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Horicon Ledge Park, Wisconsin - Limestone

Matt Lasor · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 0

If anyone heads out to climb or clean drop me a pm. Id love to tag along and lend a hand or get some beta. Never knew there was rock a little over an hour from my house!
Matt

Woodchuck ATC · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 3,280

Pics look like Niagara Limestone layers. They can be solid in places, but crumbly and weak in other spots. Lots of dirt to clean up when I've been on this kind of rock in Illinois.

Schulb72 · · Winston-Salem, NC · Joined May 2012 · Points: 190

Check out the Mayville Ledge area I just updated. In addition, a few of us were out at Ledge park and got on two top rope routes, I've added them to MP.

They may be dirty and completely undeveloped, but there are certainly a few good lines between these two places (it's just going to take a lot of work...)

Doug Hemken · · Madison, WI · Joined Oct 2004 · Points: 13,668

WRT Mayville, you need to keep in mind that climbing is not allowed in State Natural Areas.

Whether or not bouldering counts as "climbing" with the DNR is currently a grey area. If it were me I would especially avoid cleaning routes (vegetation, moss, etc), removing nearby plants, or building landing zones. Use of ropes is not a grey area - that's just forbidden.

Andy N. · · Milwaukee, WI · Joined May 2012 · Points: 145
Doug Hemken wrote:WRT Mayville, you need to keep in mind that climbing is not allowed in State Natural Areas. Whether or not bouldering counts as "climbing" with the DNR is currently a grey area. If it were me I would especially avoid cleaning routes (vegetation, moss, etc), removing nearby plants, or building landing zones. Use of ropes is not a grey area - that's just forbidden.
This is good to know; god forbid they get some traffic through that park.

As far as bouldering being a gray area, they should probably remove this sign if they don't want people climbing:

Schulb72 · · Winston-Salem, NC · Joined May 2012 · Points: 190

Doug, that it certainly true for most SNA, however this one may be an exception. This SNA is *not* owned by the DNR and therefore the regulations depend on the owners involved. In this case, the UW system owns the land.

On a side note, about half of the cliff line here is not on SNA property, but access to it is. Therefore, it would be prudent to check with landowners first... but I have heard (I think it was in this post), that the farmer who owns it is more than accommodating...

On a side note, do SNA purely restrict free/clean climbing? My impression is that of course any mark whatsoever left on the property is off limits (bolting, permanent fixtures, gross alteration of landscape), but if you're Leaving No Trace how does that stand?

Doug Hemken · · Madison, WI · Joined Oct 2004 · Points: 13,668

Good to know about the ownership... but hard to say what the UW System thinks about climbing/bouldering.

The prohibition on DNR-managed land is all "climbing" in SNAs. But note that in the Northern Region the Parks Regional Director recently came to the conclusion that bouldering is OK at Rib Mountain, that it is not "climbing" as defined in the Administrative Code. I've discussed this with folks in the South-Central Region and gotten no reaction one way or the other.

It sounds to me like contacting the local landowner and staying minimum impact is the way to go at Mayville. Building a positive relationship now would pay dividends down the road.

Andy, is that sign at Ledge or Mayville? It does speak volumes!

Andy N. · · Milwaukee, WI · Joined May 2012 · Points: 145

Doug, I shot that picture last week at Ledge Park just outside Horicon; the Mayville ledge is the other area ~5min to the east. The sign is on a bridge in a 'bouldering area' maybe 30ft west of the first parking lot.

Andy N. · · Milwaukee, WI · Joined May 2012 · Points: 145

I know this is a long shot, but if anyone is in the area, I'll be going to Ledge today from 4 - whenever I get tired to train and scout out some new boulder problems. I'm without a pad at the moment so I won't be going real big, but I'll be somewhere in the area off the first parking lot.

... which is to say, if you're free and want to establish your own problem, join me!

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Midwest
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