Chatfield Hollow Main Wall  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Page Views:  28,565. Good page? (7 likes)    Administrators:  CaptainMo, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Echoinfi on Oct 29, 2007 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed 72° | 52° 63° | 54° 68° | 57° 73° | 54° 72° | 54°

Forearm Frenzy Wall.

Description 

Chatfield Hollow's Main Wall is the crown jewel of all the rope climbing in and around Chatfield State Park. People have been climbing here at the Main Wall since the early 1970's and new routes are still going up here today. The Main Wall at Chatfield has a good diversity routes in a beautiful hardwood forest setting. Chatfield's metamorphic gneiss rock is distinctively different from Central CT's trap rock. It has exquisitely featured grey and gritty overhanging walls, roofs, aretes, cracks, and slabs with a good mixture of grades for all climbers from a beginner climbing 5.3 to an expert climbing 5.13s. You will be amazed by the holds you have to use on the routes here: finger cracks, jugs, huge slopers, underclings, edges, pockets, and razor blade crimps.

What is unique here, unlike many other Connecticut climbing areas, is that all styles of climbing live in harmony here. You can climb traditional gear protected routes, mixed routes, or pure sport climbs. Chatfield is a great place to climb a lot of routes in a day. It is compact and there are a lot of good routes within a close space. Some great moderates include the Trad Crack, Clark Bar Crack, Kyles Corner, and Super Slab. If you are looking to test yourself check out the Anarchist, Zeitgeist, Shape Shifter, Cold Vein, Its Own Spirit or the massive link-up of the Modern Collective. All these routes are different and they all pack a unique style of punch from bouldery to technical. Last but definitely not least, the traditionally protected crack routes here are some of the best in the state. Routes like Forearm Frenzy and Wallow In the Hollow will test your knowledge of gear placement and your climbing talents. These routes are classics and should not be missed if you are able to climb them.

If new to the area and you are coming here for the first time bring a rope, some quick draws, and a standard rack with lots of small and medium cams. Be very carefully when you are walking on the delicate thin soils of the cliff top to set up your top ropes. Try as much as possible to tread lightly in this fragile environment. Walk on rock as much as possible. You will see some dead trees and battered vegetation and muddy trails from years of top-roping use/abuse. Walk on established trails or bare rock when you are setting up your anchors. Also please pick up any trash you might see on the way in or at the cliff. Let's keep Chatfield great for the next generation of climbers to come.

Getting There 

From Route 9 (Main cliff area): take Exit 9. Follow Route 81 south to Route 80 at the traffic circle, watch for park entrance signs on the right, drive a little farther, park on the left walk up the road 150yds past a little roadcut then head into the woods just before the guardrail (faint trail) head in cliff is less than 100yds away on the North side of the road.

From I-95: take Exit 63. Follow Route 81 north to Route 80 west, watch for park entrance signs on the right, drive a little farther, park on the left walk up the road 150yds past a little roadcut then head into the woods just before the guardrail (faint trail) head in cliff is less than 100yds away on North side of the road.

The Classics

Featured Route For Chatfield Hollow Main Wall

Its Own Spirit 5.12d  CT : Southeast : Chatfield Hollow Main Wall

Start on the Hollow Head Crew and finish on Zeitgiest. Very good climbing and a bit more pumpy than going up the crack. ...[more]   Browse More Classics in CT

Photos of Chatfield Hollow Main Wall Slideshow

Add Photo

BETA PHOTO: Wallow in the Hollow First remarkable climb as you...	BETA PHOTO: Left of the Wallow	BETA PHOTO: Right of the Z Wall
BETA PHOTO: The Z Wall upper section	BETA PHOTO: The Z Wall Forearm Frenzy, Frenzy Direct	BETA PHOTO: Kyles Corner
BETA PHOTO: Right of P & H	BETA PHOTO: Gneiss Face, Jungle Face	BETA PHOTO: Clark Bar
BETA PHOTO: Jolt	BETA PHOTO: Trad Crack	BETA PHOTO: Overhanging climbs at the far left end of the crag...
Chatfield hollow	Forearm and Shape Shifter Wall