Rhode Island Climbing?

My girlfriend and I are looking into possibly moving to RI in the near future. I’m curious if there’s any decent trad or sport climbing within a reasonable distance of providence?

Your best bet for quality trad is going to be Ragged over in CT. Other wise you will have to drive up to Mass and NH for anything. Rumney being about 3.5 hours. The Gunks are about 3.5 hours away too. There's a little bit of Trad and TR over at Ross Rocks in CT as well. 

It's honestly not the greatest place to live if you love to climb but its not awful, you'll just have to drive at least 1.5 hours to get to something good. Everything Mike said above is why I want to move. 

Calling Ragged quality trad climbing is extremely generous.

Better than placing Cams on a boulder traverse in Lincoln woods. 

I'd say the rope climbings on par with PA but the bouldering in West PA's prob better. Rhode island has good local bouldering, shit for sport tho. West mass has some good rope and Boulder about a HR or so and If it takes u 3.5 hrs to get from Providence to rumney, u deserve to climb at ragged....

Oh yeah HBTHREE you're right it is 3.5 hours up to Cathedral/Mt Washington, I always get those mixed up. Farley is fun if you know what're you doing, only place I really know of in Western Mass though besides that is crow hill.

Providence is awesome.  I lived there for 8 of the last 10 years and I'd move back in a heartbeat (currently in Hartford).  In terms of climbing, you're limited to pretty good bouldering about 15 minutes north of the city during the weekdays, and like others have said, expect to drive between an hour and an hour and a half at least for roped climbing.  RI has a vibrant and friendly climbing community, so you'd have no problem meeting up with like-minded folks to climb with on the weekends.  The scene in RI is one of the friendliest I've ever come across

Edit: I'm super biased

Vic Davalos wrote: Providence is awesome.  I lived there for 8 of the last 10 years and I'd move back in a heartbeat (currently in Hartford).  In terms of climbing, you're limited to pretty good bouldering about 15 minutes north of the city during the weekdays, and like others have said, expect to drive between an hour and an hour and a half at least for roped climbing.  RI has a vibrant and friendly climbing community, so you'd have no problem meeting up with like-minded folks to climb with on the weekends.  The scene in RI is one of the friendliest I've ever come across

Edit: I'm super biased

That’s awesome to hear! What are some of the roped areas within an hour to an hour and a half?

Lincoln woods is cool.  roped climbing is a weekend trip for me usually to western ma or NH.  Sometimes after work I can get over to Ross in CT, but it isnt to die for 

A bunch of good gyms i hear.

A running joke amongst RI climbers is that all RI climbing is in CT.  Roped climbing within an 1-1.5 hours from Providence includes Ross Pond, Lantern Hill, Crow Hill, Beach Pond, Farley (that might be 1.75 hours), College Rock, and a whole bunch of other small cliffs.  If you start meeting up with the local climbing clubs then there's always people looking for weekend partners, and some folks who are always looking for weekday partners, to go pretty much anywhere in the region, from the Gunks to Cathedral Ledge, and everywhere in-between.

It's definitely not a grand place for climbing, but Providence is a super cool small city, that's really been revitalized over the last few decades.  The food is ah-maze-ing, and if you're willing to drive a little, then you have access to some awesome climbing spots.

The state is probably about 45 minutes across, the long way, and there are least 4 gyms, one being bouldering-only.  We'll see if all the gyms will be able to survive Covid, but when I was there 2 years ago, 4 gyms was enough to keep the crowds perfectly fine in the gyms.

Some good info here, sounds like your looking for sub 1.5 hr rope climbing, that's a negative. Have u been up there u should do a wknd if u r serious about the move. Nobody's mentioned how odd Providence is. RI kinda fuk'd

I was born, raised, grew up and went to college in Providence. First 22 years of my life spent there so a little biased. I loved growing up and going to college in Providence but would never move back. Lincoln Woods is a great resource to have if you are have to live there for other reasons but you mentioned sport and trad of which there is really nothing of note that I remember in the state proper. My roped climbing all revolved around Rumney back then.

But I loved spending freezing days and even muggy ass days trudging around Lincoln Woods. Still have to go back and send Loadie's Zen.

Providence had a gym that took a dining room table, cut it up and some how made it a 5.11. It was amazing, mostly irrelevant to the rest of the three but it wins one of the most creative routes in a gym.

There are 85 foot cliffs within 30 minutes of Providence 4 miles over the border in CT.  Some decent trad there.  Decent sport 1.5 hrs away at Farley.  http://www.climbri.org/ross.htm  You are within 3hrs 15min to the Gunks and 2 hrs 45min to Rumney.  

Jimmy Downhillinthesnow wrote: Calling Ragged quality trad climbing is extremely generous.

I second that. There are better quality crags/climbing in CT than Ragged...more like Ratchet!

Pierre de St Croix wrote:

I second that. There are better quality crags/climbing in CT than Ragged...more like Ratchet!

Haha don’t tell him about the good stuff in Ct, I don’t wanna see people at them when I arrive. 

Julia W wrote: There is no sport in RI. There is some stuff up in Mass. or New Hampshire If your willing to drive. Day trip ability depends on where your at in RI. 

 CT is a sport destination now too I hear.

New England is essentially a choss pile with a few solid areas peppered 4 hours from each other. Please don’t “choose” to come here. With that said, I love it and you can find yourself a good climb within 45 minutes from wherever you are with adjusted expectations.  

Lyle M wrote: New England is essentially a choss pile with a few solid areas peppered 4 hours from each other. Please don’t “choose” to come here. With that said, I love it and you can find yourself a good climb within 45 minutes from wherever you are with adjusted expectations.  

The whole region of New England is a "choss pile"? I don't think I ever broke a hold anywhere in my 10+ years or so of climbing in NE. I loved growing up climbing in New England.

Mateo San Pedro wrote:

The whole region of New England is a "choss pile"? I don't think I ever broke a hold anywhere in my 10+ years or so of climbing in NE. I loved growing up climbing in New England.

Yes, it’s the biggest death trap of a choss pile anywhere in the world (I’ve only climbed New England). Unless you climb on the established routes and don’t pull too hard....CHOSSSSSSS hahaha