Beauty Mountain
4-route climbing crag in West Virginia with sport and trad options.
- 4 routes
- 5.6 – 5.12a
- Trad · Sport
Is Beauty Mountain 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 Beauty Mountain
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, 8.6 mi away at 2,040 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Beauty Mountain is a climbing area in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among several other named climbing areas, which makes it a natural hub for climbers exploring this corner of the park. The area's four routes include both traditional and sport climbing, with grades ranging from 5.6 to 5.12a. The hardest is Plastic Attraction, a sport route at 5.12a, while Potato Chip is the easiest at 5.6. Sojourners, a traditional 5.10b, and Welcome to Beauty, a traditional 5.11b, round out the list. September is the most comfortable time to climb, with typical highs around 75°F and lows near 54°F. The weather station at Oak Hill, about 9 miles away, records fewer wet days in September than any other month of the year. Temperatures here can run slightly cooler than at the station's elevation. The closest neighbors are the 5) Burning Buttress and 3) The Brain climbing areas, each about 0.1 mile away. The Headhouse Trail and Keeneys Creek Rail Trail are both within half a mile for anyone who wants to pair a climb with a walk.
Routes (4)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
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: 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)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
~2 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.
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.
[Redacted]
~0 min drive
Redacted in West Virginia has 5 climbing routes across 4 grades.
6) Middle Beauty
~0 min drive
Middle Beauty in West Virginia has 7 climbing routes with sport and trad options.
