The Whale Boulder
- 10 routes
- V0+ – V11
- Bouldering
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- best months
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The Whale Boulder is a bouldering area in Virginia, about 0.7 miles from the community of Westover Hills. It sits within the James River Park System, where several other climbing spots lie within a short distance, including The Biker Area, The Hidden Temple and The Egg Boulder, all about 0.1 mile away. The area offers 10 bouldering routes, ranging from V0+ to V11. The easiest is Tail of the Whale (Stand) at V0+, and the hardest is Sweet Nothings at V11. Whale Crack and Whale's Mouth are both V3. The routes are all bouldering, so there is no climbing on rock faces. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Richmond show October highs around 71°F and May highs around 78°F, while July averages about 90°F. The Texas Beach Trail and Buttermilk Heights Trail are both about 0.4 mile away for a walk. Paddlers can reach the Chickahominy River, roughly 8.6 miles off.
- James River Park SystemRock climbing0.1 mi
- The Biker AreaRock climbing0.1 mi
- The Hidden TempleRock climbing0.1 mi
- The Egg BoulderRock climbing0.1 mi
- Forest HillMountain biking0.4 mi
- Texas Beach TrailHiking0.4 mi
Buttermilk Heights TrailHikingPhoto: Danmouer, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.4 mi
Chickahominy RiverCanoeingPhoto: Muhranoff, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)8.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- James River Park SystemRock climbing · Next door
- The Biker AreaRock climbing · Next door
- The Hidden TempleRock climbing · Next door
- The Egg BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- Fence BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- Shark BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- The Hobbit HoleRock climbing · Next door
- The ButtermilksRock climbing · Next door
- Slasher BoulderRock climbing · Next door
- Vendetta BoulderRock climbing · Next door
Best time to visit The Whale Boulder
Best months: March–May 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.
Jan
48° / 29°
10 wet · 2 snow
Feb
52° / 30°
9 wet · 2 snow
Mar
60° / 37°
10 wet · 1 snow
Apr
70° / 46°
11 wet
May
78° / 56°
11 wet
Jun
86° / 65°
10 wet
Jul
90° / 69°
11 wet
Aug
88° / 68°
10 wet
Sep
81° / 61°
9 wet
Oct
71° / 49°
9 wet
Nov
60° / 39°
9 wet
Dec
51° / 32°
10 wet · 1 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Richmond Intl Ap, VA, 8.8 mi away at 164 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
