Panther Lake Camping Resort
Campground
Campground · 0.1 mi from the trail
New Jersey · Rock climbing · Whitehall · Near Hackettstown
s. Ronca
- 16 routes
- 5.1 – 5.10b
- Top Rope
- Apr, Aug–Oct
- best months
S. Ronca is a climbing area in New Jersey, about 0.2 miles from the town of Whitehall. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with r. Benes and t. Clifford each about 0.1 miles away and c. Smiley Slopes about 0.6 miles off. The area is built around top-rope routes, and the grade range runs from 5.1 to 5.10, with 16 routes in total. The most comfortable months for climbing are typically late spring and early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 71°F and September highs around 74°F, with July the warmest at about 84°F. Several other places are close by. The Sussex Branch Trail and Cranberry Overlook are both within a mile, and the Musconetcong River, about 4 miles away, offers canoeing. Lake Hopatcong, roughly 5 miles off, is a lake fishing destination.
Around this trail
Add any of these when you start a tripSleep close Eat after 
If it rainsZeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsZinc mine and museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey
Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons)
More in HackettstownBest time to go · Apr, Aug–Oct
Best time to visit s. Ronca
Best months: April and August–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
36° / 19°
12 wet
Feb
39° / 20°
11 wet
Mar
48° / 28°
12 wet
Apr
61° / 38°
12 wet
May
71° / 48°
13 wet
Jun
79° / 57°
13 wet
Jul
84° / 62°
13 wet
Aug
82° / 60°
12 wet
Sep
74° / 52°
11 wet
Oct
63° / 42°
11 wet
Nov
52° / 32°
11 wet
Dec
41° / 25°
12 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Andover Aeroflex Ap, NJ, 3 mi away at 583 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Routes (16)
East Edge5.1West Edge5.1West Wall: Broken Rib5.10WW Farther Left of 3 Trees5.10bSlab Center Left5.2Left Wide Gully5.3Break Right5.4SouthWest Ridge5.4Break Left5.5Far Left Gully then Slab5.5West Wall: Smaller Notch5.5Slab Left5.6Groove5.7West Wall: Left of 3 Trees5.7West Wall: Low Corner5.9WW Diagonal Crack5.9
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Magpieturtle, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Parsippany Rock House
~27 min drive
Parsippany Rock House in New Jersey has 16 bouldering routes across 11 grades.
CLIMB
r. Benes
Next door
r. Benes is a climbing crag in New Jersey with 19 top-rope routes.
CLIMB
t. Clifford
Next door
t. Clifford in New Jersey has 10 top-rope routes across 6 difficulty grades.
CLIMB
c. Smiley Slopes
~1 min drive
c. Smiley Slopes is a New Jersey climbing area with 12 routes ranging from moderate to hard, offering top-rope and trad options.
CLIMB
d. Smiley Face
~1 min drive
7 top-rope routes at d. Smiley Face in New Jersey span 5 difficulty grades.
CLIMB
g. Walsh
~1 min drive
g. Walsh in New Jersey has 11 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering top-rope and trad options.
CLIMB
Cranberry Hollow
~1 min drive
Cranberry Hollow in New Jersey has 2 top-rope routes with 2 difficulty grades.
CLIMB
h. Kovalcik
~1 min drive
h. Kovalcik in New Jersey has 8 climbing routes with 7 difficulty grades.
CLIMB
k. Krauss
~1 min drive
k. Krauss is a New Jersey climbing area with 7 top-rope routes across 5 grades.
CLIMB
l. Prudden
~1 min drive
l. Prudden in New Jersey has 10 climbing routes across 6 grades, offering top-rope and trad options.
