Wildfilm: A Comprehensive List Of SWPA Area Climbing

Well... maybe... as we recall 'em. A self-imposed mental acuity test... gave ourself a half-hour... we'll start with areas of prominence and work from there...

Everything included in the old Gritstone Climbs climbing guide by Bill Webster. Published back in the late '70's. For the most part locations in just over the border West Virginia. Most notably an early Coopers Rocks climbing guide featuring some now obscure norther WV areas such as Pioneer Rocks and Mont Chateau, with reference mention of even more obscure locales including Deckers Creek and Darnell Hollow. We had a well used field copy for many years before passing it along.

Not in the guide (a bit later in time) but just outside Morgantown is the short lived then since long closed Woodland Wall.

Central WV Seneca Rocks, New River Gorge and Summersville Lake.

Central PA Bellefonte Quarry just outside State College.

Just outside Cumberland/LaVale, Md there's a tall, angled quartzite slab wall located along Wills Creek. Various names we've heard for that place over the years include The Narrows, Lovers Leap, Wills Mountain, the Roller Rink and Mt. Savage. We always just called it "the place in Maryland". Now, as we understand, officially called Locust Grove.

Closer ta' home...

(Note that all following cardinal directions are referenced to "Yough river north" as primary point of reference.)

White Rocks, Fairchance, PA (included in the aforementioned Gritstone Climbs guide) and White Rocks, Connellsville, PA, aka, Breakneck Rocks. We're gonna' use the original, or local names, for these areas , where applicable, along with the climbers vernacular.

Ohiopyle State Park and satellite crags Bruner Run, School House Crag, Maple Wall and Rivers End. Each a few steps off of the Yough River Hike/Bike Trail. In town bouldering at the Ohiopyle Boulders, aka, Proving Grounds. One-off Fern Cliff Boulder just above the falls. Lower Meadow Run and just up the creek Meadow Run Amphitheater ice climbing. Located just north in the high country along the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail is Bidwell Rocks.

Stewarton Rocks

Opposite side of the river from the state park proper, Stewarton Rocks is a long sandstone bluff flanking the river gorge just north of the old Stewarton Landing paddler takeout. There's a second smaller exposure adjacent the natural gas pipeline ROW which crosses downriver just north of Johnson Run. The bluff is usually visible when viewing across the river from the park's Bruner Run Takeout.

Connellsville-Dunbar Area

Eleven miles down river in the Dunbar mountains there's Buzzard Rocks, aka, Kraylick (or Krahlick) Rocks. Just up the road is the small Buzzard Rock Ice Fall. Just up the road further still are the Liston Boulders, aka, Swoager Boulders (or Cal's Rocks). Renamed (by us) in honor of the shortly departed local climber Cal Swoager. Was his secret bouldering area that he let us in on many years ago. Across the hollow there's some decent rock flanking the Lost Fiesta Cavern. Up in the hight ground are the Jurassic Boulders, aka, The Vault. They're just down the ridge line from Rattlesnake Rocks. Top of the plateau are the Elk Rock Boulders. Follow south a short distance and you'll come to Elk Rock Cliff, aka, Colls Cove.

View from Casparis Overlook - MTB trails and Yough Gorge Crag

Further north following the Yough gorge is the high flanking Great Allegheny Incline, aka, Yough Gorge Crag. A solid and tall outcrop of Loyalhanna Limestone. A few one-off sandstone boulders scatter the woods directly above. Staying low along the Yough River Trail there's Penny Rock Boulders. One-off Whale Rock is located just upstream amongst the Three Sisters river boulders - mentioned here as it's an annual summertime, shallow water repeat attempt of a thin crack/seam when river tripping. Further north just south of Connellsville there's a few decent and scattered one-off boulders in the area of Mojo Rapids and South Connellsville Beach. Higher up the flanking slope of the gorge are the Mojo Boulders. Also along the hillside exists the old abandoned P&LE Mine. Follow still further to the top of the ridge will bring ya' to Cow Rocks. Fred Gunther, owner of the old Exkursion outfitter shop located in Monroeville, PA, told us that he once had Yosemite-great Lynn Hill climbing up at Cow Rock during a break from a national slide-show tour stopover. Fred mentioned that she on sighted an off-width (roof?) crack that had been a project of their's. Correct us if we're wrong.

Opposite side of the river to the east is located the South Connellsville Rod and Gun Club. The club's shooting range was once an old limestone surface mine. The surrounding mine walls usually provide good ice formation when a conducive winter. At the nearby abandoned Opperman Mine a single vertical ice formation, usually tall and fat when "in", occurs in a really good winter.

The Ridge

Following the trail up into the woods overlooking the shooting range and river gorge puts ya' in an area known locally as Casparis. From there on south it's pretty much a boulder heaven throughout the northern hump of a camelback ridge. The Ridge is divided into a Light Side along the flanking southwest river exposure and a Dark Side opposite, which slopes into a shaded meandering stream hollow. Following the southern hump of the ridge to its end will bring ya' to the Druid Stones, aka, Pagan Rocks. East of the stream the hollow slopes steeply upward in elevation thru several hundred feet of more boulders to the base of the vertical Casparis Cliff. Immediately beyond the clifftop an unimproved township road runs parallel the length of the hollow. Opposite side of the road the hollow continues in elevation thru more scattered large boulders. The rocky terrain eventually peters out as broken exposures of sandstone ledge rock near the top of the plateau. At one point for a length of maybe two hundred feet this exposure forms the bit more massive outcrop of Foleys Wall. A scattered one-off boulder rests here and there across the plateau. Near the actual high point of Chestnut Ridge bordering Casparis set a small jumble of boulders just off Sandy Flats road.

The north flank of McCoy Hollow (and McCoy Hollow Road) is littered with a jumble of small to large boulders.

Jumonville Rocks are located on the ridge above Lemont Furnace, PA. Just off Jumonsville Road a short distance beyond the Coolspring Stone Quarry.

Fish Rocks, aka, Big Inch Pipeline, Rob's Knobs, the Lost World, aka, Lost Crag, Lambie Rocks and Zebley Flats, aka, Rebecca Rocks rest near the upper plateaus flanking the immediate Dunbar Creek and Limestone Run stream hollows. Near the upper reaches of the small drainage hollow between Rob's Knobs and the Lost Crag exists a lesser obscure sandstone outcrop.

North of Connellsville off of Breakneck Road is the earlier mentioned Breakneck Rocks. A bit further north exists the long forgotten Uncle Joes. Continue further north a hollow or two to Spruce Hollow Road and Spruce Hollow Rocks. There's another old forgotten outcrop similar to Uncle Joes, just off the east side of Breakneck Road, either before or after Spruce Hollow Road, that we visited years ago. However, can't recall exactly where.

Following nearby Rt. 982 north to the small village of Wooddale are a series of large boulders located along the Power Line which climbs the ridge adjacent the existing limestone quarry above Wingrove Road. Continue north along Rt. 982. Just beyond the intersection with Rt. 31, to the right side of Rt. 982 is the Laurelville Retreat Center where there exists a small boulder field.

Turning right at that intersection, climb Rt.31 to the Bear Rocks Community located halfway up the mountain. There's a small cluster of boulders in there somewhere that Tim Anderson developed years back. Don't know exactly where. We've never been there.

Continue on Rt.31 for several miles beyond the summit until entering Forbes State Forest and Pike Run, maybe a mile east beyond Jones Mills.

In the Latrobe-Derry-Ligonier area are Derry High Rocks and the one-off Feed Me Jack at Hillside Quarry. At Linn Run State Park there's a one-off steep slab back near Wolf Rocks. Up in the hillside opposite Adams Falls is a small sandstone boulder/outcrop. Forbes State Forest there's Beam Rocks. Near Pleasant Unity there's the RT. 130 Boulder(s) adjacent Rt. 130. At the top of Laurel Summit there's a few scattered one-off boulders in the area of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail Rt. 30 trailhead.