Rock Climbing Near Moreau State Park - Climbing and Bouldering Close to Saratoga Springs and Lake George

James Pavoldi, 2020
Rock Climbing near Moreau State Park

UPDATE - All of these areas / routes have been obfuscated on Mountain Project; Please do not post details on climbing-specific platforms as access is dicey at best and increased traffic could force an issue. I am keeping the blog page live so searchers already exploring the area can find details (if they look for them). I have chosen not to publish details for any other named crags / routes in the area. MP is addressing a bug in the app that allowed the routes to remain visible after going offline for a time but has since been solved.

I have been kicking around mostly on the ice in here since 2006 but finally got the brushes in there this year as I am eager to open some new territory that's easy to access and with easy to moderate climbs that are easy to protect. There is a ton of remaining potential for new boulder problems and new top rope, trad, and sport climbs here between Saratoga Springs and Lake George in near Moreau State Park. For climbers from Albany and points south of Saratoga, this may prove quite a bit closer than climbs of comparable grades in the Shelving Rock crags.

I am posting 4 cleaned lines on "TheFresh Wall" and back-side slab, located here: [Insert GPS coord: HERE, a few on "The Wet Wall" (Ice Quarry further past the dam), and several on "The Masonic Temple" and "Veiled Prohpet" blocks up the power line hill (past the boat launch) HERE. 

THE FRESH WALL

Highball, Sport, Trad, & Top-rope 5.3 to 5.9

I am posting this as a living page with updates, but just (June 12, 2020) came off "Ben Venitos to Moreau Me" which I am betting is about 5.3 in the Gunks and Little falls realm. It felt harder, but I was hauling brushes and roped solo on a utility line from 1990 that lives in the truck in case someone needs help out of a ditch. (Height is 1/2 that Jordy utility line which is retired after today, I have to measure it against some slings to get a con-firm on the height, most of the Moreau walls are short, 30 feet max). The funny thing about climbing on a rope that should never be climbed on is it makes 5.3 moves feel like a 5.9 as you really don't want to shock it with an ascender and rope-man2 rig. as it was half my rope length plus 6 feet, I was able to make two lines off two anchors so the back up was technically a second top rope system.  

This wall has a lot of potential (I have been referring to it as the Fresh Wall, and I call this on the "welcome" (benvenidos) as it so nicely represents the fresh friction and crisp edges that about out here. 

Top ropes are easy to set up via the 4th class descent route, on the ridge separating the slab to the left, and the face on the right: 

"The Descent Route, 4th Class, Scramble"

"The Descent Route" for after "Not to Schlabby" or for building top rope anchors above the other lines on "The Fresh Wall".  There's a decent sized horizontal above the climbs and several trees that I've trusted for top rope solos.

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"Not too Shlabby 5.3, Fixed Gear"

I am a gorilla and not too proud to admit that slabs have humiliated me in front of my wife and kids on more than one occasion. "Not too Shlabby 5.3" humbled me as I thought I would solo it in hiking boots and a wire brush, but a failure to brush effectively had me dump it low several times before lacing up, brushing better, and finishing only after getting creeped out by a loose (gone) triangle plate right out of the gate. The line is directly up the center path under the pointed summit (drifting to the  features off right are a scramble line)

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"Ben Venitos to Moreau Me, 5.7, Top Rope" is a total "Bob Ross" route with happy little holds just thrown in everywhere you want them. A little over 30 feet as a diagonal with some zig-zagging and alternate paths, more or less a free for all without a lot of arbitrary exclusions. TR or Boulder as rock is hollow. 

"Vagionia 5.8, Sport" was the name of the bay in Greece where I met my wife after sliding the horns off a dead goat I found up on a ledge half-way through a solo. Deep incut and sharp buckets show up in all the right places, but they take some trickery to get to. It's cleaned well enough to work, but some traffic will really pull this room together nicely.  About 28 feet. This route started as a 5.5, but feedback as moved it slowly toward what seems like a consensus of 5.8.

Visiting climber "Ozzy the Monkey" from Turkey putting the pieces together on Vagionia.

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"Dirty Pirate Corner 5.7, Trad" was definitely more of a challenge than I expected and I had to give up on a groun-up cleaning effort as it was just too buried. I have nightmares about finding this much growth on a top-out further north as almost every hold and most of the crack was inaccessible. It is clean enough now but will assuredly get easier as new opportunity for hands and feet is discovered with further cleaning.

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I am notorious for climbing choss, but I have to say these lines are pretty decent and my primary goal here is to develop clean easy (and easily accessed routes 100 feet from the parking spot!) that are safe and fun for young or new climbers or those transitioning from the gym to the rock with highball, top-rope, sport and trad on the same block. The fresh wall is exactly what I am looking to for as an alternative to the trade routes further north.

I am calling all of these as 5.3 to 5.6, but I am holding off on publishing my YDS for each one until I can get some feedback from others on a regular belay...

There's another line, "Lisa's Layback", 5.9, on the far right in the sharp flakes. 

Bouldering near The Fresh Wall

"The Skull Boulder" looks away from the face of Not Too Shlabby and stares towards one of the biggest loss of life catastrophe's in the area's history (29 men dead here to build the dam lost after the Italian capsized their boat). 

Under the skull's nose is a steep little project 

GPS Coordinates Link and Map for Rock Climbing in Moreau State Park:

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THE WET WALL  (Ice Quarry)

The wet wall is the face of the quarry that's been a popular ice scramble for decades. Be careful as this is dynamic loose rock and huge pieces have come off as early as 2020. After years of scrambling and many bottom up attempts lead rope-solo on gear, some permanent protection has been placed. Don't be  complacent with easy grades as gear is meant to protect against a ground fall, but a blown clip could result in a ledge hit and serious injury. I have the habit if using a full length runner first, then replacing with a quick draw to avoid introducing too much slack in the system for the 4th and 5th pieces. 1st piece is at 20 feet.

FritzWaltz, 5.6 (Right, Red)

Ma'Ma Ammotopos (5.6 Left, Yellow)

Moreau Maori (V Easy) 5.7 

To the right of the Wet Wall is a block that gets reclaimed quickly without effort. 

Also a good top-rope for kids, top is clean with easy tree anchor.

In the center of the wall is the "Dirty Beginner Corner" (avoid) as there is still a lot of loose rock on the "Scramble Route" above. There's an odd bolt ladder left of that I was calling "Bifficult, the Mystery Project' and got some feedback that it may actually be an odd experiment in protecting thin ice (which would explain the perceived difficulty of the rock line haha). This area gets attracts some trouble (across the street from the rope swing) and I know we do our best to clean up but there will often be signs of bon fires and someone has recently cut down some large trees (2019?).  Please be respectful, this isn't a graffiti quarry as is found in some places and should be treated as a natural environment as much as possible to protect it and maintain delicate access. 

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THE MASONIC TEMPLE & THE VEILED PROPHETS

"The Masonic Temple" and "Veiled Prohpet" blocks are up the power line hill (visible from the road, as you pass the boat launch toward the campground) HERE. 

I know, I know, 'powerlines'... This is such a special little spot with such great features I can't help but share it as the perfect after-dinner quickie.

THE MASSONIC TEMPLE:

Short Trad, TR, 5.6 - 5.8 ; possible un-roped opportunity

The Masonic Temple Block

The Knight Kadoosh, 5.6 

Looks loose, sounds loose, feels loose... Repeat as a mantra through summit.

Masonic Geometry 5.8 (Top-rope)

This is one of my favorites in the area and I was happy to TRS on the first attempts as I found it challenging. It will assuredly go as boulder problem at some point. 

The Perfect Magician 5.7 Trad

This too will go as a boulder problem at some point although the landing is ugly, the rock is not the the most trustworthy, and it sets an easy anchor.

THE VEILED PROPHETS:

Short TR,  Open Boulder Projects

I am not a boulderer. I had originally labeled these on solo top-rope at V-Easy as I felt the moves after cleaning were in the 5.9 range, but I have zero intention of going back un-roped and had moved to TRS soon after a few stern rejections early on... A lot of challenge can be added with exclusion, wandering and experimentation required.

The Veiled Prophet Block - This spot is spectacular at dusk.

Jahbulon (Open Project)

The Entered Apprentice V Easy (TRS)

Entered Apprentice

Jahbulon 

For any feedback, flames, or questions / ideas, ping me via email at (my last name) at gmail.

See you out there,

Jim Pavoldi