Upstream Slab
- 7 routes
- V0 – V6
- Bouldering
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- best months
Upstream Slab is a bouldering area in Maryland, about 0.2 miles from the community of Burnt Mills. It sits among a cluster of climbing and trail spots, with Downstream Slab AKA Snowflake Face and North Bank - Uphill Slab just 0.1 mile away, and Copperhead Run Trail and the Northwest Branch Trail also within a tenth of a mile. The area is a bouldering destination, with seven routes listed, all of them boulders. The grades run from V0 to V6, with the hardest being Genetic at V6, first climbed by Gabor Szekely. The easiest routes, Don't Fall Right and Order, are both V0. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from the nearby Beltsville weather station show May highs around 74°F and September highs near 79°F, with July peaking at about 87°F. Paddlers can head to the Northwest Branch Anacostia River, about 3.5 miles away, and Greenbelt Park Picnic Areas offers camping roughly 6.8 miles off.
- Downstream Slab AKA Snowflake FaceRock climbing0.1 mi
- Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking0.1 mi
- North Bank - Uphill SlabRock climbing0.1 mi
- North Bank - Tulip AreaRock climbing0.1 mi
- Copperhead Run TrailHiking0.1 mi
Northwest Branch Anacostia RiverCanoeingPhoto: Paul from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)3.5 mi- Greenbelt Park Picnic AreasCamping6.8 mi
- Little Falls BranchCanoeing7.3 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Murray Hill Road BouldersRock climbing · ~21 min drivePhoto: Jstuby, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- North side of riverRock climbing · ~21 min drivePhoto: Jstuby, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Cow's HoofRock climbing · ~23 min drivePhoto: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- North Bank - Uphill SlabRock climbing · Next door
- North Bank - Tulip AreaRock climbing · Next door
- North Bank - Crack Line BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- South Bank - Roof AreaRock climbing · Next door
- South Bank - Pipeline AreaRock climbing · Next door
- North Bank - Anklebiter BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- North Bank - Chaos Roof Area AKA Snowflake BoulderRock climbing · Next door
Also worth it near here
Northwest Branch TrailMountain biking · Next doorPhoto: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Northwood-Chesapeake Bay TrailHiking · ~1 min drivePhoto: inkdroid, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Cherry Hill ParkCamping · ~6 min drive
- Northwest Branch Anacostia RiverCanoeing · ~6 min drivePhoto: Paul from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Upstream Slab
Best months: April–June and September–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
43° / 25°
10 wet
Feb
45° / 27°
9 wet
Mar
53° / 34°
10 wet
Apr
65° / 44°
11 wet
May
74° / 54°
11 wet
Jun
83° / 63°
10 wet
Jul
87° / 68°
10 wet
Aug
86° / 66°
9 wet
Sep
79° / 59°
8 wet
Oct
68° / 47°
9 wet
Nov
57° / 37°
9 wet
Dec
47° / 30°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Beltsville, MD, 3.9 mi away at 145 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
