North Carolina · Rock climbing · Lake Lure

The Obscure Area

Obscure Area, The is a North Carolina climbing crag with 6 routes.

6 routes
V3 – V8
Bouldering

Best time to visit The Obscure Area

Best months: February–June and September–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.

  1. Jan

    50° / 28°

    9 wet

  2. Feb

    55° / 30°

    8 wet

  3. Mar

    62° / 36°

    9 wet

  4. Apr

    72° / 44°

    9 wet

  5. May

    78° / 54°

    10 wet

  6. Jun

    85° / 63°

    11 wet

  7. Jul

    88° / 67°

    11 wet

  8. Aug

    87° / 66°

    10 wet

  9. Sep

    81° / 59°

    8 wet

  10. Oct

    72° / 47°

    7 wet

  11. Nov

    63° / 36°

    7 wet

  12. Dec

    53° / 30°

    8 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lake Lure 2, NC, 0.8 mi away at 1,040 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

The Obscure Area is a bouldering area in North Carolina, about 0.7 miles from Camp Occoneechee. It sits among a cluster of short trails, with the Dogwood Trail and Mountain Laurel Trail both within half a mile, and the Mountain Vista Trail about 0.5 miles away. The climbing here is all bouldering, with six routes ranging from V3 to V8. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Lake Lure show October highs around 72°F with lows near 47°F, and April is similar at about 72°F by day and 44°F at night. July and August run hotter, with highs in the upper 80s. The routes include I Kneed This at V3 and Hippy Crippler at V4, with The Egg at V5- and Blasphemous Kumquat at V8. West Side Boulders, about 2.4 miles away, offers more climbing, and Lake Lure is roughly 1.6 miles off for fishing.

Routes (6)

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Lower TierPhoto: bobistraveling, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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