West Virginia · Rock climbing · Seneca Rocks

North Peak - East Face

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

North Peak - East FacePhoto: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
30 routes
5.0 – 5.11d
Trad · Mixed · Sport

Is North Peak - East Face open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Monongahela National Forest. It doesn't name North Peak - East Face, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Monongahela National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit North Peak - East Face

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, 11.4 mi away at 1,900 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

North Peak - East Face is a climbing area in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest, within the Potomac Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the face sits right next to the North Peak - West Face and the Pipeline Trail, both about 0.1 mile away. The area holds 30 routes, most of them trad, with a few mixed and one sport. Grades run from 5.0 to 5.11d, with the hardest route being Desperado Direct at 5.11d. The first ascent of Gunsight To North Peak was made by Chuck Sproull, Sally Jordan and Peter Gardiner in 1969, and the route remains at 5.0. Summer is the warmest stretch here, with typical July highs around 84°F and lows near 59°F, while September brings highs near 77°F and the fewest wet days of the year. Those figures are typical averages from a nearby weather station in Franklin, about 11 miles away, at a lower elevation than the peak.

Routes (30)

Gunsight To North PeakFA: Chuck Sproull, Sally Jordan, Peter Gardiner, 19695.0Oh PoohFA: US Army 19435.1Heat LicheningFA: Sandy Fleming, Ben Mealey, David McClain, 20095.10aNubbin DrubbinFA: Sandy Fleming5.10aSome Things Never ChangeFA: Herb Laeger, Howard Doyal 19915.10aI Dream of GinaFA: Sandy Fleming, David McClain, 20095.10bHelter SkelterFA: Howard Doyle, Lotus Steele5.10cLichening Bolt5.10cPsychoprophylaxisFA: Greg Hand, Hunt Prothro, Herb Laeger5.10cUnlimited SkyFA: Don Womack, John Govi, 19855.10dDesperado DirectFA: John Bercaw, Dennis Udall5.11dChristopher RobinFA: US Army 19445.2Heffalump Trap DirectFA: US Army 19435.3Roux5.3Sally's PerilFA: Chuck Sproull, Sally Jordan, Peter Gardiner 19715.5Bear's DelightFA: John Christian, W. Putnam, 19715.6Rox SaltFA: Howard Doyle, Lotus Steele5.6WoleryFA: John Christian, W. Putnam; 19715.6KedsFA: John Gathright, Istvan Sugar5.7Question MarkFA: Tom Stenger, Rick Varner5.7Really FlakyFA: Steve Beck, Ed Lacroix5.7Lichen or Leave ItFA: Howard Doyle, Lotus Steele5.8The Finger StingerFA: Herb Laeger, Eve Uiga5.8You, Me, and the BuzzardFA: Glenn Doell, Kreig Williams 19815.8Promiscuity5.8+BanditoFA: Hunt Prothro5.9DesperadoFA: Buddy Guthrie, Dee Dee Guthrie5.9Great ImpostorFA: Marty McLaughlin, Howard Doyle, Jim Annex (19795.9StreptococcusFA: Howard Doyle, Lotus Steele5.9Unrelenting VerticalityFA: Herb Laeger, Eve Uiga, Charlie Rollins5.9

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