Big Chick Hill
Photo: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 4 routes
- 5.7 – 5.9
- Trad
- May–Oct
- best months
Big Chick Hill is a climbing area in Maine, about a mile from the town of Archers Corners. It sits among several other named climbing areas, with Main Face and Left End and Left Face each about 0.1 mile away, and e. Mountaineers Wall and Parks Pond Bluff about 1.6 miles off. The area is a cluster of traditional routes, and the four listed here run from 5.7 to 5.9 on the YDS scale. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Orono show July highs around 81°F with lows near 58°F, while winter highs stay in the 20s and 30s. The routes here are all trad, and the hardest is Janitor in a Drum at 5.9. Lyback, a 5.8, was first climbed in the 1970s, and Son of a Birch, also 5.9, was first climbed in October 1983.
- Main FaceRock climbingPhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.1 mi
- Left End and Left FaceRock climbingPhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.1 mi
- e. Mountaineers WallRock climbing1.6 mi
- Parks Pond BluffRock climbing1.6 mi
- Partridge Pond TrailHiking4.1 mi
- Bald Bluff TrailHiking5.3 mi
- Orange TrailHiking6.1 mi
- Beech Hill PondLake fishing9.7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Upper Slab and Upper WallRock climbing · ~1h 1m drivePhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
The Precipice aka The South WallRock climbing · ~1h 2m drivePhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Otter CliffsRock climbing · ~1h 5m drivePhoto: Aaron Zhu, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- e. Mountaineers WallRock climbing · ~3 min drive
- Parks Pond BluffRock climbing · ~3 min drive
- c. Main FaceRock climbing · ~3 min drive
- b. Mushroom WallRock climbing · ~3 min drive
- a. Maple Run WallRock climbing · ~3 min drive
- Fletchers BluffRock climbing · ~3 min drive
- Eagle BluffRock climbing · ~5 min drive
Best time to visit Big Chick Hill
Best months: May–October. 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
28° / 11°
Feb
32° / 13°
Mar
41° / 21°
Apr
53° / 32°
May
66° / 43°
Jun
75° / 52°
Jul
81° / 58°
Aug
79° / 57°
Sep
70° / 48°
Oct
57° / 37°
Nov
45° / 29°
Dec
35° / 18°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Orono, ME, 11.4 mi away at 115 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
