Exeter Area Bouldering Climbing

The bucolic town of Exeter is home to the best coffee shop in NH (in my opinion), some great restaurants and the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy. It also happens to have some really great boulders hidden throughout the woods that have remained relatively off the grid for most Northeast climbers.

The boulders are found throughout a 500 acre forest on public and private lands split right down the middle by Highway 101. A majority of the bouldering is found on the south side of Highway 101 in and around the Henderson-Swasey Town Forest (commonly referred to as Fort Rock). Not to be ignored though, is a fair amount of excellent bouldering on the north side of Highway 101 in and around the Oaklands Town Forest. Please note that some of the best bouldering is found on bordering private land. Landowners have generously kept these parcels open to hikers, mountain bikers and climbers. Please be respectful!

Climbers have been bouldering here at least since the 1970s and most likely anything under v10 was scrubbed and climbed decades ago. While we know some of the historic names of the boulders in these woods (The Exeter Boulder, Fort Rock, Cthulhu Boulder), a majority of the names have been lost to time.

There is a confusing network of trails here. About half are marked with color blazes the other half are not. Take care not to get lost! Bug season can be brutal here. The forest system encompasses a large amount of wetland. A good rule of thumb is "If you see leaves on the trees, the Exeter woods is NOT where you want to be"!