Managing climber parking is one of our biggest challenge areas as an organization. When there are parking guidelines, please follow them, our continued access to many climbing areas depends on it!

• Do not block the travel lane
• Do not block driveways
• Carpool to make space for others

Hunting season is beginning, please be careful and respect other user groups!

– Wear bright colors — you, and your pets!
– Consider avoiding heavily hunted areas, like Black Mountain.

Vermont Hunting Season Dates & Information

Many of our climbing areas in the Northeast are on or are adjacent to properties owned by the state or private landowners. It is crucial that as climbers, we act respectfully and practice Leave No Trace Principles.

• Check your noise. Don’t scream profanities (especially in front country crags with nearby neighbors)
• Carpool & park reasonably — don’t block the road, driveways, etc.
• Have a plan B & C if the parking is full.
• Pack it in, pack it out. Follow LNT principles.

Group use of CRAG-VT is permitted.  Please follow the guidelines outlined in the Property Use Agreement.  If you have not registered your group with CRAG-VT, please fill out the CRAGVT_Group Use Form.

Nesting Closures are in effect and monitoring is on-going! 

Several Vermont Crags experience voluntary closers during Peregrine Falcon Nesting Season, which generally lasts from spring through August 1st. Please see our list of climbing areas below for detailed closure information. Check out the link below to learn about the management of climbing areas that coincide with raptor habitat. Check out the Audubon website here. 

Nesting Season Closures (March – August 1)

• Bolton Notch (Bolton) – UUW cliff – cliff access and climbing closed
  Bone Mountain (Bolton) – portions closed to climbing
  Deer Leap (Bristol) – cliff-top and climbing closed
  Eagle Ledge (Vershire) – closed to hiking and climbing
  Dummerston Quarry (Dummerston) – upper quarry closed
  Fairlee Palisades (Fairlee) – cliff-top closed
  Marshfield Mt (Marshfield) – portions closed to climbing
  Mt Horrid (Rochester) – Great Cliff overlook closed
  Nichols Ledge (Woodbury) – cliff-top and climbing closed
  Prospect Rock (Johnson) – cliff-top overlook and climbing closed
  Red Rocks Park (S. Burlington) – southern cliff access closed
  Rattlesnake Point (Salisbury) – southern overlook closed
  Snake Mountain (Addison) – entire western trail closed

Climbing and Raptors: A Handbook for Adaptive Raptor Management

 

Photo: Greg Orton, Access Fund

Bolton Notch Road:

(Lower West, Upper West, Upper Upper West, and Notch Road Bouldering) – The road is now passable on the weekends, but is often closed to traffic on weekdays as crews continue to work on the road. Pull fully off the road and NEVER park in the path of travel, but especially now as to give space to the road work machinery to pass. The usual parking spots have been reduced or may be taken up by road crew equipment. Additional parking for Lower West can be found at the Long Trail lot off Route 2 and for Upper West at the Libby’s Look Trailhead.

Black Barn Farm: Access restored. Contact landowner for access (@blackbarnfarmvt on instagram)

Upper Upper West Bolton: Open

**2024 FLOOD UPDATE: Can be accessed from the north via Nashville Rd/Jericho or up Stage Rd/Route 2.

Parking on Notch Road: Make sure you are completely out of the travel lane, do not block any mailboxes or driveways. Please carpool when possible, as spots are limited.

**2024 FLOOD UPDATE: Can be accessed from the north via Nashville Rd/Jericho or up Stage Rd/Route 2. Already reduced parking at Upper West has been further impacted, only allowing space for a few cars. If you cannot pull fully off the traveled path, park at UUW and walk or climb elsewhere.

Parking on Notch Road: Make sure you are completely out of the travel lane, do not block any mailboxes or driveways. Please carpool when possible, as spots are limited.

**2024 FLOOD UPDATE: The town has designated the road as “residents only”. Park at the Long Trail lot on Route 2 and walking .7 miles along Route 2 and up Notch Road.

Bolton Dome: 

• Parking March 15 – December 15th: Turn off of Route 2 onto Champ Lane, the lot is your first left below the the auto shop sign. There are 12 designated spots, if these spots are taken please park on the south side of Route 2. Be sure to park completely off the pavement and clear of mailboxes. CRAG-VT currently rents this lot for $2000 annually; please consider donating to support this and other ongoing expenses!
• Don’t drive up Champ Lane; this is a private neighborhood!
• Please be respectful when walking to the cliff from the parking lot! Walk along the shoulder of the road.
• Parking December 15 – March 15: The Parking Lot is closed through the winter. If you wish to access the cliff during these months you can do so by parking at the pull-off on the Bolton Access Road and walking along Route 2.
• Dogs are not permitted at Bolton Dome

Lone Rock Point: 

Please note that climbing at Rock Point is contingent upon the climbing community respecting the expectations outlined below. Share these with other climbers! 

1. Obtain a Rock Point Visitor Pass. www.rockpointvt.org/visitor-passes.  Make a donation to the Rock Point Center as part of the process.  It will help to mitigate fees incurred by CRAG-VT to ensure access and allow the Rock Point Center to continue to offer their unique property to the general public.
2. Sign in at the kiosk located at the Diocesan offices parking lot. The limit is 14 climbers per day. If there are 14 names on the sheet that day, climb somewhere else (Bolton Dome, 82 Steep Crag, Smuggs).
3. Follow the marked trail to the cliff, and go climb. Sign out at the kiosk on your way home

• Dogs must be leashed.
• Be polite and courteous to all users.
• Parking is extremely limited at the main lot and a primary concern for the landowner. If full, park at the high school or elsewhere.
• Lone Rock Point is open during daylight hours for climbing.  
• No camping or fires are permitted.
• The Diocese reserves the right to close the property at any time. Climbers must abide by any closures indicated on the calendar at the kiosk.
• Practice leave-no-trace ethics, stay on established trails, do not trample vegetation, and keep the area cleaner then you found it.
• A new route moratorium is in effect. All climbing is restricted to established routes. Do not add any additional fixed gear to the cliff without prior authorization from the Rock Point Management Committee.

Please note that CRAG-VT and the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont are not responsible for any fixed anchors found at Lone Rock Point.  We make no guarantees about the integrity of any hardware found at Lone Rock Point.

Bolton Quarry (Year around):

• If you have a vehicle with 4WD or winter tires, you can park in the CRAG-VT parking lot at the top of Green Mountain Drive, just below the climbing!
• Do not park anywhere on Green Mountain Drive, and please do not exceed 10 mph on your way to the parking lot. Speeding will threaten access to this area.
• If your car get’s stuck, please help us maintain good relations with our neighbors and DO NOT disturb them. Instead, please call a tow company. (Bee There Towing: (802) 434-4580)
• If your car isn’t suitable for Green Mountain Drive, use the pull-off at the bottom of the Bolton Valley Access Road. From here, walk South along Route 2 until Green Mountain Drive, and then turn left and walk up to The Quarry.
• No parking at Smilie School
• The CRAG-VT parking lot will be closed briefly during mud season to prevent damage. During this time, park at the pull-off at the bottom of the Bolton Valley Access Road.

Bone Mountain: Open – In 2024 the falcons did not nest at Bone Mountain. Climbers may still get a territorial response from the peregrines, but it’s likely to be less intense than earlier in the season.

Nesting Season Information: Temporarily closed for Peregrine Falcon nesting. They have historically nested at Bone Mountain on the Eastern portion of the cliff between “Radius Wall” and “Moose Bones”.

 

 

Prospect Rock: Closed until August for Nesting Season!

Marshfield Ledge: The peregrine falcon nesting season began as of March.

2024 Flood Update: : The spur road that branches off from the railroad bed is washed out. You can park at the junction of the two roads, there is a Dead End sign that has been amended to say “grateful dead end”. It only adds 5 minutes to the approach.

Nesting Information: Falcons nested in the area between and including the routes Parula and the Swarm.

Eagle Ledge: Closed to hiking and climbing for Peregrine Falcons until August.

Nesting Information: Peregrine Falcons have historically nested at Eagle Ledge in Eagle Hollow and the entire cliff has been closed to climbing during nesting season.

Black Mountain: Access Restored. Gaudette Road culverts have been replaced and the way in from both the north and the south are in better shape than ever. Be extremely mindful as there is an active logging operation and logging trucks have absolute right of way. As hunting season has begun, be sure to wear blaze orange (humans and dogs) and be respectful of other user groups.

Wheeler Mountain: Due to 2024 flooding, the road between the hiker trailhead and climber trailhead is washed out. Climbers can park at the hiker’s lot and add an extra .8 miles to your approach.