West Virginia · Rock climbing · Summersville

Narcissus Cave

Narcissus Cave in West Virginia has 18 climbing routes across 14 grades, offering sport and trad options.

Narcissus CavePhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
18 routes
5.8 – 5.13c
Sport · Trad

Best time to visit Narcissus Cave

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, 3.3 mi away at 1,768 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Narcissus Cave is a climbing area in West Virginia's Summersville Recreation Area, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. It sits among a cluster of climbing walls, with Orange Oswald Wall and The Satisfaction Wall each about 0.1 mile away and The Long Wall about 0.2 mile off. Climbers Trail, a hike, is also within a quarter mile. The area is a sport climbing destination, with 16 sport routes and two trad routes among its 18 total. Grades run from 5.8- up to 5.13c, with Narcissus at 5.12a and Deep Throat at 5.13c as two of the more notable routes. The climbing is centered on the cave itself, which gives the area its name. For comfortable weather, late spring and early fall are the best bets. Typical averages from the Summersville Lake weather station, about 3 miles away, show May highs around 72°F and September highs around 75°F, with July peaking near 81°F. The Gauley River, about a mile away, offers river fishing. Summersville Lake Shelters, roughly 3 miles off, and Battle Run, about 4 miles away, are the closest campgrounds.

Routes (18)

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

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