g. The Great Buttress
- 6 routes
- 5.2 – 5.11a
- Trad · Sport · Mixed
- Apr–Oct
- best months
The Great Buttress is a climbing area in Ralph Stover State Park in Pennsylvania, managed by State Park and Recreation. It sits among several other climbing areas in the park, including Ralph Stover State Park (High Rocks), f. Cramped Face and d. Tango Wall, all within about a tenth of a mile. The area has six routes, with grades ranging from 5.2 to 5.11a. Three are trad, two are sport and one is mixed. Open Book is a 5.2 trad route with a first ascent by Joe Walsh in winter 1941. Dean's List, a 5.11a sport route, was first climbed by D. Hernandez. Tales from the Crypt, a 5.10a mixed route, was first climbed by Mel Hamel and Tom Stryker in September 1979. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from the nearby Bucksville weather station run from highs around 72°F in May to about 76°F in September, with July the warmest month at about 85°F. Winter is cold, with January highs near 38°F and lows around 19°F. Chief Running Deer Trail is about 2 miles away, and Mimi's Trail is about 4.6 miles away. The Delaware River, roughly 10 miles off, offers river fishing.
Best time to go · Apr–Oct
Best time to visit g. The Great Buttress
Best months: April–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.
Jan
38° / 19°
8 wet
Feb
41° / 20°
7 wet
Mar
50° / 28°
8 wet
Apr
63° / 38°
9 wet
May
72° / 49°
10 wet
Jun
80° / 58°
9 wet
Jul
85° / 63°
9 wet
Aug
82° / 61°
9 wet
Sep
76° / 54°
8 wet
Oct
65° / 42°
8 wet
Nov
54° / 31°
7 wet
Dec
43° / 25°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bucksville, PA, 6.9 mi away at 387 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Andrew Gnias, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Ralph Stover State Park (High Rocks)
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