Linville Conditions

Planning on road tripping to Linville 3/17-3/19.
I have been watching the weather and it looks good but does anyone have idea on actual ground conditions for the approaches and rock? Also, this is going to be a nice easy trip. Been looking at a few lines but do you all have any must climbs for us (5.4-5.7) taking it easy you see.

A lot of Linville dries quickly with temps above freezing, Shortoff especially. I wouldn't worry too much about the trails. This stuff gets hiked all year. The gate to TR is closed, so that adds 45-60 min of hiking. There are a few adventure climbs at that grade in shortoff as well, maginot, big corner, etc... Just watch for loose holds from the freeze thaw.

At table rock there is alot of variations you can climb around the jim dandy area around that level. My partner when i was there said North Ridge was a really fun climb with good views but we got rained out while on white lightning and never made it to it.

You got the mummy, the daddy, and the prow which are probably all in that level but are a bit more of a hike and much longer of climbs.

Trails will be muddy. Climb Marginot line on Shortoff, or the Daddy in the Amphitheater. The approach to Shortoff is just under 2 miles, and is uphill. The approach to the amphitheater is about a mile from the parking lot, and is relatively flat or downhill on the way there. I seem to remember the gate closure adding a mile of uphill road walking, but I could be wrong on that. Table rock has some fun lines, but aren't really that great. There's tons of free camping either along the FS roads or within the gorge. Bring water. Have fun.

Lots of good advice here already, one more option I can think of before the gate reopens. The northern side of table rock can be had from Spence Ridge parking area and heading south picking up the mountain to sea trail.

As of 4 days ago, the trails were wet and pretty muddy. It's been raining a lot since then as well. The rock on Table Rock was dry on the south and east faces. The north end still had some ice both on the trail and on the wall. I doubt it's still there now with all the rain and warmish weather.

Regardless, the weather looks fantastic Monday and Tuesday.

Skip to My Lou to the Lunch Ledge and then My Route to the top makes an excellent 5.6 combination at Table Rock.

The Mummy (5.5), Daddy (5.6), and Prow (5.4) are all must do routes in the Amphitheater. However, the descent to the Amphitheater can be hard to find for first timers.

Thank you ALL for the responses. I am at work so if I missed this I am sorry I appreciate all the responses and I'm wondering besides Falcon closures do I need any other local knowledge or permit for these areas? thank you I look forward to reading through all of these when I get home.

No permits required. It does help to know USFS rules if you plan on camping in the Wilderness. Most people just camp along the road to Table Rock. There are plenty of pull-offs. The High Country Cragger is a nice little guidebook if you are looking for short easy days of single pitch close to the car. There are even some sport routes and cliffs. There is also a Gold Coast guide book for the opposite side of the gorge, but this may not be worth your time since much of it will be spent wandering.

Any idea where someone could find a copy of the gold coast guide?

I got my gold coast book from Mike at misty mountain. Not sure if that is the only place to get it...

Online or local gear shop. I got mine online several years ago. You can get Mike to autograph it!

fullmantlepress.com/retaile…

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REPLIES! My goodness the support here is fantastic.
Dries quickly, good to hear. And a bummer about the road closer at TR.

@Walter Edly - I am having trouble finding the Spence Ridge parking area but I hope it will be in the book. Thank you.

I have been reading a good amount and the book is to be delivered tomorrow. After reading through everything I am still lost on one thing 'FALCON CLOSURES' It looks like they were repealed in 2014. Is this true?

Thank you all! Cant wait.

Spence ridge won't be in the climbing guide. It's the obvious parking lot with parking on both sides of the road with a sign that says spence ridge.

Falcon closures won't have an effect on Table Rock or Amphitheater regardless whether they are in effect or not.

Thank you. was finally able to search into the forums and found the 2015 closure guide so that helps. Glad we are protecting them birdies! You all have fun and be safe over spring break!

I like the Spence Ridge trail but there is a good chance it will still be very muddy. The ease of hiking up the pavement should make up for its slightly longer length.

Edit to add: Whether you take Spence Ridge Trail or not, plan to climb North Ridge.

If the book you mentioned arriving tomorrow is the gold coast guide, that covers the west side of the gorge, and none of these trails will get there unless you blaze across the river (not easy). That side also doesn't have many established routes in the grades you were looking to climb. The Conley cove/rock jock trail would work best on that side. If this is your first time in the gorge, trails are marked at the trail head, and it can be hard to find intersections at times. Fun place, but it is a wilderness...

If the gate is blocking the road to the Table Rock parking lot, parking there and hiking up is probably the fastest way to get to Table Rock, the Amphitheater, etc. You can also park at the Spence Ridge trail head, and at a junction take a left following a very steep trail that eventually leads to the Mountains to Sea trail and Table Rock. This is probably the hardest way to the climbing areas. There is a third, and IMHO, better alternative.

You can pick up the Mountains to Sea trail (MST)off of FS road 210 (which is the same road that the Spence ridge trail is on). To find where the trail intersects the road, continue driving south along FS road 210, past the Spence ridge TH, and look for a well marked trail that heads off to the left, which is marked with white blazes. This is at a bend in the road, and there is a small stream there as well. Park, and find the MST on the other side of the road heading up hill. Follow this trail for about a mile.

It will hit two intersections. This first is a sharp 180 turn to the left, and is the Table Rock summit trail, which goes to the top of the mountain. To get to the east face, I believe you want to continue straight, staying on the MST. After maybe a quarter of a mile you will hit a second intersection, with a trail shooting off to the right (North). This is the Spence ridge trail. If you don't believe me that it is a tough hike, take it back to the Spence ridge TH, and take a right when you hit the dirt road. You'll see. At some point there will be a smaller, faint climber's trail that cuts off to the left, which quickly hits the south face, or veers off to the east face. This will take you to the easy moderates along the east face.

After writing all of this, I have realized that going this way will probably get you lost, but it is the way I usually access the east side of the gorge in the winter. It provides a nice trail to hike in on, yet is less of a haul then taking the Spence ridge trail (which I use to train for trips out west). Good luck, and you can shoot me a PM if you have any questions.

to much reading blokes.

is the Table rock parking lot gate opened or closed??? its late March it better be open!

Gate closes Jan 1, is supposed to open Apr 1.
Add an uphill mile, maybe some downed trees if you want to go between those dates. Have heard of random unscheduled gate openings, but rare and you risk getting locked in.

Edit: Was there April 1st, gate open, road clear. Great day at Table rock. Bring bug juice, don't know the species, but they were out...