Climbing Near Lake Placid, New York

This subarea includes the cliffs near Lake Placid and Wilmington Notch. From the Northway (I-87), take Exit 30 and follow Route 9, then Route 73 to Lake Placid.

A small, vertical cliff with excellent rock, and only a few routes. The rock quality is simply amazing. The base of the cliff is level-ish, open and pleasant. The cliff is open, yet entirely in the shade of large maple trees, so it's shady all day.Connection and The Big Reveal are the routes here, and what amazing routes they are! The face left of Connection has been TRed. There's a trad line on the left, but it's a jungle and presently unclimbable. From Lake Placid, at the intersection of NY 73 and NY 86, go 1.5 miles towards Wilmington and park at the a dirt pullout. Walk back towards Lake Placid 200 yards, then cross the road into the forest and continue to walk towards Lake Placid, parallel to the road, until you pick up yellow paint blazes (on trees) that mark the state boundary. Follow this away from the road to the cliff.Approach takes less than 10 minutes.

Cliff band on the east shore of Lake Placid. The most popular cliff jumping spot on the lake, with the highest jump being 65+ feet up. There are a handful of routes here, the best being an obvious 5.8 handcrack (Jack in the Pulpit), and a 5.11+ deep water solo (Placid Es Pontas). There are several routes both to the right and left of the main cliff as well. Awesome summer spot for some deep water soloing! You'll need a boat. It's a 5 minute boat ride (motorized) from the marina, or a 30+ minute paddle depending on the wind/weather. From the marina, hug the east shore and head north. You can't miss it. Most of the lines are best done as deep water solos. If you have a motorboat, have some friends float nearby and swim to the starts (or have your friends back the boat in slowly and idle). I've seen people kayak/canoe to the cliff and anchor to the wall, but beware of the weather blowing the boat into the wall. Bring a couple extra life jackets as bumper buffers if you decide to anchor at the cliff. It is also possible to climb here by walking across the ice in the winter. The cliff faces west, so the routes will be in the afternoon sun on a warmer winter day.