybe?