Below Breakaway
- 7 routes
- V2 – V7
- Bouldering
- Apr–Jun, Aug–Nov
- best months
Below Breakaway is a bouldering area in Maryland, sitting just 0.1 mile from the town of Rocks. It is a cluster of boulders, not a single climb, and it sits right alongside other named climbing areas: Pinnacle, Biceps Wall and the Titanic Area are all about a tenth of a mile away. The boulders here offer a range of grades, with seven routes listed and all of them rated on the V scale. The easiest are V2, and the hardest is V7. Among them are Bat Shit Roof at V2, Bat Shit Crack Extension at V5 and Croc Block Right at V7. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from the nearby Conowingo Dam weather station show May highs around 74°F and October highs around 67°F, while July highs average about 88°F and January highs sit near 40°F. The Purple Trail Boulders are also within a tenth of a mile. For a walk, the White Trail is about 0.6 mile away, and the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail "North" and the Rocks Road Sidepath are both within about 6 miles.
Best time to go · Apr–Jun, Aug–Nov
Best time to visit Below Breakaway
Best months: April–June and 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
40° / 25°
11 wet
Feb
43° / 26°
10 wet
Mar
51° / 34°
10 wet
Apr
64° / 44°
10 wet
May
74° / 54°
10 wet
Jun
83° / 64°
9 wet
Jul
88° / 69°
9 wet
Aug
85° / 67°
9 wet
Sep
79° / 60°
9 wet
Oct
67° / 48°
9 wet
Nov
55° / 37°
8 wet
Dec
45° / 31°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Conowingo Dam, MD, 12.7 mi away at 40 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: michaelwm25, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Biceps Wall
Next door
Biceps Wall in Maryland has 6 climbing routes on 6 difficulty grades.
Photo: michaelwm25, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Titanic Area
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Titanic Area in Maryland has 5 bouldering routes across 5 difficulty grades.
Photo: michaelwm25, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Moby Dick and Trailer Boulders
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6 bouldering routes in Maryland ranging across 6 difficulty grades.
CLIMB
Pinnacle
Next door
Pinnacle is a Maryland climbing crag with 6 routes ranging across 6 difficulty grades.
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Purple Trail Boulders
Next door
4 bouldering routes in Maryland ranging from moderate to hard.
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Breakaway Wall
Next door
Breakaway Wall in Maryland has 9 trad climbing routes across 6 grades.
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Rocks State Park
Next door
Rocks State Park in Maryland has 10 climbing routes with 9 difficulty grades, offering bouldering and trad options.
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Smoke 'n' Ash Boulder
Next door
Smoke 'n' Ash Boulder in Maryland has 6 climbing routes with bouldering pads and trad.
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Hot Spot Boulder
~15 min drive
Hot Spot Boulder in Maryland has 8 bouldering routes across 4 difficulty grades.
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Fallston Boulder Garden
~16 min drive
Fallston Boulder Garden in Maryland has 13 bouldering routes across 10 difficulty grades.
