Summit Cliff
- 6 routes
- 5.8 – 5.10d
- Trad
Summit Cliff is a climbing area in New York, about 2.3 miles from the town of Hawkeye. It sits among several other climbing areas and trails within a short distance, making it an easy addition to a day spent exploring the surrounding rock and paths. The area is a traditional climbing spot, with six routes all rated in the 5.8 to 5.10d range on the YDS scale. The easiest is Blueberry Buttress at 5.8, and the hardest is Great Northern Diver at 5.10d. All the routes are traditional, with first ascents recorded as far back as 1981 for Tales of Weakness and as recently as 2010 for Blueberry Buttress. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Lake Placid run to highs around 74°F in July, with lows near 54°F, while winter highs stay in the 20s. Close by, Silver Lake and Purple Rain Wall are both within half a mile, and the summit cliff Trail and Potter Mountain Cliff are each about 0.7 miles away.
Best time to go
Best time to visit Summit Cliff
No month here meets our mild-weather rule. 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
23° / 6°
18 wet
Feb
27° / 8°
14 wet
Mar
36° / 16°
14 wet
Apr
49° / 29°
14 wet
May
62° / 40°
15 wet
Jun
70° / 49°
14 wet
Jul
74° / 54°
14 wet
Aug
73° / 52°
13 wet
Sep
66° / 45°
13 wet
Oct
52° / 35°
15 wet
Nov
40° / 25°
16 wet
Dec
28° / 14°
18 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lake Placid 2 S, NY, 16.9 mi away at 1,888 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Routes (6)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Apuch, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Moss Cliff
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Photo: Apuch, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Notch Mountain
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Notch Mountain in New York has 9 climbing routes with mixed and trad styles.
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Silver Lake
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Tsunami Wall
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Diverse climbing area in New York with routes for multiple skill levels.
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Purple Rain Wall
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Purple Rain Wall in New York has 6 trad climbing routes across 4 difficulty grades.
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Center of Progress Cliff
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New York climbing crag with varied routes for multiple skill levels.
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Potter Mountain Cliff
~1 min drive
Potter Mountain Cliff in New York has 18 climbing routes across 10 grades, offering sport and trad options.
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Mud Pond
~2 min drive
Mud Pond in New York has 18 climbing routes across 10 grades, featuring sport and trad styles.
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Cloudspin Cliff
~21 min drive
Cloudspin Cliff in New York has 11 climbing routes across 10 difficulty grades, featuring mixed, sport, and trad styles.
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D: Wilmington Region
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D: Wilmington Region in New York has 15 climbing routes across 10 grades.
