Alcove / BNF Area Rock Climbing

This is the large alcove above 24th street. This is a major drainage with ice often forming here in the winter. Consequently, this is a bad choice for climbing in the winter, but it does stay shady longer in the summer. This area will stay wet longer than other areas after a storm, and due to the ice it can be very dangerous during the winter. Nevertheless there are some very good routes in this area.

The BNF/Alcove area is the first reward you get for surviving the death-defying traverse from Asbury Park. This traverse leads south across thin ledges to a natural recess/gully in the cliff (clearly visible from the city below) where verdant, pungent, and often prickly ledges abound. Wild onions sprout in early summer, fed by the various springs that trickle from the grotto. The BNF routes adorn the cliffs on the right (south) side of this recess.