How's the Climbing in VA/MD/DC Area?

Hopefully this doesn't belong in the "Northern States" forum, but I didn't see Maryland OR Virginia listed. I can't remember where the Mason-Dixon line was drawn so let me know if I need to repost in the Union side.

I started climbing while living in California and still live there. Have traveled to and climbed various places in the West Coast (CA, OR, UT). Never even looked at climbs on the east coast but I have a job opportunity in central MD that would be MILDLY beneficial, but if the climbing is poor or hard to come by I'd be willing to sacrifice the job to stay near my hobby. I've been looking around at the route finder on here, but that only paints one side of the picture. Please note, I am by no means an expert or experienced climber. No aspirations for stuff like El Cap. I like single pitch and some shorter (3-5) multipitch routes. Barely scratching the 5.10a sport and the 5.7 trad grading, so I don't need crazy hard or crazy intense stuff. Just accessible, mellow climbing.

What's your advice?

I'm a 'Yankee' so maybe my comments don't count, but I have spent a fair amount of time in the area so will try to respond. While obviously the details will vary depending exactly where in "central Maryland" you will be based, but generally there are a fair number of relatively small but still enjoyable crags and bouldering areas scattered throughout the region. None of these are 'destination areas' and some are a bit of an 'acquired taste' but all offer a variety of climbing usually in a pleasant locale. A bit further afield, however, you are within weekend reach--if you don't mind longish drives, of a number of areas that do offer world class climbing. In West Virginia you have both Seneca Rocks---mostly 1 through 3 pitch trad routes across the grades on an unusual 'fin' of quartzite and the New River Gorge---long bands of very accessible single pitch climbs on bullet sandstone with a mix of sport and trad. While there are a few easier routes, much of the climbing is 5.9 (or 10) and above, but plenty of routes to choose between. There are other areas in the State but these are the best (though just over the border from MD., near Morgantown W.VA, Coopers Rock has excellent sandstone bouldering and some top-rope climbs very close to the road). 

Further west--about 4 hours beyond the New, is the Red River Gorge in KY. with huge amounts of both sport and trad, currently one of the most popular areas in the country. It is probably a bit far from much of MD for a normal weekend--though I'm sure folks do it, but it is perfect for long weekends. Similarly some of the granite domes, quartzite crags, and bouldering areas of North Caroline are within long weekend range.

Going in the opposite direction, the Gunks in NY are regularly visited on weekend jaunts by folks from the DC/MD area--a longish drive but definitely doable.

Of course, there is the weather---as the current hurricanes should indicate--don't expect Cali wall-to-wall sunshine, summers are hot and humid and winters--while milder than up here in New England, can still be cold, raw, and snowy. But when it is nice.....

Alan,

Thanks so much for the information. That is quite helpful. I'm pretty used to 3-4 hour weekend drives so it sounds like I would be within range of Seneca and NRG. I never got to spend much time in West Virginia when I went to school in VA (prior to climbing) but there is some great history there and it sounds like it'd be cool to live in the area for a couple years!

For local cragging closer to DC there is Carderock, Great Falls about 15 minutes out, Annapolis Rocks and Shenandoah about 1hr away. 

NRG has a lifetime of good sport and trad. It's one of the few crags on the east coast I miss, and consider traveling back to just to climb. Its really outstanding rock with a lot of dead vertical face climbing on interesting holds, its one of the least self-similar crags around, lots of unique climbing.

To add to what Kyle said - the NRG is going to be the best climbing in that area. Sport, Trad, & tons of Bouldering! Worth the trip. Hit Waterstone Outdoors in Fayetteville for all your guidebook needs.

grew up in md near dc, climbing at carderock and great falls.  People will probably flame me for this but imo you have to drive very far to get good or worthwhile climbing.  So while there is technically climbing very close you may find yourself wanting to drive to the new river gorge (5hrs) or the red river gorge (8hrs).  Personally I stopped  bothering with the local rock piles and made the long drives, and hit the gym during the week (there are good gyms).  Carderock and great falls are top roping areas where people run static lines to trees to make anchors, so... fyi. The New and the Red are both great climbing destinations.

PS the mason Dixon line separates Md from Pa but Md was part of the north in the civil war (although I heard that was only because Lincoln hid our constitution or something and we didn't have the paperwork to succeed lol)  tell anyone in New York your from md and you must be a redneck, tell anyone in Kentucky your from Md and your a Yank.  At least md has an awesome flag!

the short answer is, "it isn't..."

DMV isn't a destination area by any stretch, but there's enough around to keep the itch scratched. For sport, the crags around Franklin, WV are the closest bunch of fun, although you can get a good workout at Talking Headwall. For trad, Old Rag is a beautiful adventure. Sugarloaf, Coopers, Hidden, Indian Graves, Wintergreen, ... Pretty good variety within a few hours.

There are quite a few local spots in central Maryland, particularly in the Patapsco State park.  For some reason people always mention Carderock and Great Falls even though IMO it's terrible climbing.  There is basically no sport climbing in MD, lots of trad though, but there is a fair bit in PA about an hour and a half away.  For some reason the MD section in the route guides here on Mtn Proj is extremely lacking but don't take that as there's not much climbing.  For weekend trips, Seneca, the Gunks and the New are pretty common and not too far.

I would not trade Fresno (if that is where you live) for Central Maryland. The one good thing about MD, as others have pointed out, is that you're kind of in between places like upstate NY (The Gunks, Daks) and WV (seneca and the New) which all offer great climbing. Personally, i moved out of MD as i grew tired of all the driving to these awesome places, and the local crags, although fun for a day trip, are not nearly as good as the stuff you have in your backyard.

I'd second Juans comments having lived in MD myself. Old rag is a beauty and The NRG is my favorite crag in America but for regular, easy access to good rock and (an important factor) consistent weather I would stay in Fresno given that you'll be in central MD not Fayetteville WV. 

Just to echo the most recent three comments, if you ever want to get into alpine climbing, it's a no brainer to stay out west instead of moving to the east coast. 

Beau, I wouldn't recommend a long-term relocation from CA to the Mid-Atlantic, but if it's a good job and you're interested in a change for a few years or so, then I'm going to suggest, contrary to some of the other advice here so far, that the climbing in this region, while not world-class, is pretty decent, and you can find it year-round. Yeah, summers are hot and humid, but it's easy to find the shade, and winters can get cold, but if you know where the sunny afternoon spots are, you can comfortably climb in short sleeves when temps are in the 30s. I moved out of the area last summer, but I did a lot of climbing there over the past several years, so here are some recommendations and thoughts on them:

NRG was too far for me as a weekend destination, but Seneca was not. Seneca is awesome and is just about the only multi-pitch trad a reasonable weekend trip away from D.C.

Old Rag in Shenandoah has beautiful granite and both sport and trad. There's not a whole lot for a 5.7 trad leader, but Skyline Wall does have a handful of 5.7 and under, and it's a great setting.

Little Stony Man in Shenandoah has some of the longest routes in Virginia, and all the established trad routes run from 5.2 to 5.8 with some variations up to 5.9. It's on greenstone, and there's a fair amount of choss, but it's an awesome setting-- a west-facing cliff high above the Shenandoah Valley.

Near Front Royal is Elizabeth Furnace, with two separate crags. Talking Headwall has juggy, overhanging sport and mixed routes starting at 5.6. Buzzard Rocks has long routes, most of them bolted but most also taking gear, and the climbing is more slab there. Buzzard is like LSM in being high over a pretty valley.

Closer to Leesburg is Crescent Rock. It's all trad and toprope. It's a bit of a long, tiring hike in, but some of the routes are really worth doing.

A little west of D.C. is Great Falls. It's mostly toproping, and leading is controversial there due to concerns about rock quality, but there actually are several easy and moderate routes there that are good, safe leads, especially on passive gear. The setting is awesome-- tall (for the region) cliffs in a river gorge with a good bit of whitewater. If you're a paddler, you can climb and run rapids in the same place on the same day. (The MD side of GF has similar climbing, but the crags are harder to get to, generally shorter and lower in quality, and I read an unverified report earlier this year that the NPS had closed them to climbing.)

Across the river and slightly downstream is Carderock, a notoriously sandbagged, highly polished toproping spot. Still, there are some very cool routes. Leading there is sketchier than it is at GF, but there are a few routes that make decent leads, again, on passive gear.

Annapolis Rock in Maryland, near Frederick, has good trad and toproping.

Sugarloaf, between D.C. and Frederick, is probably the best day-trip place to lead when you factor in drive time, approach, and rock quality. Routes tend to be short-- few are over 40'-- and there is some suspect rock, but overall it's good, and a few routes are very good for the length and right in your range.

If you end up moving to MD and want some specific suggestions about routes, time of year, etc., don't hesitate to get in touch.

Hope this helps.

Come climb with us in Seneca where the trad is always rad! The Gendarme and Seneca Rocks Climbing School has some cool fall events coming up and we get alot of weekenders from the DC/VA/MD metro area. Check out the AAC event they have going on on Oct 7th and the annual Chili Cookoff is on the 21st!

Climbing outdoors is less to be desired locally.  Once you hit the 3 hour driving mark, you open up Coopers Rock (bouldering crag) and Seneca (trad) in WV.  5 hours gets you the Gunks and NRG.  6+ hours you get RRG, Tennessee, etc.  

One thing to note is that there are a BUNCH of indoor gyms in MD.  Earth Treks is an extremely popular and well-supported climbing center.  I believe the Virginia location is the largest in the country (fact check) and is about 40 minutes from Central MD.