Kentucky · Rock climbing · Beattyville

The Shire

Shire is a Kentucky climbing crag with 13 routes across 12 grades, offering bouldering pads, sport, and trad.

Photo: Jarek Tuszyński (user:Jarekt), CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

13 routes

5.7 – 5.12c

Sport · Trad · Bouldering

Is Shire, The open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Daniel Boone National Forest. It doesn't name Shire, The, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

National Visitor Use Monitoring, Oct 2026-Sept 2027
Agency closure covering Daniel Boone National Forest · USFS · Daniel Boone National Forest
Scott Creek Boat ramp briefly inaccessible, July 30
Agency closure covering Daniel Boone National Forest · USFS · Daniel Boone National Forest
Low water levels at Laurel River Lake
Agency alert covering Daniel Boone National Forest · USFS · Daniel Boone National Forest
Active logging operations near Redbird Crest Trail Sections 17-19
Agency alert covering Daniel Boone National Forest · USFS · Daniel Boone National Forest
Cliffside Trail #519 Closure
Agency alert covering Daniel Boone National Forest · USFS · Daniel Boone National Forest

As of Oct 25, 5:00 pm EDT · Source: USFS · Daniel Boone National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit The Shire

Best months: August–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

Jan
42° / 24°
13 wet
Feb
47° / 27°
13 wet
Mar
57° / 34°
15 wet
Apr
68° / 44°
15 wet
May
75° / 53°
15 wet
Jun
82° / 61°
14 wet
Jul
84° / 65°
14 wet
Aug
84° / 64°
12 wet
Sep
79° / 57°
10 wet
Oct
69° / 44°
12 wet
Nov
57° / 35°
12 wet
Dec
46° / 28°
13 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Beattyville 4n, KY, 1.3 mi away at 1,080 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

The Shire is a climbing area in Kentucky's Daniel Boone National Forest, within the Cumberland Ranger District and the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve. It is managed by a non-governmental organization, and several climbing areas sit right next to it, including Bronaugh Wall, North 40 and Courtesy Wall, each about 0.1 mile away. The climbing here is mostly sport, with a few trad and boulder routes. There are 13 routes in total, and the grades run from 5.7 up to 5.12c. Among them are Buffalo Crickets, a trad route at 5.10b, and Earth-Bound Misfit, a sport route at 5.12c. The boulder route is V1. For timing, fall is the most comfortable season. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Beattyville show October highs around 69°F with lows near 44°F, and September and October have the fewest wet days of the year. Nearby, the Sheltowee Trace high water route is about 2.8 miles away, and Lago Linda Hideaway campground is about 4.4 miles away. Paddlers can reach the Middle Fork Red River, roughly 9.3 miles off.