North Carolina · Rock climbing · Sapphire

Live At Leads

The hardest route catalogued at Big Green.

5.13a
grade
Trad Gear
style

Is Live At Leads open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in National Forests in North Carolina. It doesn't name Live At Leads, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · National Forests in North Carolina. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Live At Leads

Best months: September–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.

  1. Jan

    42° / 24°

    14 wet

  2. Feb

    46° / 26°

    13 wet

  3. Mar

    54° / 32°

    14 wet

  4. Apr

    62° / 39°

    13 wet

  5. May

    69° / 47°

    14 wet

  6. Jun

    75° / 54°

    15 wet

  7. Jul

    78° / 58°

    17 wet

  8. Aug

    76° / 57°

    16 wet

  9. Sep

    71° / 51°

    12 wet

  10. Oct

    63° / 41°

    11 wet

  11. Nov

    53° / 32°

    11 wet

  12. Dec

    45° / 27°

    14 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Highlands, NC, 11.8 mi away at 3,850 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

This route represents the upper limit of difficulty among the 29 climbs catalogued at Big Green, where the grade span runs from 5.8 to 5.13a.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Main North FacePhoto: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Main North Face

~14 min drive

Main North Face in North Carolina has 6 trad routes across 5 difficulty grades.

Looking Glass BouldersPhoto: Osajus Photography, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Looking Glass Boulders

~28 min drive

Looking Glass Boulders in North Carolina has 4 bouldering routes.

Hidden WallPhoto: jasonferrell, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hidden Wall

~28 min drive

Hidden Wall is a North Carolina climbing crag with 11 routes.

Sun WallPhoto: Osajus Photography, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Sun Wall

~28 min drive

Sun Wall in North Carolina has 22 climbing routes across 13 grades.

South SidePhoto: jasonferrell, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

South Side

~29 min drive

South Side in North Carolina has 28 climbing routes with mixed and trad styles.

Nose AreaPhoto: ninepennies, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Nose Area

~29 min drive

Nose Area in North Carolina has 12 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

Northside BouldersPhoto: ninepennies, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Northside Boulders

~29 min drive

Northside Boulders in North Carolina has 18 bouldering routes.

North SidePhoto: ninepennies, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

North Side

~29 min drive

North Side in North Carolina has 40 climbing routes across 24 grades, offering mixed and traditional styles.

PumpkintownPhoto: Dallas Epperson, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Pumpkintown

~34 min drive

Pumpkintown in South Carolina has 4 sport climbing routes with 3 difficulty grades.

East Face/Guides Wall  (Right Side)Photo: jasonferrell, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

East Face/Guides Wall (Right Side)

~28 min drive

6 traditional climbing routes on East Face/Guides Wall right side, North Carolina.