West Virginia · Rock climbing · Hico

Heart of Darkness

Near the top of Orange Wall's grade span.

5.12b
grade
Trad Gear
style

Is Heart of Darkness open right now?

No closures listed

The National Park Service lists no closures for Gauley River National Recreation Area.

As of · Source: NPS · Gauley River National Recreation Area. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Heart of Darkness

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.

  1. Jan

    41° / 21°

  2. Feb

    44° / 23°

  3. Mar

    52° / 29°

  4. Apr

    65° / 38°

  5. May

    72° / 48°

  6. Jun

    78° / 57°

  7. Jul

    81° / 61°

  8. Aug

    80° / 59°

  9. Sep

    75° / 53°

  10. Oct

    65° / 41°

  11. Nov

    54° / 32°

  12. Dec

    45° / 26°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Summersville Lake, WV, 4.5 mi away at 1,768 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Among the 10 routes catalogued at Orange Wall, this climb sits near the upper end of the crag's range.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

The ColiseumPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

The Coliseum

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Gun WallPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Gun Wall

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DC Memorial BoulderPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

DC Memorial Boulder

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The Long WallPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

The Long Wall

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Long Wall, The is a climbing area in West Virginia with 21 routes.

Narcissus CavePhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Narcissus Cave

~13 min drive

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Circus WallPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Circus Wall

~13 min drive

Circus Wall in West Virginia has 12 climbing routes across 8 grades, offering sport and trad options.

5 Sunkist Wall

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4 Moon Wall

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MacGuffin Boulder

~3 min drive

7 bouldering routes at MacGuffin Boulder in West Virginia, grades V0 to V5.

Meadow Top Boulders

~3 min drive

27 bouldering routes at Meadow Top Boulders in West Virginia.