This trip will be visiting Buzzard Rocks. Directions, guidebook info etc is given below.
Participants MUST have indoor sport climbing and belaying experience. We encourage folks to join as long as they have indoor climbing experience. There will be a maximum of 8 participants. The grades of the climbs are mostly 5.6+ slab and harder.
If you plan to lead climb, know your comfort levels. There are a few sport or almost-sport routes at Buzzard Rocks. However, many of the climbs have mixed protection – bolts and natural protection, including trees – so you need a rack and you need to know how to place gear. Due to the length of the climbs, a 70M dynamic rope is preferred.
It is relatively easy to set up top ropes on a number of these mixed routes so this may be done depending on the participants’ comfort and experience with leading and placing gear.
Bring food and water for the day. The hike in is ~2 miles and 700-foot of vertical gain. It usually takes about an hour given packs with gear.
Parking is located at Buzzard Rock Parking Area. This small lot fills up quickly, so carpooling is highly recommended – we recommend meeting at the Centreville Park & Ride since it is along the way and free. If needed, there is an overflow lot 50 yards past the parking lot off the main road.
We will meet at the parking lot trail head at 8:00 am.
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. You will be climbing on ropes set up by members of the club who are hobby climbers and not professionals. 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.
Trip Organizer: McLain Saba (McLain.saba at gmail dot com)
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Buzzard Rocks
October 5, 2024
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.