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One Horse Gap Bouldering

Climbing Area Map

Areas in One Horse Gap

Dropzone Area 3

Gap Area, The 4

Nimbus Boulder 2

Ryan's Area 2

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Elevation:	638 ft	194 m
GPS:	37.51822, -88.46141 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	13,715 total · 110/month
Shared By:	Dave Hug on Jan 29, 2015
Admins:	Dave Hug, Kevin Sierzega, Aaron Mc Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

Looking to have a bouldering area to yourself? You came to the right place. One Horse Gap is Illinois most remote destination. Located on the Eastern side of the Shawnee National Forest, One Horse Gap provides a plethora of problems for any level climber. Although rock quality tends to be sandy, the stone cleans up well and climbs even better. I recommend bringing an assortment of brushes for cleaning and a group of friends to help. The more the area is climbed the better is will be. So gear up and get out there!

Getting There

From Harrisburg, follow Highway 34 south/east until you arrive at the town of Herod. Once there, locate and turn right on Williams Hill Road (you will see a Bethesda Baptist Church sign). From here reset your pedometer and precisely follow milage directions to parking area.

At .6 miles, fork left onto a gravel road.
At 3.3 miles, stay left.
At 4.1 miles, stay left and ignore the One Horse Gap sign.
At 6.5 miles, turn left on Dutton Chapel Road (the second cemetery you pass)
At 7.1 miles, turn left on forest device road 186 (very hard to see).
At 8.9 miles, you see a small pull off on the right side of the gravel road. Park here, but do not block the road.

From here walk the muddy road for about 10 mins and you will arrive at the horse campground. The actual One Horse Gap will be on the left side of the campground as you enter. Take it down and explore the site.

Crazy directions. Huge Kudos to Matt Bliss for finding this place and sharing the directions.

Guidebook

The best guidebook for One Horse Gap is Matt Bliss's Sandstone Warrior. His book lays out 23 established boulder problems and 10 potential projects waiting to be claimed. Pick up a copy at Shawnee Trails in Carbondale Illinois today!