Category: Access

  • Challenging Racism in the Outdoor Industry and the Light at the End of the Tunnel

    Hello fellow Mid-Atlantic climbers! We hope that you have been able to stay safe and healthy this sweltering summer so far. The past few months has been an emotionally intense time for the climbing community as a whole, as voices that have been speaking up against racism in our community are starting to be amplified…

  • Chopped Bolts At Friction Wall Replaced

    At Patapsco Valley State Park, new anchor bolts have been added to Friction Wall’s main attraction, “The Truth” aka “40 Weight”. A typical vertical anchor setup using 2 bolts and chain fit well into the limited space. Normal practice is to use the heavy duty rap ring for rappelling only. Please use your own carabiners…

  • COVID-19 Guidelines for Mid-Atlantic Region Climbers

    To the climbing community: Our organizations had originally planned to distribute the following COVID-19 climbing guidelines at an earlier date. When George Floyd’s murder and the collective response to police brutality gripped the nation, we decided to delay publishing in order to not take up space from the Black Lives Matter movement. The crisis of…

  • A message from Mid Atlantic Climbers

    We stand in solidarity with the Black community and the protesters demanding justice for the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. Police brutality and miscarriages of justice must end. We also recognize that we need to take a look at ourselves and our behaviors, do the work, and take concrete…

  • Chopped Bolts at Friction Wall Raise Concerns

    Recently, a MAC crag steward discovered that the anchor bolts atop The Truth, a popular route at Friction Wall in Patapsco Valley State Park, had been chopped. We don’t know who did this or why, but a pair of holes near the anchor suggests that perhaps someone was interested in replacing these bolts and for…

  • Mid Atlantic Climbers Spring Adopt a Crag Update

    Usually this is the time of the year Mid Atlantic Climbers announces our full Spring Adopt a Crag schedule and invites volunteers to sign up. Over the past few months, our leadership team has worked with local land managers and partners to plan six events to help conserve climbing resources and maintain good relationships with…

  • Peregrine Falcon Closures at Harpers Ferry NPS and The Narrows

    Significant portions of the climbing areas at both Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and The Narrows (aka Lover’s Leap) in Cumberland, MD are closed to visitors effective February 15- July 31, 2020. These closures occur seasonally to protect Peregrine Falcons during the nesting and mating season. Since human disturbance can cause nest abandonment and the…

  • Progress on Harpers Ferry Campaign – Maryland Crags are Open!

    Maryland Heights Re-opens: Last week, Harpers Ferry National Historic Park removed two temporary closures from the park’s website. Today, park officials confirmed with Mid Atlantic Climbers via email that two of the closures in effect have been lifted. With both the temporary closure from the June 2018 landslide, and the 2019 Peregrine Falcon season closure…

  • Local Climbers Call on Harpers Ferry National Historical Park to Restore Access

    Hundreds of climbers in the mid-Atlantic region urge the Park to develop a collaborative Climbing Management Plan Hundreds of climbers in the mid-Atlantic region are urging Harpers Ferry National Historical Park to lift its current climbing closures and develop a collaborative Climbing Management Plan based on public input and best practices. In the past three…

  • Access Alert: Temporary Closure at Great Falls

    Earlier this year, we were alerted to temporary climbing access changes at Great Falls National Park.  As can be seen from their Facebook post, the park is working to stabilize and preserve Lock 2 of the Patowmack Canal and had closed the majority of the River Trail, thereby effectively closing the bulk of the climbing…