Pawtuckaway 

just got back from a little drive out to Pway, didn't plan on it but all the roadways are clear exept for one spot with a huge treebranch hanging vertical in one area, but can drive around, the main bouldering area was a little bit damp and the rocks were dripping and wet from last nights rain showers. The trails had some branches on them also with all this wind we have been having

This area is awesome from August-Mid May however the late spring/summer bring killer black flies that make climbing miserable

Ladd thanks for clarifying which months are good...when i was there i suffered the attack of the flies/mosquitoes...anybody have more bouldering pictures? for the amount of problems, there aren't a whole lot of pictures

Basilisk has scanned an old guidebook for Pawtuckaway. You can download it here.

A bit of a trek through the woods, careful for bottoming out or scraping your car with branches. The area is a bit hidden, but has amazing climbs and feels great in such a secluded area. It feels a bit like a hidden gem in the middle of the woods... Stop at the information building, they'll know somewhat how to get there. May take a few tries and misses before you get on the right track. There should be fliers explaining how to get to the boulders, drive careful!

so i want to come to pawtuckaway in july. i realize it wont be of the same quality as the fall, but will it be miserable? my dad has been to rumney at the same time of year, but it was an unusually cold day which he thought discouraged bugs. thanks, paul

Paul, Pawtuckaway is about half covered by swamp, so the bugs can be intense. July is likely to be hot and humid as well. With bug spray you could probably enjoy yourself, but it's risky with the temps and the bugs.

Also, this conversation should probably be happening in the forums...

Just finished putting together a video of a day at Pawtuckaway featuring classics like Overlooked and Hobbit Hole and also some of the new Trailside stuff ive cleaned in the last year or so... check it out...

What are people calling the big area down below the south slope of South Mountain now, the general area where the huge Mowgli boulder is? About 5-6 years ago Ward and Chris Smith, Dave Quinn and myself rediscovered the area, cleaned and put up a bunch of problems. I then showed Brett the area and there has since been more development (a highball V10 among others). I haven't been able to get back for a few years, but I thought this area was at least equal if not better than most of the other areas. Im surprised to see nothing about it here yet.

where is it in relation to a currently well developed area?

The area off the back of South Mountain has been dubbed "Area 51" by those responsible for most of the recent development. Due to a lack of a clear trail and concern amongst park officials about hunters frequenting the area, I haven't wanted to post anything about it. There are probably 100+ problems out there now, but the hike is roughly 40 minutes to get there.

Hmm.. I don't remember it taking quite that long to get to it. I used to drive in via Reservation Rd, take a left on Tower Rd and in a few hundred yards park on the rt at the junction with Mountain Tr. (Look for #5 on park map) Walk in here and instead of breaking left like you were going to the tower, stay straight until you are coming down the south slope of S Mountain. Break left off the dirt track and head basically east with S Mountain on your left and a small marsh on your rt. You will first go by more scattered boulders, then the boulders get better, bigger and more clustered.

Unless the park officials really don't want anything published, I think you should go ahead and post. I just made sure I wore orange during hunting season and never had a problem.. I know my friends and I must have put up at least 50 problems and many were super good. With the further development, it must be loaded with classics. The walk is well worth it.

thanks. i'll be sure to make my way out there verrryy soon

tried finding the area you were talking about but had some difficulty. there were two intersections that i came across. I went riightish/straight at both of them and started to go down a hill, but the road was in rough shape and decided that id rather have a better idea of were the boulders were before i trekked through the river/trail.

was i right in going right/straight at both intersections?

jesse, if its the same place im thinking of... i think ive been lost out there too... but i hear good things...

That sounds right. The road has been pretty wet the last few weeks, but if you keep following it you'll come to a swamp that visible on your left. Take a left off the road and bushwhack into the woods before you get to the swamp.

so just before the swamp head left? any other land marks? are the boulders visible from the trail?

i'm really good at getting lost... so any specifics could be life savers haha thanks

Jesse, you were right in going right each time, but if you were looking for a trail, you won't find one. I went out there about 3 weeks ago and whatever herd path there used to be has been destroyed by the ice storm last winter. There is a cairn marking where it starts, but there aren't any boulders visible from the trail because they are probably 15 minutes from the trail. When conditions improve, I can take you out there.

alright thanks bryce. "when conditions improve" that might be next year

1 decent boulder just a couple min in from the dirt track, up hill towards the ridge with an overhang, facing you. start on the rt side of the overhang, sitting and traverse left then top out at the crack. some more stuff in the back too. i remember it being a decent place to warm up in the winter as it got the sun and tended to dry out quickly. no idea what we called it

found it today.. the climbing there looks to be pretty good. most of the stuff was along a stream correct? The trail is very faint but on my way back I found it. there also seems to be some slab stuff there too. Some of that stuff looked fun. I only found like 15 or so boulders that were tall enough to be climbed on.. and then it started to rain.

Has anybody climbed at the Magic Pond in the middle of Pawtuckaway Park? if you have and have any information to share please add it to the new Magic Pond area I added to the site. I posted some pictures of the boulders so if you know the names of any of the climbs let us know.

Does anyone know what the actual rule pertaining to dogs is here? I keep finding conflicting info. Are they allowed in the park or not? Do they enforce this? What about after labor day? Thanks.

Can't quote the rule for you Adam, but I encounter dogs there every time I go. I have friends who bring dogs as well. Never seen or heard of anyone catching grief for it.

Thanks Julian. The hound will be very excited to hear that!

Romeo, my dog, has always gone to p-way. I think that the climbing areas are far enough away from the main area that it really isn't an issue. Especially blair woods/fire tower/magic pond/etc.

Camping link is dead, this looks like where it was moved - www.nhstateparks.org/state-parks/alphabetical-order/pawtucka>>>

I was wondering how well Pway dries out after rain, was thinking of heading down there on fri but it is supposed to rain thurs what is the chance of finding dry rock for bouldering?

well matt, most of the boulders are in the woods in the shade so the majority can take a while to dry out but the trailside boulders tend to dry out more quickly and be the place to climb when its cold due to its southern exposure...

PS climb Mr. Lovett V2+ at trailside (super fun rarely gets done)...

Lee do you think it would be worth the drive from Plymouth? I was planning on going to trail side to do overlooked, Mrs. Lovett, and the other stuff there, maybe some stuff at round pond? I will certain get on Mrs. Lovett with that suggestion...

personally id drive that far just to do overlooked, nevermind all the other opportunities there ... if the weather looks good go for it...

The official rule on dogs at Pawtuckaway is that no dogs are allowed. The only place I've ever heard of anyone catching grief for having a dog in Pawtuckaway is at the Fire Tower (that's the only area I've ever seen a park official at, actually).

Haha, I've never seen a single person at Pawtuckaway care if you have your dog with you or not. In fact, I'd say more people go with their dogs than without.

Anyone have a condition report for this weekend? Feb 20-21.

I live in town, I can tell you what my roof looks like tonight.

Does anyone know what the road that leads to round pond and boulder natural looks like. is it passable in a subaru?

Park at the horse farm.

Perfect temps for an early morning jaunt on sunday, 55 out and sunny. No one was out when we were there. The bridge took a bruising from the flooding two weeks ago. Broke a hold on something (v3ish) on the right hand side of the welcome boulder (I think). Feels a little harder than before.

Anyone know how the snow condiditons are at the moment at the natural or blair?

A Story in Two Parts

Spring Session at Pawtuckaway State Park

Headed out to Pawtuckaway this thanksgiving and shot a short bouldering video. This is my first so dont expect too much

Video from December 3rd. Includes sends of The Arrow, Rio's Problem, Terrorist, Bring the Ruckus, Ride the Lightning, and Dopeman:

Video of random climbs in Boulder Natural and a send of Individual Medley.

Does anyone know where you can stay overnight in March free or for a relatively good price? I'm looking to climb next weekend in Pawtuckaway (March 24-25) and looking for somewhere to crash, either camping or cheap motel, etc. Thanks for any help!

If anyone is aware of who brought the large pole vault mat out to Boulder Natural, please inform them to remove it within the week. This thoughtless action will jeopardize our access to climbing at Pawtuckaway.

pole vault mat has been removed.

Thats to bad I was hoping to work on my gymnastics routine,ha,ha

I was climbing at Round Pond and Boulder Natural areas this past weekend. While walking around to spot some new projects, I noticed that some problems had a crazy amount of chalk and tick marks on them. Literally every single imaginable hold (even bad smears) on classic boulder problems like Dopeman and Mr. Natural were exceedingly chalked and there were tick marks all over the place. I don't know what's wrong with some people. One foot long tick marks and caked holds won't make you climb stronger, it will just make boulders look horrible, turn grippy holds into glassy ones faster, and jeopardize access to climbers.

Using chalk and tick marks is fine, but please use them sparingly and brush them off when you're done. If possible, please also prefer brushes with natural hair (e.g. boar or horse) to nylon-bristled brushes.

Thanks!

can anybody give me an update on the current bug conditions at pawtuckaway (mosquitoes, etc)? maybe rumney too? thanks!