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Mount Parker Summit Crags Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Mount Parker Summit Crags

Lower Crag 14

Upper Crag 9

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Elevation:	1,568 ft	478 m
GPS:	22.26791, 114.22365 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	7,283 total · 118/month
Shared By:	Bob Moseley on Apr 14, 2020
Admins:	Brian Boyd, Nate Ball, Dan Flynn Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

Mount Parker is a large multi-summited massif anchoring the eastern end of Hong Kong Island. It looms over Sai Wan Ho and Chai Wan and at 532 m is second only to Victoria Peak (552 m) of the Island’s peaks. Two of Mount Parker’s summits have big white radar domes, visible from everywhere. The Summit Crags lie immediately below the eastern (smaller) of the two domes and loom above mountain’s south slope.

Plan to spend the full day in this secluded pocket of Hong Kong. The crags emerge out of a beautiful forest with splendid views overlooking Tai Tam Bay, from Dragon’s Back to the Stanley Peninsula and all the islands in the South China Sea beyond. And the rock is crazy stuff, unlike any other crag in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong geology map puts the Summit Crags in the Mount Davis Formation, part of a broader Repulse Bay Volcanic Group that also includes Ap Lei Chau Formation (Ap Lei Chau crags) and Che Kwu Shan Formation (Tung Lung Island crags). But it’s way different than these popular crags. The rock looks conglomerate-like except it’s volcanic, not sedimentary. There are what appear to be river rock embedded in the tuff matrix, but are probably volcanic lapilli, ranging in size from almonds to breadfruits. The matrix weathers faster, leaving the super-hard lapilli raised on the surface creating a highly rugose texture that also has tons of friction. Really wild stuff.

Find more information at hongkongclimbing.com.

Getting There

Full disclosure: Climbing on Mount Parker requires a 5 km trek up Mount Parker Road with a gain of almost 500 m in elevation if you start at Quarry Bay MTR. A longer approach than (nearly?) any other sport crag in Hong Kong. That said, Mount Parker Road is a paved, well-graded trail that delivers you efficiently to the summit in about an hour. So, while you should be tuned up physically if you want to enjoy climbing up here, it’s not as killer as the distance-elevation numbers suggest.

Starting at Quarry Bay MTR, it’s a straightforward approach up Mount Parker Road to its end on the summit of Mount Parker. The road is paved and pedestrian only, closed to all but administrative vehicle traffic. An informal but well-defined access trail traverses down onto Mount Parker’s south slope to the base of the crags below the eastern of the two radar stations. Expect to take 1-1½ hours for the approach. There’s a toilet facility ¾ of the way up in Quarry Gap (Tai Fung Au). Approach details are provided at the end.

An alternative that saves about 120 m of elevation starts at the trailhead at the east end of the Braemar Hill Road. It’s the opposite end from the access to Monkey Buttress and requires a taxi or bus. The trails are complex in this part of Tai Tam Country Park, but a sequence involving Po Luen Path and Sir Cecil’s Ride get you to Mount Parker Road 200 m in elevation above Quarry Bay. Trail apps work and there is a map of this approach at the end.