West Virginia · Rock climbing · Cotton Hill

Highball Boulder

Highball Boulder in West Virginia has 10 bouldering routes across 8 grades.

Highball BoulderPhoto: Ryan Stavely, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
10 routes
V0 – V9
Bouldering

Best time to visit Highball Boulder

Best months: April–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.

  1. Jan

    42° / 23°

  2. Feb

    46° / 25°

  3. Mar

    55° / 31°

  4. Apr

    68° / 40°

  5. May

    75° / 49°

  6. Jun

    81° / 58°

  7. Jul

    84° / 62°

  8. Aug

    83° / 61°

  9. Sep

    78° / 54°

  10. Oct

    68° / 43°

  11. Nov

    56° / 33°

  12. Dec

    46° / 27°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Anstead Hawks Nest Sp, WV, 1.5 mi away at 1,296 ft. The station sits about 500 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Highball Boulder is a bouldering area in West Virginia's Cotton Hill Wildlife Management Area, managed by the State Department of Natural Resources. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Malone Boulder, Slitty Titty Boulder and Cotton Bottom all within a tenth of a mile. The climbing here is bouldering only, with 10 routes spread across the V0 to V9 range of the V scale. The warmups sit at V0, while Enter the Ninja is the hardest at V9. The boulders work as a base for a longer outing: the Cliffside Trail and Loop Trail are each about a mile away, and the Hawk's Nest Rail Trail is roughly 1.4 miles off.

Routes (10)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Slitty Titty BoulderPhoto: Ryan Stavely, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Slitty Titty Boulder

~0 min drive

10-boulder crag in West Virginia with 6 difficulty grades.

Casey JonesPhoto: Ryan Stavely, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Casey Jones

~0 min drive

Casey Jones in West Virginia has 6 bouldering routes across 5 grades.

Bat Cave BoulderPhoto: Ryan Stavely, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Bat Cave Boulder

~0 min drive

Bat Cave Boulder in West Virginia has 9 routes across 8 grades.

Cotton ClubPhoto: Ryan Stavely, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cotton Club

~0 min drive

Cotton Club in West Virginia has 33 climbing routes.

Rainbow Ledge AreaPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Rainbow Ledge Area

~6 min drive

Rainbow Ledge Area in West Virginia has 8 routes with sport and trad climbing.

Central BubbaPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Central Bubba

~6 min drive

Central Bubba in West Virginia has 12 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and traditional styles.

Bubba ButtressPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Bubba Buttress

~6 min drive

Bubba Buttress in West Virginia has 17 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad styles.

Beer WallPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Beer Wall

~6 min drive

Beer Wall in West Virginia has 18 climbing routes across 13 grades, featuring bouldering pads, sport, and trad.

Zealous AreaPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Zealous Area

~7 min drive

Zealous Area in West Virginia has 8 traditional climbing routes across 7 grades.

Moe AreaPhoto: sbennett1298, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Moe Area

~8 min drive

Moe Area in West Virginia has 7 bouldering routes across 6 grades.