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Rock climbing in the Southeastern USA |
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2008
North Carolina Climbing Site Closures for Peregrine Falcons |
Site Name |
Area Closed |
Landowner |
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Whitesides Mountain |
All climbing routes between and including Southwest Arete and Mainline are closed. |
USFS, Nantahala Ranger District (828) 524-6441 |
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Table Rock (Linville Gorge) |
All climbing routes between and including Blood, Sweat, and Tears and My Route are closed. |
USFS, Grandfather Ranger District (828) 652-2144 |
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Shortoff Mountain (Linville Gorge) |
All climbing routes between and including C.O. to and including Paradigm Shift are closed. |
USFS, Grandfather Ranger District (828) 652-2144 |
|
Big Lost Cove Cliffs |
All climbing routes are closed. |
USFS, Grandfather Ranger District (828) 652-2144 |
|
Looking Glass Rock (North Face) |
All routes to the right of, but excluding Glass Menagerie and to the left of and including Twisted Laurel on the North Face of Looking Glass Rock are closed. |
USFS, Pisgah Ranger District (828) 877-3350 |
ATTENTION CLIMBERS: SEASONAL WILDLIFE CLOSURES ARE IN EFFECT TO PROTECT THE NESTING AND ROOSTING SITES OF PEREGRINE FALCONS.
The north end of Moores’s Wall will be closed to all users from January 1st – August 31st or until further notice. This includes the following climbing routes:
1. The Recommendation 9. Boogie Till Ya Puke 17. Bat Attack
2. Enduro Man Rides Again 10. Vascular Disaster 18. Reckless Abandon
3. Filet-O-Fish 11. Nevermore 19. Unnamed Corner
4. Roof Awakening 12. Fiddlers on the Roof 20. Juggernaut
5. Rastafari 13. Spice 21. Nevermore
6. Mighty Mouse 14. Shadowdance 22. Indian Head
7. Nicotine 15. Nutsweat 23. The Corner
8. Middle Road 16. Death Wish
These closures are in accordance with North Carolina General Statutes GS-113-322 and GS-113-35.
RAPTORS ARE HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO HUMAN DISTURBANCE. PLEASE ABIDE BY THIS SEASONAL CLOSURE. For more information please call (336) 593-8480.
Climbing route names are taken from: Kelly, Thomas. 1995. The Climber’s Guide to North Carolina 3rd Edition. Earthbound Sports Inc., Chapel Hill, NC 332pp. and from Lambert and Shull. 2002. Selected Climbs in North Carolina. 1st Edition. The Mountaineers Books. Seattle, WA. 326pp.
All sites are closed from January 15 - August 15, 2008; except that in the event that falcons are not using the site or nesting terminates at an earlier date than August 15th, the site may be opened to public use, as determined by the appropriate landowners. The specified closed (or open) routes will change if the falcons nest on a part of the cliff outside the existing closed area, or if they do not nest in an existing closed area, as determined by monitoring throughout the breeding season.
Devil’s Courthouse, National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway, is closed for protection of rare plants.
Moore’s Wall at Hanging Rock State Park is open until peregrine residency can be established.
This summary of climbing-site closures represents the best available knowledge regarding closure orders issued by the U.S. Forest Service in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission – Non-Game Division..
Chris Kelly
Mountain Wildlife Diversity Biologist
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
wk cell: 828-230-1320