West Virginia · Rock climbing · Circleville

Nelson Rocks

Nelson Rocks in West Virginia has 6 climbing routes across 5 grades, featuring mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Nelson RocksPhoto: drsmith7383, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
6 routes
5.5 – 5.10
Sport · Trad · Mixed

Best time to visit Nelson Rocks

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

    43° / 22°

    8 wet

  2. Feb

    47° / 23°

    7 wet

  3. Mar

    55° / 30°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    67° / 38°

    11 wet

  5. May

    74° / 48°

    12 wet

  6. Jun

    81° / 55°

    10 wet

  7. Jul

    84° / 59°

    10 wet

  8. Aug

    83° / 58°

    10 wet

  9. Sep

    77° / 51°

    8 wet

  10. Oct

    68° / 41°

    7 wet

  11. Nov

    56° / 32°

    8 wet

  12. Dec

    46° / 25°

    9 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Franklin 2 Ne, WV, 8.5 mi away at 1,900 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Nelson Rocks is a climbing area in West Virginia, about 0.8 miles from the community of Judy Gap. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Crescendo Wall and 34D Wall each about 0.1 mile away. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 74°F and September highs around 77°F, with July the warmest month at about 84°F. Paddlers can head to the North Fork South Branch Potomac River, about 1.4 miles away. Wrangler Meadow Campground, roughly 2.6 miles off, offers a place to stay. Farther out, Spruce Knob Lake and the Lumberjack Trail are both about 4.2 miles away.

Routes (6)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Crescendo WallPhoto: drsmith7383, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Crescendo Wall

~0 min drive

Crescendo Wall in West Virginia has 7 climbing routes with mixed and trad styles.

34D WallPhoto: drsmith7383, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

34D Wall

~0 min drive

34D Wall in West Virginia has 10 climbing routes ranging across 9 difficulty grades.

Spruce Knob boulderingPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Spruce Knob bouldering

~6 min drive

14 bouldering routes in West Virginia spread across 6 difficulty grades.

North Peak - East FacePhoto: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

North Peak - East Face

~19 min drive

North Peak - East Face in West Virginia has 30 climbing routes.

Southwest CornerPhoto: MonongahelaNF, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Southwest Corner

~19 min drive

Southwest Corner in West Virginia has 15 climbing routes across 9 grades.

Riverbend

~13 min drive

Riverbend in West Virginia offers 16 sport climbing routes across 12 difficulty grades.

Parking Area Wall

~14 min drive

Parking Area Wall in West Virginia has 7 sport climbing routes.

Contact Zone

~14 min drive

Contact Zone in West Virginia has 17 routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

Impact Zone

~14 min drive

Impact Zone in West Virginia has 35 climbing routes across 16 grades.

Southern Pillar - East Side

~19 min drive

Southern Pillar - East Side in West Virginia has 16 climbing routes.