With thousands of miles of rocky coastline and hundreds of granite peaks, Maine is a great place to rock climb. Maine offers over 400 rock climbing routes scattered throughout the state from Mount Desert Island to the Western Mountains to Baxter State Park. Some climbing routes are hidden and require a trek to the start of the route while others can easily be accessed by car. Before you embark on any rock climbing trip it’s important to have all the safety equipment and knowledge so you have a safe and fun experience. Here are five cool spots to start your journey in Maine.
Shagg Crag is a popular rock climbing route in Western Maine. It requires an easy 40-minute hike into the rock before you can start your ascend. Shagg Crag is one of the most stacked cliffs in New England. It has steep, juggy, and granite climbing so it’s great for a variety of climbers. With 12, 5.12 routes, you’ll have plenty of options to test your strength and skills. Popular climbing routes include the Shaggin’ Wagon and Meltdown. Most of the routes are bolted for sport climbing, but trad climbing routes are also available.
Acadia National Park is one of the best places in Maine to rock climb. If you’ve never rock climbed before you can sign up for a class with Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School in Bar Harbor. Some of Acadia’s classic climbing routes like the “Great Chimney” and Otter Cliffs are easy to get to from the road. But other routes, especially on the Precipice, require a bit of a hike. Old Town is a trad climbing route on the South Wall of the Precipice. Another popular route on the South Wall is the 5.10a Chitlin’s Corner.
Thousands of people hike to the top of Maine’s highest mountain every year but few dare to climb her rocky cliffs using just a rope and some climbing gear. Popular with the ice climbers during the winter months, Mount Katahdin has a range of trad climbing routes. The Armadillo consists of six pitches. It’ll take you about three hours to get to the bottom of the Armadillo making this route best for dedicated climbers. The top of the Armadillo meets with Knife Edge Trail so you can just hike back down the mountain after you finish your rock climb. You’ll certainly have many hikers watching you ascend!
Camden Hills has over 140 different rock climbing routes from one end of Camden Hills State Park to the other. Most of the climbing routes are on metamorphosed rock that varies widely in appearance. The climbing routes are a mix of sport and trad routes and some can even be climbed during the winter months. The Glory Hole is a popular 5.8 sport climbing route great for beginners. Voluntary Madness is a challenging 5.12d sport climbing route if you’re looking to test your skills. Other favorites include the Million Muppet March, Exasperator, and Spider.
As one of the largest rock faces in New England it was just a matter of time before the rock climbers made routes on this massive 800-foot-tall, one-mile-wide piece of granite in the middle of Moosehead Lake. Mt. Kineo can only be accessed by boat, but you’ll be glad you did it. The rock has four trad climbing routes and ice climbing routes during the winter months. The most popular routes ascend the Main Face. There is a lot of lose rocks so a helmet is a must for safety reasons.
