Big Rock Nature Preserve
5 climbing routes in North Carolina's Big Rock Nature Preserve, grades span 4 difficulty levels.
Photo: Lordgilman, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 5 routes
- V1 – V3
- Bouldering · Mixed
Best time to visit Big Rock Nature Preserve
Best months: February–May and September–December. 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
53° / 32°
9 wet
Feb
57° / 35°
9 wet
Mar
64° / 41°
10 wet
Apr
73° / 49°
9 wet
May
80° / 57°
10 wet
Jun
87° / 65°
11 wet
Jul
90° / 69°
11 wet
Aug
89° / 68°
10 wet
Sep
83° / 62°
8 wet
Oct
73° / 50°
8 wet
Nov
63° / 40°
8 wet
Dec
55° / 34°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Monroe Ap, NC, 12.1 mi away at 679 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Big Rock Nature Preserve is a bouldering area in North Carolina, set within Mecklenburg County's open space and about 12 miles from Monroe. The preserve holds five climbing routes, four of which are boulders and one is mixed. The boulders range from V1 to V3 on the V scale, and the mixed route sits at 5.12a on the YDS scale. The preserve offers a compact destination for climbers looking at problems in the V1 to V3 range. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run highs around 73°F in April and October, while July highs reach about 90°F. Weiss Main Trail and Pineville Hiking Trail are within about 4.5 miles. McAlpine Creek and Sixmile Creek, both paddling waters, are about 4.5 to 4.8 miles away.
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Idawriter, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Rising Sun Wall
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Rising Sun Wall in North Carolina has 7 climbing routes across 4 grades.
Photo: Idawriter, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Practice Wall
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Practice Wall in North Carolina has 15 climbing routes across 10 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.
Two-move rock
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Two-move rock is a 7-route bouldering area in North Carolina with 5 difficulty grades.
Wash Rock
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Wash Rock in North Carolina has 10 bouldering routes across 7 grades.
Latta Nature Preserve
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Latta Nature Preserve in North Carolina has 1 bouldering route.
Rawlhide Wall
~48 min drive
Rawlhide Wall in North Carolina has 7 mixed climbing routes.
Resurgence Walls
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Resurgence Walls in North Carolina has 4 mixed, sport, and trad climbing routes.
New Policy Wall
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New Policy Wall in North Carolina has 6 routes with 5 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Boulders
~48 min drive
6 bouldering routes in North Carolina spanning 4 grades.
Red Wall
~48 min drive
Red Wall in North Carolina has 30 climbing routes across 14 grades in mixed, sport, and trad styles.
