Gunpowder Falls - Hereford Area Climbing

This is the Hereford Area of Gunpowder Falls State Park in northern Baltimore County, known locally as “The Gunpowder”.  (Note:  Several  boulder problems have been recently posted [as of May 2021].  These are located in the Sweet Air section of Gunpowder Falls State Park, below Loch Raven Reservoir and far downstream from the Hereford area.

Six crags are scattered along the river--Rapid Rock Hollow, The Fin, Bunker Hill, Raven Rocks, The Overlook, and The Underlook. The first four are described in detail in Mark Kochte’s 2002 Climb Maryland guidebook. (Note: The Fin is also referenced in the Baltimore Watershed section of MP.)  The Overlook was previously referred to as The Uncharted Territories in Climb Maryland and Mark’s on-line Underground Climber's Guide to Maryland.  The Underlook is a small subsidiary crag below and just downstream from The Overlook.

The Gunpowder offers trad climbing and top roping in a beautiful setting.  A lot of clearing and cleaning has been done since 2016.  But this is still largely undeveloped adventure climbing.  No bolts.  Anywhere.

Tricams come in handy here because of the irregular nature of the cracks and flakes, where camming units don’t work so well (e.g., in shallow or flaring cracks and cracks with uneven sides).  Hexes are useful too.  

You’ll find loose rock here and there.  Wear a helmet.  A lot of the friable stuff will eventually get cleaned up as more climbers visit the area. 

Three of the crags--Bunker Hill, Raven Rocks, and The Underlook--are sheltered and face south/southwest, getting nice sun exposure during the winter. They can be downright cozy when the rest of the area is not.  Bunker Hill and The Fin face east, more or less, and are consequntly cooler in summer when the other crags are uncomfortably hot.   

 (Did I mention that there are boulders everywhere?)