The Outcrop
- 5 routes
- V0 – V1
- Bouldering
- May, Jul–Oct
- best months
The Outcrop is a bouldering area in the Kennebec Highlands of Maine, managed by State Park and Recreation. It sits within the Kennebec Highlands land unit, about a quarter mile from Sanders Hill, another climbing area, and about a mile from the Belgrade Lakes Bouldering. The climbing here is all bouldering, with five routes listed, each rated between V0 and V1 on the V scale. The Mantle Boulder is the easiest at V0, and The Finger Crack and The Hand Crack are both at V1. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical July highs reach about 79°F with lows near 57°F, based on averages from a nearby weather station in New Sharon, which sits at a similar elevation to the area. Winters are cold, with January highs around 27°F and several snow days each month from December through February. Other places to explore are close by. Sanders Hill Trail is about 0.4 miles away, and the Kennebec Highlands Trail and French's Mountain Trail are each about a mile away. Belgrade Lakes Bouldering, roughly 0.9 miles off, offers more bouldering.
- Sanders HillRock climbing0.2 mi
- Sanders Hill TrailHiking0.4 mi
- Belgrade Lakes BoulderingRock climbing0.9 mi
- French's Mountain TrailHiking1 mi
Kennebec Highlands TrailHikingPhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)1 mi- Blaisdell TrailHiking1.6 mi
- Mt PhilipsRock climbing2.6 mi
- Great Meadow StreamCanoeing5.8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Sanders HillRock climbing · Next door
- Belgrade Lakes BoulderingRock climbing · ~2 min drive
- Mt PhilipsRock climbing · ~5 min drive
- Castle Island bouldersRock climbing · ~6 min drive
- g. Capital RegionRock climbing · ~24 min drive
- Left EndRock climbing · ~53 min drive
- BoulderingRock climbing · ~53 min drive
- Main Wall LinkupsRock climbing · ~53 min drive
- Shagg CragRock climbing · ~53 min drive
- Bird's PerchRock climbing · ~53 min drive
Best time to visit The Outcrop
Best months: May and July–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
27° / 7°
10 wet · 8 snow
Feb
30° / 9°
9 wet · 7 snow
Mar
39° / 18°
10 wet · 5 snow
Apr
52° / 30°
10 wet · 2 snow
May
65° / 42°
12 wet
Jun
73° / 51°
13 wet
Jul
79° / 57°
12 wet
Aug
78° / 55°
10 wet
Sep
72° / 46°
9 wet
Oct
57° / 36°
11 wet
Nov
44° / 25°
10 wet · 3 snow
Dec
33° / 15°
11 wet · 6 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at New Sharon, ME, 6.3 mi away at 480 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
