Podunk Cliff/High Rocks

I was on a recent expedition to find a fabled cliff in East Brookfield/Sturbridge MA which goes by both names (Podunk Cliff or High Rocks). I was able to spot the cliff in the distance off of Podunk St. in East Brookfield but was not able to get any closer than about a half mile of it due to private land surrounding the area. Does anyone know how to get to the actual cliff from the road? Looks like a GREAT crag! Possibly up to 100 feet high.

This is the same cliff that made the news after an amateur free-soloist had to be rescued after soloing half-way up the cliff. If anyone knows how to get there I would appreciate some directions. Thanks!

There is a dead end road on the east brookfield side of the cliff, i am not sure of the name of the street but it is just past a set of boat ramps and just before two big hay fields. the trail can been seen from a google map.

The road goes up to the top of hill above the cliff. Road can be in rough shape. And yes, this is where some hiker had to get rescued.

I live about 10 minutes from this cliff and always park on the side of the road, local pd wasn't too happy. I'm wondering if I can just drive up there with a truck ?

I would be seriously interested in checking this out too. What's range of boulder problems here?

So is the dirt access road private or public? Is it off of Podunk rd or on the other side of the cliffs? Would love to try to get out there this fall.

The access road is private property.

I haven't been there in years, but we used to access this cliff by stopping at the house with the railroad stuff in the yard, and asking. They were very nice and would allow us to park in the yard if the road was muddy, or drive up if road was good.

There used to be several good bolted or mixed routes in the 5.10 range, but I understand that some low life , chopped them.

There are a couple new bolted routes that are around the 5.10 range 👍

I have been climbing off and on at High rocks for a couple of years now. The area was developed in the late 70s-early 80s. I meet one of the climbers who claims to have cleared several of the routes there. I have seen an original guide book to the area, from that period, but most of my knowledge is passed down word of mouth. It is(was) a favored haunt of a infamous CT climber who I met twice there soloing. I was there yesterday, it seems there is a some use, or the dry conditions, as main routs were cleaner than usual. Routes range from 5.6 to 5.10 with many lost to time waiting to be rediscovered. Access is limited through private lands with polite and considerate respect to their property.

The access situation here is very tenuous. If asked the owner of the normal road often says "OK", but that is not guaranteed and, if it becomes too popular, may not be granted in the future. A group of local climbers, working with the WMCC, is working on developing alternative approaches and looking into formalizing access arrangements but there are complications. Also said infamous Connecticut climber still visits with some frequency and, maybe 'coincidentally' routes that were recently bolted are now chopped. Too bad, as it is indeed a worthy cliff--though very buggy most summers. Be discreet if you climb there.

There is a parking area and a trail to the cliff. I think the access fund was involved. It's about a 1.5 mi walk. I'm sorry I don't know where it is.

Mark LaPierre wrote:I have been climbing off and on at High rocks for a couple of years now. The area was developed in the late 70s-early 80s. I meet one of the climbers who claims to have cleared several of the routes there. I have seen an original guide book to the area, from that period, but most of my knowledge is passed down word of mouth. It is(was) a favored haunt of a infamous CT climber who I met twice there soloing. I was there yesterday, it seems there is a some use, or the dry conditions, as main routs were cleaner than usual. Routes range from 5.6 to 5.10 with many lost to time waiting to be rediscovered. Access is limited through private lands with polite and considerate respect to their property.

I have climbed here multiple times.  Send me a PM if you want a guidebook to the area.  There is access to the area that was reportedly approved by the landowner (not the old way).  However parking is very limited.  

Hi Brian, Am I correct that the current access you describe is from the 'back'---skirting/crossing a couple of swamps en route? Great place to climb--at least once the worst of bug season is over!!!!

Alan Rubin wrote:

Hi Brian, Am I correct that the current access you describe is from the 'back'---skirting/crossing a couple of swamps en route? Great place to climb--at least once the worst of bug season is over!!!!

Al,  
That is correct. Not much parking there and I'm not sure how overgrown the path is. Also, check for ticks.
BTW...are you the one who gave the old hand drawn "guide" to Podunk? I can't remember who gave it to me.
Brian

Brian, If it is hand drawn I didn't make it, because anything I drew would be illegible!!! I may have passed one provided to me on--don't remember. Hope to get out to Podunk again later this season, maybe see you there.

I remember this cliff being quite a treat to climb on in the early 90's. I am just guessing but it may have been Joe Landry who did the hand drawn guide. I hope eventually this crag can be revived we need all the climbing we can get in Southern New England.  

Wow I started this thread in 2013… glad to see people still interested… it’s a great little cliff. I haven’t been out there in a while now but have hear there are new houses going in on west Sturbridge rd by the legal trail which might affect parking. I need to get out there again. 

While I'd heard the ' new houses' rumors and was quite worried, when I was there last fall (2020) there were no new houses nor any signs of potential construction at the current parking area/approach trail on West Sturbridge. There were some new homes roughly near the start of the old approach, so I think that was the basis of the reports.

Michael P wrote:

 I have been climbing there about 5 or 6 times A year for the last 2 years . Place needs A little more traffic /dirty-many excellent lines but lots of discontinues crack systems for the most part so be prepared to run it out.  Please no bolting !!! I have had A few curious locals tug on my ropes, but so far no access issues and  the trail is totally fine . If this place gets bolted they will be chopped.

Curious to get your perspective as it is not clear in your post Michael…. This crag was established as a mixed/sport area…. Mainly as a remedy for the runout but high quality lines. The bolt chopping was being perpetrated by Nichols (fact not opinion) and it started well after the bolts were placed. This is contrary to what he tells people about old trad lines getting retro-bolted. One of the reasons I stopped climbing there was the futility of trying to restore the vandalized hardware. The bolts should be replaced… it is simply too valuable a resource to the climbing community in central MA but as long as Nichols is frequenting the place they will get chopped.

Also worth noting was that the few new routes that I had established there were all run-out trad lines which took a lot of elbow grease to say the least… low grades on good rock for the most part. There is potential for a mix of good trad and sport lines there. I have spoken to both some of the original route developers, the individual who first introduced Nichols to the crag and Nichols himself (when he was trying to shark the FA of a route I spent three days cleaning) so I think I speak from a fairly educated perspective that the crag needs to be restored…. I have debated uploading the area to MP to flood it with interested climbers and push Nichols out but was ultimately encouraged by people I respect to not take that approach tempting as it was.