Welcome! Please respect and preserve the wildness of the climbing areas you are about to visit! Thanks!

Loudon Heights

Virginia & West Virginia

F

Traditional – Top Rope - Bouldering

E

C

A

A

B

G

D

SEASON: Spring, Summer, Fall ASPECT: North facing, stays wet after rain events. Cold in winter!

BOULDERING

+The Frontier bouldering

+Ridge Top boulder (F)

+River boulders (see photo below) (G)

ROPE

+Short Virginia cliffs ( Lower , Upper ) (A)

+Paw Paw overhang (C)

+The Main cliff (E)

+ The Wide Spot cliffs (D)

+Chestnut Hill Road cliffs

+The WV Pillar

+The In Between

The center photo was taken from Balcony Jr. on Elk Ridge and looks to the South. Notice the 18 wheeler on 340 for scale. The left and right photos were taken from the top of Loudon Heights. The left photo looks down the left ridgeline of the tallest cliff in the center photo (yellow star) while the right photo views the long continuous slab directly above the 18 wheeler (red star). There are cars visible on the road in both the left and right photo if you look closely. A=Short Virginia Cliffs; B=The Frontier bouldering area; C=Paw Paw overhang; D=The Wide Spot cliffs; E=The Main Cliff; F=Ridge Top boulder; G=River boulders

Loudon Heights = ADVENTURE CLIMBING = This area is for those who love the mountains! Loudon Heights is the wildest and least frequented climbing area at Harpers Ferry. The rock is the same type as on the Maryland side but the climate and vegetation are distinctly different. Loudon Heights faces north and consequently gets very little sun exposure. During the winters it is cold and wet. During the summer it is cooler and tends to be more vegetated because moisture lingers. The multiple geographic orientations of the ridge-ends in this gorge lead to different microclimates perfect for different seasons.

There are classic climbs on Loudon Heights but they take some exploration to find. The Frontier bouldering area was named so because this area felt like the last unexplored/developed climbing in Harpers Ferry and was the last bouldering area to be discovered. The terrain of Loudon Heights is steep, the rock has lichen, there are loose blocks on ledges, and you have to bushwhack more. Climbable rock extends along 340 (towards Charlestown) in the gorge. There is a climbable pillar on this side of the river very much like the pillar on the Maryland side. There are many little roadside crags that hold great potential for new climbs.

One of the River boulders