**This is not a trip for people brand new to climbing**
Important Details:
- As noted in the venue description, there is a 45-60 minute uphill walk to get to the climbs, and we will be up there in the heat for a good part of the day. Make sure to bring enough food, water (especially water), and other supplies you may need to take care of yourself.
- The parking at the Buzzard Rocks trailhead is limited and so we plan to arrive early and carpool if possible.
- We plan to meet at the Centerville Park and Ride at 8am and leave by ~8:10am.
- We aim to arrive at the Buzzard Rocks trailhead at around 9am.
- The ability to lead is strongly recommended for this trip. We can set top-ropes on a few of the routes for some folks, but many of the routes will require leading/following to really enjoy the area.
- Mountain Project Link
Area Beta to highlight:
- These details are included in the venue description, but I want to highlight them:
- Some of the climbs are “mixed” sport/trad in that they have bolts, but there are substantively run out sections where it is expected you will place gear. Having some trad gear is recommended.
- Several of the routes are long and you can’t fully rappel the routes with a 60m rope. You will need a 70m rope or 2 x 60m ropes for the area.
Other details:
- We are keeping the trip to 10 people plus the 2 leaders
- We will setup a trip Whatsapp group using folks’ phone numbers about a week before the trip to coordinate additional carpooling and details
Any questions? Please feel free to reach out to [email protected].
Please cancel your registration if you are no longer able to attend so that someone else can have your spot. If you can’t make it the morning of the event, give the trip leader a courtesy message so no one is waiting for you in the parking lot.
If you do not contact the trip organiser, this counts as a no-show. If you no show once, you will get an email from the Chair. If you do not show up twice, you will not be allowed to sign up for another event for 3 months. If you continue to not show up, your membership will be cancelled and refunded.
Please note that this is not a guided event and none of our trip leaders are professional guides. Climbing is an inherently dangerous sport and you do so at your own risk. You are responsible for yourself and your own safety at all times.
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July 20, 2025
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Venue: Buzzard Rocks
Address:
Description:
Buzzard Rocks is an 80 min drive from Washington DC, followed by a 45 – 60min uphill walk. It is in the Elizabeth Furnace area of the George Washington National Forest in Virginia.
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 are around 30 routes from 5.3 – 5.11, the majority in the 5.7-5.8 range. The routes are slab climbing, 60 – 120ft in length, with mixed protection, a few bolts plus gear. Take a rack. You need two 60m ropes or a 70m rope to abseil so you may want to take a spare rope to fix for this. You can also walk down. Grades are softish.
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 that says “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 an overflow
The parking lot is small and fills up quickly with hikers. You need to be there early.
If there’s no parking try Talking Head Wall as parking on the road will likely get a ticket.
Guidebooks
Buzzard Rocks is in the Rakkup Guide to the Elizabeth Furnace and is listed in Mountainproject under Shenandoah & NW VA Region Climbing.