7) Thunder Buttress
7) Thunder Buttress in West Virginia has 15 climbing routes across 11 grades.
- 15 routes
- 5.8 – 5.13b
- Sport · Trad
Is 7) Thunder Buttress open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
As of · Source: NPS · New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit 7) Thunder Buttress
Best months: June–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
41° / 23°
15 wet
Feb
44° / 25°
13 wet
Mar
52° / 31°
14 wet
Apr
64° / 41°
14 wet
May
72° / 50°
14 wet
Jun
79° / 58°
12 wet
Jul
81° / 61°
12 wet
Aug
81° / 60°
11 wet
Sep
75° / 54°
9 wet
Oct
65° / 42°
10 wet
Nov
54° / 33°
11 wet
Dec
45° / 27°
14 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Oak Hill, WV, 8.5 mi away at 2,040 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Thunder Buttress is a climbing area in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing areas, with Middle Beauty about 0.1 mile away, Burning Buttress and Beauty Mountain each about 0.2 mile off. The Brain is about 0.3 mile away, so the area makes for an easy cluster of routes to string together on a single outing. The area has 15 routes, a mix of sport and trad climbing, with grades ranging from 5.8 to 5.13b. Among the routes are Momma's Squeeze Box (5.8, trad), Right Son of Thunder (5.11c, trad), and Stabat Mater (5.13b, sport). The hardest route is Stabat Mater, a sport climb. For comfortable weather, late spring and early fall are the sweet spots. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Oak Hill run from highs around 72°F in May to about 75°F in September, with September also seeing the fewest wet days of the year.
Routes (15)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Ryan Stavely, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)South Nuttall
~1 min drive
South Nuttall in West Virginia has 18 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad options.
Photo: tr.robinson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)R) The Cirque
~1 min drive
R) The Cirque in West Virginia has 27 climbing routes across 16 difficulty grades.
Photo: tr.robinson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)P) Jacob's Ladder Area
~2 min drive
Jacob's Ladder Area in West Virginia has 9 climbing routes with sport and trad options.
Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)I) Honeymooner's Area
~3 min drive
I) Honeymooner's Area in West Virginia has 30 climbing routes across 17 grades.
Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)G) Diamond Point
~3 min drive
G) Diamond Point in West Virginia has 19 climbing routes with 13 difficulty grades.
Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)F) Flash Point Area
~3 min drive
F) Flash Point Area in West Virginia has 8 routes with 7 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad climbing.
Photo: Wv funnyman, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)E) Kaymoor Slabs
~3 min drive
14-route climbing crag in West Virginia with sport and trad options.
6) Middle Beauty
~0 min drive
Middle Beauty in West Virginia has 7 climbing routes with sport and trad options.
5) Burning Buttress
~0 min drive
5) Burning Buttress in West Virginia has 17 routes with 11 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Beauty Mountain
~0 min drive
4-route climbing crag in West Virginia with sport and trad options.
