TWS Rocks -

TWS Rocks is a climbing area in Maryland, about half a mile from Thurmont Overlook. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with The Pinnacle and Four Aretes both about a tenth of a mile away. That makes it easy to pair with those areas in a single visit to the rock. The routes here range from easy to challenging. OpenBeta lists 14 routes, 12 of them top rope and two trad. Their grades run from 5.0 to 5.11, with the median around 5.5. Mantle Arete, a 5.7 top rope, was first climbed by William Ley. Project, at 5.11, is the hardest of the named routes. Fall is a comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from the Catoctin Mtn Park weather station, about 3.4 miles away, show October highs near 65°F with lows around 46°F. That station sits about 667 feet lower than the climbing area, so expect temperatures here to run cooler. The closest camp is Cunningham Falls State Park Campground, about 0.8 miles away, and the Old Misery Trail is a similar distance. For a longer outing, Camp Misty Mount is about 2 miles off, and Toms Creek, a paddling spot in Pennsylvania, lies roughly 9.4 miles away.