General

Buzzard Rocks is an 80 min drive from Washington DC, followed by a 45 – 60 min walk. It is in the Elizabeth Furnace area of the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. Buzzard Rocks is normally a day trip from the DC area but camping is available in Elizabeth Furnace if an overnight stay is desired.

Buzzard Rocks and Talking Head Wall, the other climbing area in Elizabeth Furnace, are close together.

Type of Climbing

There are around 30 routes from 5.3 – 5.11, the majority in the 5.7 – 5.9 range.  The routes are slab climbing, with mixed protection, a few bolts plus gear and are 60 -120ft in length.  You need two 60m ropes or a 70m rope to abseil, so you may want to take a spare rope to fix for this.  Grades are softish. Top roping is feasible but it’s easier to lead the routes first. You do need to take a small rack for most routes.

Directions and Parking

Take I-66 to exit 6 for US-340/US-522, heading left (South) at the exit. After going over a bridge turn right (West) at the light onto 55 — look for a 7-11 on the left. Drive another 5 miles and turn left (South) at Fort Valley Rd/VA-678. After about a mile turn left on VA-619 at a sign “Fish Culture Station”. Drive 1.2 miles past the fish hatchery and look for a sign on the right for the Buzzard Rocks trailhead. Park in the small dirt lot and follow the trail about 2 miles to the top. There is a small overflow lot just past the main lot.

The parking lot is small and fills up quickly with hikers.  You need to be there early. If the parking lot is full, try Talking Head Wall as parking on the road will likely get a ticket.

There are restaurants, gas stations and various stores in nearby Front Royal.

Crag Logistics

Buzzard Rocks sits on a ridgeline at 1300 ft and faces west.  It’s great in the mornings in the summer as the crag is shaded until 2pm.  In the winter you’ll want to go there in the afternoon. There is no water available. There is cell phone reception.

The last section of the approach is a steep uphill section that leads to a set of switchbacks. After the switchbacks walk a few hundred feet on the ridgeline to a side trail off to the right which leads to the base of the Three Amigos area. The climbs from Three Amigos to Half and Half can all be accessed from here, but you will need to return to the ridge to get to the Anonymous Flake, Edge of Sunshine and Adam Copley areas.

Guidebooks

Buzzard Rocks is mentioned – no details – in the Falcon guidebook book Rock Climbing Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland by Eric Horst (2013).

Buzzard Rocks is included in the Rakkup Guide to the Elizabeth Furnace and is listed in Mountainproject.