Backyard Boulders
- 5 routes
- V1 – V10
- Bouldering
- Apr, Jun–Oct
- best months
Backyard Boulders is a climbing area in Sourland Mountain Preserve in New Jersey, on county land. It sits among a cluster of boulders and trails, with other climbing spots and hiking routes within a short walk. Late spring and early fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 71°F and September highs around 77°F, with July peaking near 85°F. The Ridge Trail and the Playground climbing area are each about 0.1 mile away, and Main Boulder is about 0.2 mile off. Roaring Rocks, a climbing area about 0.5 mile away, rounds out the close options.
Ridge TrailHikingPhoto: robanhk, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.1 mi- PlaygroundRock climbing0.1 mi
- Main BoulderRock climbing0.2 mi
RidgeHikingPhoto: robanhk, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.2 mi- Roaring Rocks TrailHikingPhoto: robanhk, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.4 mi
- Roaring RocksRock climbing0.5 mi
- Tributary TrailHikingPhoto: robanhk, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)0.5 mi
- Delaware & Raritan Canal Water TrailCanoeing5.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Devil's Half AcreRock climbing · ~2 min drivePhoto: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
o. Chain Reaction ButtressRock climbing · ~35 min drivePhoto: Andrew Gnias, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Ralph Stover State Park (High Rocks)Rock climbing · ~35 min drivePhoto: Andrew Gnias, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- f. Cramped FaceRock climbing · ~35 min drivePhoto: Andrew Gnias, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- PlaygroundRock climbing · Next door
- Main BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- Roaring RocksRock climbing · Next door
- SouthfieldRock climbing · ~2 min drive
- Half Moon AreaRock climbing · ~2 min drive
- Sourland Mountain PreserveRock climbing · ~2 min drive
Best time to visit Backyard Boulders
Best months: April and June–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
38° / 22°
11 wet
Feb
41° / 23°
10 wet
Mar
49° / 30°
11 wet
Apr
62° / 40°
12 wet
May
71° / 50°
13 wet
Jun
80° / 59°
12 wet
Jul
85° / 64°
11 wet
Aug
83° / 62°
11 wet
Sep
77° / 55°
9 wet
Oct
65° / 44°
10 wet
Nov
54° / 35°
10 wet
Dec
43° / 27°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Wertsville 4 Ne, NJ, 3.6 mi away at 283 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
