North Carolina · Rock climbing · Newland

Sitting Bear Spire

Sitting Bear Spire in North Carolina has 8 routes across 7 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.

8 routes
5.9 – 5.12a
Trad · Sport · Mixed

Is Sitting Bear Spire open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in National Forests in North Carolina. It doesn't name Sitting Bear Spire, 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 Sitting Bear Spire

Best months: March–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

    45° / 24°

  2. Feb

    47° / 26°

  3. Mar

    55° / 32°

  4. Apr

    64° / 39°

  5. May

    71° / 48°

  6. Jun

    78° / 57°

  7. Jul

    81° / 60°

  8. Aug

    80° / 59°

  9. Sep

    74° / 53°

  10. Oct

    65° / 42°

  11. Nov

    56° / 31°

  12. Dec

    48° / 27°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Spruce Pine 2 Ne, NC, 6.3 mi away at 2,850 ft. The station sits about 800 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.

Sitting Bear Spire is a climbing area in the Linville Gorge Wilderness, part of the Grandfather Ranger District of the National Forests in North Carolina. The Forest Service manages the land, and the nearest town is Wisemans View, about 2 miles away. The area has eight routes, with five trad, two sport and one mixed. Grades run from 5.9 to 5.12, with the median at 5.11. Among the named routes are Original Route (5.9+, trad) and Devil's Cap (5.12, trad), and the mixed route Vision Quest (5.9) is the easiest. For comfortable weather, late spring and early fall are the best bets. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Spruce Pine show May highs around 71°F and September highs around 74°F, with July the warmest month at about 81°F. That station sits roughly 800 feet lower than the spire, so temperatures on the rock run cooler. The Flackamite/Pirate wall is just 0.1 mile away, and Devils Hole and Raspberry Ridge are both within a mile. Linville Falls Campground is about 3.6 miles off.

Routes (8)

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