Climbing Near Princeton, New Jersey

A quiet and humble local bouldering area near Princeton University. With some imagination (and a lot of desperation), there is much fun to be had here.There's an official guidebook available for Witherspoon Woods bouldering - it's a sub-section within the Sourland Mountain GunksAapp guide, which can be found here: gunksapps.com/sourland_boul…. The best way to get to the boulder field is from the Cherry Hill Road entrance. From Princeton University, go down Witherspoon St until you reach Cherry Hill Rd on the left. Go down until you reach the white sign for Witherspoon Woods on the left. Park in the gravel parking lot if you have a car and then continue down the yellow blazed path (go right at any forks - the trail is obvious) until you reach the boulders. It's a short drive or about a 45 minute walk from the university (~2 miles). The street view from this entrance is here.You can also bushwhack in from opposite Bouvant Dr., although it's further if you're coming from the university. If you do, just walk straight into the woods until you begin to see talus. The coordinates for the entrance are 40.371293, -74.676661.Here is a good map showing trails: njtrails.org/trail/mountain…

This reservation is a hop, skip, and a jump from the Witherspoon Woods Boulders. It's a great experience for beginning boulderers, especially in the fall. The park isn't the super traveled, so it can get a bit overgrown in the summer months. Like most of New Jersey climbing, the area is heavily wooded, extremely humid, and buggy in the summers. If your climbing in the summer, bring a cooler, some bug spray, and a change of clothes (for the sweat). If your climbing in the Fall You'll probably come across some Princeton students, but that's about it. The easiest way to find Woodfield Reservation is to type it into google maps. The park is North-West of downtown Princeton and Princeton University. If you are at Princeton University the quickest way to the park is to head West on Nassau which then continues onto Stockton st. (Rt 206 W) Soon after, take a right onto Elm Rd. which will turn into Great Rd. Turn left onto Great Rd West and the main parking entrance will be on your left after you pass Stuart Rd on your right. There are other entrances on Drakes corner Rd and West Stuart Rd. The Drakes Corner Rd and the West Stuart Rd entrance are quicker approaches but have limited parking. If you choose to park at the entrance on Drakes corner Rd please don't park on the road, house owners on the street don't like it given that the road is a bit narrow (you could get towed). There is a slightly hidden sign that designates the entrance. The only parking at West Stuart Rd is on the street so just find what you can. Here is a link to a trail map! njtrails.org/trail/woodfiel…

This area has 2 cliff bands, the upper and lower cliffs. Both cliffs are around 20 to 30 feet high and about 125 to 150 feet long. Both of the cliffs can be seen from Diamond Hill Rd on the far West end of the Watchung Reservation. Routes range from 5.8 to 5.11. Watchung climbing is one of the oldest known areas in the state of NJ. It was first established back in the late-40's. Vic Benes, a local climber here during the 60's, said when he first started climbing here back then that people had been climbing there for 10 to 15 years already. Take Interstate 78 and exit on exit 44 (Valley Rd.). If coming from the East you'll end up going the wrong way on Valley Rd and will have to make a u-turn. Take Valley Rd. South toward Diamond Hill Rd and turn left. Parking is on the left side by the waterfall on Seeley's Pond.