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Otter Cliffs
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Select Route:
Flake, The 
A Dare by the Sea 
Black Crack 
Brochure Crack 
Cakewalk 
Chockstone Chimney 
Cliff Traverse 
Deep Blue Sea 
Easy Corner 
Engel Arete 
Gallery, The 
Great Chimney, The 
Groove, The 
Guillemot Crack 
Guillotine 
In the Grove 
Inner Sanctum 
Mystic, The 
Outer Face 
Overhanging Corner 
Peak Performance 
Rock Lobster 
Sand Beach cliffs 
Small Cove Problem 
Starfish 
Wonder Wall 
Wonderwall - Left 
Wounderwall - Right 
Yellow Wall 

Some folks sitting atop Wonder Wall.

Description 

Most famous and heavily used climbing area in Acadia. Toprope or rappel in to climb here.

Anchors are solid steel bars pounded into the top of the cliff because years of toproping here has killed many trees.

Excellent place for beginners to learn about climbing, the beauty of nature, and placing gear in a wet crack.

Beware high tides as your ropes will get soaked and your gear will be salt encrusted. the rock that the routes start on just gets underwater at the highest tide points.

Check out the Dr. Topo guide here


Getting There 

East side of Acadia National Park. Follow signs to Otter Cliffs, park and cross road towards ocean to find cliffs below you.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Otter Cliffs:
Chockstone Chimney   5.5     TR, 50 feet   
The Great Chimney   5.5     TR, 60 feet   
The Groove   5.5     Trad, TR, 55 feet   
Overhanging Corner   5.6     Trad, TR, 50 feet   
Wounderwall - Right   5.7     TR, 1 pitch, 50 feet   
Wonderwall - Left   5.7     TR, 1 pitch, 50 feet   
The Flake   5.7     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   
Black Crack   5.8     Trad, 1 pitch, 60 feet   
Yellow Wall   5.8     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 50 feet   
Rock Lobster   5.9     TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   
Wonder Wall   5.9     TR, 50 feet   
Peak Performance   5.10a/b     Trad, TR, 60 feet   
Guillotine   5.10a/b     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 40 feet   
Outer Face   5.10     TR, 40 feet   
A Dare by the Sea   5.10b/c PG13     Trad, TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   
The Gallery   5.12a     TR, 1 pitch, 60 feet   
The Mystic   5.12     TR, 1 pitch, 50 feet   
Browse More Classics in Otter Cliffs

Featured Route For Otter Cliffs
The Great Chimney

The Great Chimney 5.5  ME : Acadia National Park : Otter Cliffs
The obvious chimney between otter cliffs and the sea stack on which Rock Lobster is located on. Classic & Fun...[more]   Browse More Classics in ME


Photos of Otter Cliffs Slideshow Add Photo
Otter Cliffs - Sun, rock, surf, puffins and comedians

Otter Cliffs - Sun, rock, surf, puffins and comedi...

Oh fun times

Oh fun times

Historic photo .April 1971 . P.Ross and other on the climb now called Rock Lobster.This climb was first ascended by Ross and Mike Peloquin . This FA was led . For at least two years from that time the climbs here were part of the Outward Bound program ,and rarely used if at all by other climbers .

Historic photo .April 1971 . P.Ross and other on t...

Belay

Belay

Otter Cliffs Topo

BETA PHOTO: Otter Cliffs Topo

My first climb ever. Hanging on! 1995.

My first climb ever. Hanging on! 1995.

Otter Cliffs. First climb. 1995.

Otter Cliffs. First climb. 1995.


Comments on Otter Cliffs Add Comment
Show which comments —
By Shylo
Jul 20, 2008

On the night of 7/15 under heavy seas the following routes fell into the ocean.

Black Crack, 5.8
Rip Tide, 5.11
Razor Flake, 5.8

The park service and some local climbers are cleaning up face. It should be ready by next spring. The rest of Otter Cliffs is still in good condition.

By USBRIT
Jan 25, 2009

Around 1969/70 with Mike Peloquin and Steve Devlin ( my OB assistants) on request from Maine Outward Bound School we opened up Otter cliffs with about 14 new climbs from around 5.5 to 5.10.... some for our own personal fun, the more moderate ones for the use of students. The only sign of any activity ( as most climbs had some loose rock) was a piton in the easy chimney behind the climb that is now called Rock Lobster.Still have dated slides of some of these ascents one being the obvious Rock Lobster.

By Jeremy K
Aug 17, 2009

Otter Cliffs is a Top-Managed climbing site. If you don't know how to safely belay off the anchor, or how to rig some of the anchors, PLEASE seek qualified instruction. There have been a number of accidents and near misses as a result of inappropriate belay/anchor techniques.

By Chris Grosshans
Oct 2, 2011

Not all of the climbs have anchors at the top. There are bars and I-bolts near 'In The Groove', 'Wonder wall' and immediately surrounding climbs. If you want to climb elsewhere bring a light rack to build your own anchors.