North Carolina · Rock climbing · Westfield

Circus Wall

Circus Wall in North Carolina has 6 trad climbing routes across 5 grades.

Photo: James Willamor, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

6 routes

5.4 – 5.10a

Trad

Best time to visit Circus Wall

Best months: March–June and August–November. 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
48° / 29°
8 wet
Feb
52° / 30°
8 wet
Mar
59° / 36°
9 wet
Apr
70° / 44°
9 wet
May
76° / 55°
11 wet
Jun
84° / 63°
10 wet
Jul
87° / 68°
11 wet
Aug
85° / 66°
10 wet
Sep
79° / 59°
9 wet
Oct
70° / 47°
9 wet
Nov
60° / 36°
8 wet
Dec
51° / 31°
9 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Danbury, NC, 6.4 mi away at 1,019 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Circus Wall is a climbing area in North Carolina, about 1.7 miles from the town of Moores Springs. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with Center Buttress, Central Wall and Sentinel Buttress Boulderfield all about 0.1 mile away. The area is a compact hub of traditional routes, and the closest trail, Moores Wall Loop Trail, is under a mile off. The climbing here is all trad, with six routes ranging from 5.4 to 5.10+. Sentinel Chimney is the easiest at 5.4, and Break On Through and Bimbo's Bulge are the hardest at 5.10a and 5.10+. Zoo View and Air Show are both 5.7+ and 5.8+ and were first climbed by Tom Howard and Bruce Meneghin in 1976. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Danbury, NC, show October highs around 70°F with lows near 47°F, while July highs reach about 87°F. That station sits roughly 1,300 feet lower than the wall, so temperatures on the rock run cooler.