Whale head
- 7 routes
- V0-1 – V6
- Bouldering
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Whale Head is a bouldering area in the Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area in New Jersey, on county land. It sits among several other climbing spots, including Pyramid Mountain / Booze Wall and Middle Solitude, each about 0.1 mile away, and Low Ball Hill, also about 0.1 mile off. The area is a cluster of boulder problems, with seven routes listed and all of them rated on the V scale. The easiest are V0-1, and the hardest is V6. Among the named routes are Slab Side at V0-1, Baby Bottle Pop at V2, and Pimp Slap at V6. Lowball and Erratical, both V5 and V5+, were first ascents by Jon Mazza. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run from highs around 70°F in May to about 75°F in September, with July the warmest at about 83°F. The Kinnelon - Butler hike is about 0.2 mile away, and the Green Trail is about half a mile off. Farther out, the Wanaque River offers canoeing about 6.5 miles away.
- Low Ball HillRock climbing0.1 mi
- Pyramid Mountain / Booze WallRock climbing0.1 mi
- Middle SolitudeRock climbing0.1 mi
Kinnelon - ButlerHikingPhoto: Brian W. Schaller, FAL (via Wikimedia Commons)0.2 mi
Green TrailHikingPhoto: Garden State Hiker, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.5 mi- Orange TrailHikingPhoto: Garden State Hiker, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.6 mi
- Wanaque RiverCanoeing6.5 mi
Rockaway RiverCanoeingPhoto: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)9.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Parsippany Rock HouseRock climbing · ~14 min drivePhoto: Magpieturtle, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Low Ball HillRock climbing · Next door
- Pyramid Mountain / Booze WallRock climbing · Next door
- Middle SolitudeRock climbing · Next door
- Ball Field BouldersRock climbing · Next door
- Lower TierRock climbing · Next door
- Upper SolitudeRock climbing · Next door
- Cave AreaRock climbing · Next door
- Heart of StoneRock climbing · Next door
- Kincaid WoodsRock climbing · ~3 min drive
Best time to visit Whale head
Best months: April–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°
11 wet
Feb
39° / 19°
9 wet
Mar
47° / 27°
11 wet
Apr
59° / 38°
11 wet
May
70° / 48°
11 wet
Jun
78° / 57°
11 wet
Jul
83° / 61°
10 wet
Aug
81° / 59°
9 wet
Sep
75° / 52°
8 wet
Oct
63° / 41°
9 wet
Nov
51° / 32°
8 wet
Dec
41° / 25°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Charlotteburg Rsvr, NJ, 5.2 mi away at 778 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
